Renovation

Harper Square. Image via centercityphila.org

Construction Anticipated at Harper Square at 113-21 South 19th Street in Rittenhouse Square, Center City

One of the most exciting development proposals on Philadelphia’s drawing boards is Harper Square at 113-21 South 19th Street in Rittenhouse Square, Center City. Designed by DAS Architecture and Planning and developed by Pearl Properties, the slim skyscraper is planned to rise 620 feet and 52 stories tall. The 267,874-square-foot structure will hold 215 residential units and 30,180 square feet of commercial space and incorporate existing historic buildings into the base. So far, only a preliminary approval permit had been issued, meaning that construction must await further permits to start, yet we still saw it fitting to visit the site of the proposal to document its current condition, which we share in the photos below.

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1826 Chestnut Street. Looking southeast. Credit: Goodman Properties

Still No Signs of Progress at 1826 Chestnut Street in Rittenhouse Square, Center City

In December 2020, SkyscraperPage forumer FairmountFellow revealed a pair of renderings showing a skyscraper situated atop the prewar building at 1826 Chestnut Street in Rittenhouse Square, Center City, which they purportedly observed in a “local cooperative presentation.” The rendering shows a floor count of around 42 stories and indicates that the project would be developed by Goodman Properties. The development’s location next to the proposed high-rise at 113-121 South 19th Street suggests a height of around 550 feet. Although there are indications that the development is still active, no permits have been filed in the meantime and information on the project remains exceedingly scarce. We dispatched our photographer to the site to check for signs of progress, yet none were to be found, with a CVS Pharmacy still operating out of the former theater building.

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The Terrace on 18th at 1776 Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Credit: Pearl Properties

YIMBY Looks at Rental Apartments at The Terrace on 18th in Logan Square, Center City

Earlier this year, YIMBY shared exterior photos of The Terrace on 18th, an adaptive reuse/residential conversion project for a 267-foot-tall, 27-story high-rise at 1776 Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Logan Square, Center City. Designed by the architecture firm of Stonorov & Haws and completed in 1964 as the Plaza Apartments, the cylindrical Brutalist tower later served as a hotel known as Embassy Suites Philadelphia Center. Over the course of the past year, developer Pearl Properties had once again thoroughly overhauled the structure, this time converting it to 288 rental apartments. Today YIMBY looks at the unique, wedge-shaped unit layouts that resulted from the building’s unusual form.

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140 North 2nd Street building diagrams from former zoning permit.

Permits Issued for Renovation at 140 North 2nd Street in Old City

Permits have been issued for the renovation of a four-story prewar rowhouse at 140 North 2nd Street in the Old City section of Center City. The building will see a change of occupancy to make room for five transient dwelling units described as “visitor accommodation units.” In total, the building holds 4,523 square feet of space. Renovation work is expected to cost $200,000, according to the permit.

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