Skyline massing

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.

Ultra Labs at University City. Image via Scheer Partners

Floor Plans Revealed for Ultra Labs University City in University City, West Philadelphia

8:00 am on September 13, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

Floor plans have been recently revealed for Ultra Labs University City at 125 North 32nd Street in University City, West Philadelphia. Developed by the Republic Properties and Scheer Partners, the structure will rise 190 feet and 19 stories tall and will contain 185,279 square feet of interior space. The mixed-use building will combine laboratory and office space, joining the many lab buildings located throughout University City.

PSFS Building unfinished design. Image via philadelphiabuildings.org

YIMBY Presents Massing Renderings Of The Unfinished PSFS Building Design

7:30 am on August 14, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

Over the past few months, YIMBY has shared multiple publications on the PSFS Building covering its history and the process of the skyscraper’s design stage. The building is located at 1200 Market Street in Market East, Center City. Depending on the design, the structure may have ended up looking very differently if one of the past iterations went through. The building was designed by George Howe and William Edmond Lescaze, who originally weren’t partnered when George Howe created the first design. In this feature, Philadelphia YIMBY presents massing renderings of the PSFS Building when the design was nearly finalized, yet still unfinished.

Philadelphia skyline with unbuilt proposals looking northeast. Image and models by Thomas Koloski

Philadelphia YIMBY Presents Updated Massings Of The Unbuilt Philadelphia Skyline

8:00 am on August 10, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

In March, YIMBY shared exclusive renderings of the Philadelphia skyline featuring several unbuilt skyscrapers that would have made the city appear quite different from its current look. The conceptual massing shows the possibilities that never happened, though they remain archived by the original architects and now also by our publications. Numerous projects have been canceled in the city over the years, including the American Commerce Center, a tower once proposed in Center City that would have stood taller than the Comcast Technology Center. Today we present updated massing renderings of the Philadelphia skyline with many projects that remain unbuilt.

Fourth scheme of the PSFS Building. Image via George Howe and William Edmond Lescaze

YIMBY Presents Massing Renderings of the Fourth Design for the PSFS Building

7:30 am on August 5, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

In the past month, YIMBY has posted multiple publications on the PSFS Building and its history. The building stands at 1200 Market Street in Market East, Center City, with a height of 491 feet that dominates the local skyline even now, and did even more so when it was recently built. The tower was designed by George Howe and William Lescaze, who drew up several designs of the building prior to construction. In this feature, Philadelphia YIMBY shares the fourth iteration of the PSFS Building, which also had a physical model built.

Second scheme of the PSFS Building. Image via George Howe and William Edmond Lescaze

YIMBY Presents Massing Renderings of the Second Design for the PSFS Building

7:30 am on August 3, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

In recent weeks, Philadelphia YIMBY has shared a series of publications on the historic PSFS Building at 1200 Market Street in Market East, Center City. Yesterday we looked in detail at the first iteration of the building designed by architects George Howe and William Lescaze, who partnered in 1929. In this feature, we present massing renderings of the second design. The roof height of the current building stands 491 feet above the ground, which is likely as high as the iterations analyzed here would have also risen.

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Skyline massing

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