Skyline massing

Philadelphia 1985 Liberty Place massing south elevation. Models and image by Thomas Koloski

YIMBY Presents Revised Massings Of The 1985 Liberty Place Iteration

7:30 am on April 29, 2022 By Thomas Koloski

On May 13, 1985, celebrations were held for the groundbreaking for the first phase of the Liberty Place complex in Center City, with another office tower, mall, and hotel under construction by February 1988. The towers, located at 1650 Market Street and 50 East 16th Street, were designed by Helmut Jahn of Murphy/Jahn. Originally One Liberty Place was meant to stand 915 feet, while the shorter Two Liberty Place was proposed to rise 708 feet and 48 stories tall. The project was developed by Willard G. Rouse III of Rouse and Associates, which had eventually transformed into Liberty Property Trust. In this feature, Philadelphia YIMBY shares revised versions of our custom-made skyline massings of the 1985 Liberty Place design.

Philadelphia skyline from South Street Bridge. Photo by The Philadelphia Inquirer

Observing The Construction Of Mellon Bank Center and Two Liberty Place

8:00 am on April 11, 2022 By Thomas Koloski

In 1984, plans were approved for the first office tower to rise above the unwritten Gentleman’s Agreement height above the statue of William Penn. One Liberty Place broke ground in 1985 and was under construction until the end of 1987, starting a new construction boom for the city that revitalized the city’s skyline. One Commerce Square had topped out the summer before One Liberty Place rose, but, shortly after the completion of One Liberty Place, the structure of the Independence Blue Cross Tower joined the skyline. By the end of 1988, the Bell Atlantic Tower was also rising, eventually bulking up the skyline by 1989.

2022 Philadelphia skyline massing looking northeast. Image and model by Thomas Koloski

YIMBY Presents the 2022 Philadelphia Skyline Massing

8:00 am on March 11, 2022 By Thomas Koloski

Over the years, the Philadelphia skyline has been changing continually with new buildings being constructed. YIMBY has recreated the historical growth via multiple skyline massing models. The first model was completed back in 2019 and since then a series of models were made, going back to 1905. The newest model represents the skyline in the current year, reflecting multiple milestone additions to the cityscape. Like most models other than the 2019 model, the section of the city represented in our the three-dimensional mockup is bordered by the Schuylkill River, Cherry Street, 12th Street, and Walnut Street. In this feature, Philadelphia YIMBY will be observing the city construction on the 2022 massing.

Two Cathedral Square in the Philadelphia skyline from the Museum of Art. Photo and model by Thomas Koloski

Philadelphia YIMBY Presents Massings of Two Cathedral Square in the Philadelphia Skyline

8:00 am on January 18, 2022 By Thomas Koloski

While the Philadelphia skyline is growing upward, it is also extending further outward with new proposals. Cathedral Square, a development consisting of two skyscrapers, is on its way up in the Logan Square neighborhood in Center City, with the first tower already under construction at 1701 Race Street. Just to the north, Two Cathedral Square will soon stand 470 feet and 34 stories tall at 227 North 18th Street. The tower was designed by Solomon Cordwell Buenz and developed by Exter Property Group and the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

Harper Square. Image via centercityphila.org

Philadelphia YIMBY Reveals Updated Skyline Massings for Harper Square in Rittenhouse Square, Center City

8:00 am on January 5, 2022 By Thomas Koloski

Over the past year, several new proposals for the city of Philadelphia have been revealed that will make a significant mark on the skyline. One of these is situated in Rittenhouse Square in Center City, where a project was revealed at 113-121 South 19th Street. The development, known as Harper Square, will dominate the neighborhood along with the nearly-complete Laurel Rittenhouse. Designed by DAS Architecture and Planning, the residential tower will stand 611 feet and 54 stories tall, and will include 215 units. The slender high-rise is being developed by Pearl Properties, which also developed The Harper, another residential tower located nearby. Today YIMBY presents our latest custom-made building massings that show the proposal’s future effect on the skyline.

Two Cathedral Square at 227 North 18th Street. Credit: Solomon Cordwell Buenz

Philadelphia YIMBY Reveals Skyline Massings of Two Cathedral Square at 227 North 18th Street in Logan Square, Center City

7:30 am on November 21, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

YIMBY recently published the long-awaited reveal of the plans for Two Cathedral Square at 227 North 18th Street in Logan Square, Center City. The new building that will join the north side of the Philadelphia skyline as part of the Cathedral Square development. Developed by EQT Exeter and the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, the tower will soon rise to a height of 470 feet and will feature a curvy, angled parapet, standing 34 stories above ground. The building was designed by Solomon Cordwell Buenz, which has also designed Philadelphia buildings such as The Murano, The Laurel Rittenhouse, and 33 North 22nd Street. Today YIMBY shares exclusive massings that show the tower’s future impact on the skyline.

Market West and Washington Square West proposals. Image and models by Thomas Koloski

Skyline Massings Show Future Growth in Market East and Washington Square West, Center City

7:30 am on September 28, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

In Philadelphia, new development continues to constantly change the cityscape. Buildings with dominant height and/or great mass are being built on a regular basis, drawing the public’s attention. The neighborhoods that are seeing the most change are Center City (particularly Center City West) and University City, and now Market East has recently joined that list with its rising number of new high-rises proposed and under construction. Both office towers and residential buildings are in the works in the area, which are all expected to be built within the next several years. Today YIMBY presents massing renderings that show the developments’ impact on the future skyline.

Philadelphia 1905 and 2020 south elevation. Photo by Thomas Koloski

Looking Back At The Creation Of The Philadelphia Massing

7:30 am on September 26, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

For over a year, Philadelphia YIMBY has been providing extensive publications and visuals depicting new developments planned for the future as well as notable towers that have risen in the past. We have offered images from drawn schematics, custom-made renderings, and skyline massings to give the public a clear look at the structures featured. Any time new high-rise buildings have been revealed or design changes were made, YIMBY reports on the changes with three-dimensional skyline views from various directions. In this feature, we look back at the creation of the 3D skyline massings that we continue to provide to this day.

Philadelphia 1945 aerial looking east. Models and image by Thomas Koloski

Observing the “Chinese Wall” Rail Viaduct on the 1945 Cityscape

7:30 am on September 25, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

In the late 1800s, the city of Philadelphia made a bold move that greatly transformed and influenced both mass transit and the cityscape when they allowed Pennsylvania Railroad to construct a massive rail viaduct in Center City. One of the largest transportation projects in the city, dubbed to citizens as the “Chinese Wall” due to its appearance and presence, had a dramatic effect on the city’s planning for years to come. Designed by the Wilson Brothers, the rail line stood next to Broad Street Station, which sat on the current site of Dilworth Park, and stretched out all the way to West Philadelphia. The structure saw busy rail service for decades, yet it ultimately met its fate in 1953 after it was demolished to make way for future development. Today YIMBY presents an exclusive massing mock-up of how the structure appeared on the cityscape in 1945.

Unfinished Liberty Place design model. Photo from Helmut Jahn

Visualizing the Under-500-Foot-Tall Early Iterations of Liberty Place on the Skyline

8:00 am on September 16, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

The Liberty Place complex is emblematic of the Philadelphia skyline as they played a key role in Center City‘s skyscraper growth. The towers currently stand 61 and 58 stories tall, with angled sharp crowns pointing toward to the sky, one tower capped with a tall and another with a short spire. The project was commissioned by Willard G. Rouse III of Rouse and Associates, who had originally pictured a $150 million 38-story tower rising to a height that measured somewhere under 500 feet. Just days after New Year’s Day in 1984, the building was first discussed in a publication about how Rouse won the bid for the site how it may become the city’s premier office tower. The architect, Helmut Jahn, was selected in March, and had produced a rapid succession of concepts under 500 feet, which eventually evolving well above that height. Today we share exclusive massing concepts of how the skyline would have looked if the towers were built to their originally planned height.

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