Skyscrapers that make up the Philadelphia’s skyline must be maintained to keep a clean look that enhances the city. Though most of the cleaning takes place in warmer conditions, the towers are cleaned during all four seasons, with workers daring the conditions high above the ground. Today, Philadelphia YIMBY exhibits the crews of people who take on the hallenge to keep these large structures in good condition.
The growth of the Philadelphia skyline has significantly accelerated in the past five years, with projects like the Comcast Technology Center, FMC Tower, W/Element Hotel having been recently finished and more new towers currently under construction. Of course, tower cranes have a prominent presence at each high-rise construction site, whether freestanding or attached to the skeleton of the building. This collection of photos observes the tower cranes that are currently rising in the Philadelphia skyline in areas ranging from Center City to West Philadelphia and even North Philadelphia.
Today YIMBY looks at the skyline from a brand new viewpoint at the Live! Casino and Hotel, which has a fantastic view of the Center City towers. The photographs in this publication are taken from the parking garage, located to the south of the hotel portion of the entire project along with being to the south to the skyline. The hotel is located two blocks to the north of Citizens Bank Park, in the Sports Complex District in South Philadelphia.
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.
In the 1960s, the Philadelphia skyline was on the verge of transformation as several massive towers were proposed at the end of the decade. In the mid-1960s, City Hall, topped by the William Penn Statue, ranking as the tallest building, with most other tall towers clustering in the vicinity. Over the next few decades, the Center City skyline has extended greatly to the east and west, with many dominant modern office towers surpassing City Hall. Today Philly YIMBY looks back and compares the skyline from 1965 skyline to its current form.
