History

Bell Atlantic Tower. Photo by Thomas Koloski

A Look At Past Designs for the Bell Atlantic Tower in Logan Square, Center City

8:00 am on June 2, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

In the 1980s, new skyscraper proposals surged after the proposed Liberty Place project was poised to break the 548-foot height limit established by the tower of City Hall. Five of the proposals now stand in the skyline, which include the 739-foot-tall Bell Atlantic Tower at 1717 Arch Street in Logan Square, Center City. Designed by Kling Lindquist, the setbacks of the 55-story skyscraper were partially inspired by structures such as the Empire State Building and One Liberty Place, which itself is similar to the Chrysler Building. Brandywine Realty Trust has owned the skyscraper since 2010, and is now officially known as Three Logan Square. Today Philly YIMBY looks at the alternate designs that were once considered for the structure.

Philadelphia 1945 and 2020 south elevation. Model and image by Thomas Koloski

Philadelphia YIMBY Compares Massing Renderings of the 1945 and the 2020 Skyline

7:00 am on May 29, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

In the mid-1940s, the Philadelphia skyline still maintained the general look it received during the construction boom of the 1920s and 1930, when several new towers added significant mass to the Center City skyline. The Philadelphia City Hall still topped the skyline at 548 feet tall, but by the 40s more high-rises were nearing the top of the clock tower, with several rising in the 300-foot range. A number of Art Deco buildings stood out, with predominantly light and dark brown shades. Today Philly YIMBY compares massing renderings of the 1945 skyline and the 2020 skyline.

The Lewis Tower from Arthaus. Photo by Thomas Koloski

A Look At The Lewis Tower At 1425 Locust Street in Rittenhouse Square, Center City

7:00 am on May 21, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

Philadelphia is home to a sizable collection of intricately designed skyscrapers that were built between 1920 and 1940, which still stand out on the cityscape despite being drastically shorter than the modern towers of Center City. The east side of the Rittenhouse Square neighborhood features many towers built within that time frame, including The Lewis Tower, now known as The Aria Condos at 1425 Locust Street. The structure rises 389 feet and 33 stories tall, just one block to the north of the 375-foot-tall tower known as The Drake. The skyscraper was designed by Edmund Gilchrist, and Gravell and Hall engineered the steel structure. The Art Deco building was completed in 1929.

Philadelphia 1925 south elevation. Model and image by Thomas Koloski

Philadelphia YIMBY Presents Massing Renderings of the 1925 Skyline

8:00 am on May 18, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

During the 1920s, “the Roaring Twenties,” the nation saw a major economic boom that lasted nearly a decade, until it came crashing down in the 1930s with the Great Depression. Major cities were vibrant and illuminated, with ballrooms and theaters spreading around cities. The growth also positively affected the skylines of American cities, including that of Philadelphia, which saw the construction of multiple office buildings in Center City, mostly around Broad Street and Market Street.

30th Street Station during the 2016 DNC. Image via Wikipedia

Taking a Look at 30th Street Station at 2955 Market Street in University City, West Philadelphia

7:30 am on May 12, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

With the growth of rail transit in the early 1900s across the country, Philadelphia’s train network was also expanding. After the construction of the Broad Street Station, the larger 30th Street Station was built in University City, West Philadelphia, in order to increase the capacity of local transit. Built by the Pennsylvania Railroad, the station sits on the west side of the Schuylkill River, right in the middle of where John F. Kennedy Boulevard would run, with rail lines running and under the station and across the river. The Classic Revival structure was designed by Graham, Anderson, Probst & White, which also designed the Suburban Station in Center City and The Wrigley Building in Chicago.

Philadelphia City Hall. Photo by Thomas Koloski

Looking at Philadelphia City Hall in Center City

8:00 am on May 8, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

The Philadelphia City Hall, located at 1400 John F. Kennedy Boulevard in Center City, is an astonishing 548-foot tall structure that was completed in 1901 (though occupation first started in 1877) at the intersection of Market Street and Broad Street. The nine-story structure is the world’s tallest freestanding masonry building and has a lovely Second Empire style architecture (also known as Napoleon III style), with the municipal floors and the clock tower decked out with decorative cornices and pillars. The building was designed by John McArthur Jr. and Thomas Ustick Walter. McArthur has also designed the First National Bank and Walter was the fourth architect of the Capitol building in Washington DC, having designed the Capitol dome on top of the Capitol Building.

Philadelphia YIMBY Presents Massing Renderings of the 1945 Skyline

8:00 am on May 7, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

In the 1940s, development in Philadelphia progressed at a slow pace as over the previous four years the United States of America was engaged in World War II after Japan’s surprise attack on Pear Harbor on December 7, 1941, further slowed down by the Great Depression, which lasted through the 1930s. However, in the preceding decades, many ornate buildings rose into the skyline with fantastic masonry designs. Most of the largest buildings were built around the City Hall in Center City, which created a hub of development when the Second Empire style building was completed in 1901.

Bank of the Southwest Tower in the Houston skyline. Image via Jahn/Murphy, Inc

Looking at the Unbuilt Bank of the Southwest Tower, Houston’s Precursor to One Liberty Place

8:00 am on May 6, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

Before One Liberty Place topped the Philadelphia skyline in 1987, a larger skyscraper, also designed by Helmut Jahn, was proposed in the city of Houston, with a design that featured striking similarities to the future Philadelphia tower. Known as the Bank of the Southwest, the supertall was planned to count 82 floors, with an angled crown capped with a sharp spire that would rise 1,404 feet high. The larger office floors were to have angled cuts on each corner. The firm of Jahn/Murphy, Inc. was chosen after a design contest in 1982 and the tower was projected to be completed by 1986. The tower was cancelled by 1983 due to a lack of funding, but elements of the design were later integrated into the Philadelphia skyscraper.

East Market Phase 3. Credit: National Real Estate Development / Ennead Architects / Morris Adjmi / BLTa via CDR

In-Depth Look at East Market Phase 3, a Two-Tower Complex Underway at 1101-53 Chestnut Street in Market East, Center City

8:00 am on April 28, 2021 By Vitali Ogorodnikov

In the late 1980s, in rapid succession, a series of skyscrapers broke through the long-held “Gentlemen’s Agreement” that unofficially restricted Philadelphia’s buildings from rising above the 548-foot-tall pinnacle of City Hall, creating the now-iconic skyline of Center City. While the skyscraper cluster transformed the area to the west of City Hall, the Market East district to the east continues to lag behind in terms of an imposing skyline. However, East Market Phase 3, developed by National Real Estate Development as part of the East Market complex and currently under construction at 1101-53 Chestnut Street, will boost the local skyline with a pair of towers rising 364 and 288 feet tall. The buildings will bring one million square feet of medical office, residential, and retail space to the neighborhood, and add a sizable public plaza. Today we take a detailed look at the transformative project.

The Centennial Tower. Image from Clarke, Reeves and Company

Remembering the Unbuilt Centennial Tower in Fairmount Park, West Philadelphia

8:00 am on April 20, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

During the planning for the Centennial Exposition of 1876, expo organizers put forth a bold proposal for an incredibly tall structure called the Centennial Tower in Fairmount Park, where two buildings still remain from the expo. The tower was planned at 1,000 feet tall, well before any skyscrapers were built in the city. The tower would have risen as large cross-braced tube that slims down at the top, capped with a short cone top and lightning rod, and would have featured four observation levels. The metal structure was designed by Clarke, Reeves and Company, which had also designed an older bridge that stood at then site of the current Girard Avenue Bridge.

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