Center City

12+Sansom at 123-27 South 12th Street. Rendering credit: Studios Architecture

New Massing for 12 + Sansom at 123 South 12th Street in Market East, Center City

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

In a follow-up to the recent design update to the 12 + Sansom project at 123 South 12th Street, Philadelphia YIMBY shares with its readers exclusive, brand new massing models of the 265-fot-tall, 20-story building’s future presence on the skyline. Designed by Studios Architecture (with Bower Lewis Tower Architects as the architect of record) and developed by Greystar Real Estate Partners, the 412-unit residential building will significantly boost the density in the Market East section of Center City. The tower’s shape and exterior have completely changed since the last iteration.

W/Element Hotel with decorative lighting. Photo by Thomas Koloski

Decorative Lighting Tested Atop W/Element Hotel at 1441 Chestnut Street in Center City

8:00 am on February 22, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

In recent days, decorative lighting was undergoing testing atop the W/Element Hotel at 1441 Chestnut Street in Center City, as the dual-branded hotel readies for its grand opening in the coming months (Element Hotel in April and the W Hotel in May). Designed by Cope-Linder Architects and developed by Chestlen Development, the tower’s nighttime illumination will be particularly effective due to the tower’s prominent height of 617 feet and 52 stories, further enhanced by the dramatic design inspired by the ripples on the Schuylkill River. During Superbowl LII, the Lighting Practice, the building’s illumination designer, was inspired by multiple skyscrapers that were illuminated in green in honor of the Philadelphia Eagles and decided to switch from an all-white design to a multi-colored LED system.

Timber Towers. Rendering via Hickok Cole

Examining Timber Towers, a Visionary Concept for Wood-Framed High-Rises Suggested for Center City

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

In 2018, architecture firm Hickok Cole published a design concept for Timber Towers, a trio of mixed-use high-rises that would use wood as the principal structural material. The concept, which won an honorable mention in the SKYHIVE Skyscraper Challenge, was designed to span an entire block in Center City to the northwest of the Comcast Technology Center. According to the architects, the 1.9-million-square-foot plan would use 2,075,125 cubic feet of wood products, “easily replenished by North American forests in less than three hours,” and sequester 80,775 US tons of carbon dioxide within the structure, resulting in emissions savings are the equivalent those produced by 12,073 cars within one year.

Updated Design Revealed for 12 + Sansom, a 20-Story Tower Planned at 123 South 12th Street in Market East, Center City

8:00 am on February 19, 2021 By Colin LeStourgeon

An updated design has been revealed for 12 + Sansom, a high-rise development proposed at 123 South 12th Street in Market East, Center City. Designed by Studios Architecture (with BLT Architects as the architect of record), the 371,700-square-foot structure will stand at a height of 20 floors and 265 feet, and will contain 412 residential units, 94 underground parking spaces, and storage for 138 bicycles.

17th and Vine rendering via Hiliier Architecture

A Look at an Unbuilt 50-Story Tower Once Proposed at 1739 Vine Street in Franklintown

8:00 am on February 17, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

Nearly 20 years ago, a 890-foot-tall, 50-story skyscraper was proposed at 1739 Vine Street in Franklintown, North Philadelphia (or, by an alternate definition, in Logan Square, Center City). Located just to the north of Vine Street, at the intersection with North 17th Street, the tower would have dominated the northern edge of the skyline core. Designed by Hillier Architecture, the project featured a major setback on the north side and a taller, curved section at the south side, with a spire extending above the main structure. Renderings show a façade of light turquoise glass with white metal highlights.

542-Foot Tall Arthaus Tops Out in Washington Square West, Center City

8:00 am on February 15, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

The concrete structure at the Arthaus condominium at 311 South Broad Street has officially topped out on February 12th, when the last bucket of concrete was lifted to the pinnacle. A celebratory ceremony was held on that day, as work continued on the 542-foot-tall, 47-story tower, located in Washington Square West in south Center City. The skyscraper will house 108 residential units, along with retail situated on the first four floors. The project is developed by Dranoff Properties, which had acquired the site in 2013 with the intent of constructing the SLS International Hotel. Eugene Kohn of Kohn Pedersen Fox has been the lead designer since the earliest stages, when the development was still planned as a hotel.

Site Clearance in Progress at Penn’s Landing Redevelopment in Center City

8:00 am on February 14, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

The massive Penn’s Landing Redevelopment project will dramatically transform the Delaware River waterfront south of the Benjamin Franklin Bridge. Developed by The Durst Organization, the complex will create over 3.6 million square feet of floor space, as well as a 11.5-acre public park. The $2.2 billion project will add 1,834 residential units and a significant amount of office space, while expanding the Center City skyline to the east and likely inviting high-rise growth in the gap between the waterfront and the skyline core.

113-121 South 19th Street. Credit: Pearl Properties/DAS Architecture

New Permits Filed at 113-121 South 19th Street in Rittenhouse Square, Center City

8:00 am on February 11, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

Permits have been issued for the consolidation of the five properties that make up the site of the 567-foot-tall, 49-story skyscraper proposed at 113-121 South 19th Street in Rittenhouse Square, Center City. The façades of most of the prewar buildings at the site will be incorporated into the future tower’s base. The 183-unit building will feature balconies on most floors on the south side of the tower. The tower was designed by DAS Architecture and Planning and developed by Pearl Properties, which built the 272-foot-tall residential building called The Harper nearby at 112 South 19th Street nearly two years ago. The high-rise will stand two blocks north of Rittenhouse Square, featuring a mix of glass, metal and stone at the façade.

American Commerce Center rendering via Kohn Pendersen Fox

The Story of the American Commerce Center, Once Planned as Philadelphia’s Tallest Tower

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

During the construction of the first Comcast Center tower, many wondered whether the 975-foot-tall skyscraper would rank as the city’s tallest for much longer. Just a few months before the former’s topping out, details were released about the American Commerce Center at 1800 Arch Street, a proposal that stunned many development watchers with its 1,510-foot height. The project was being developed by Hill International Real Estate Partners and designed by Kohn Pendersen Fox, a firm that is also behind the 792-foot-tall Mellon Bank Center, currently the city’s fifth-tallest building, and Arthaus, a 542-foot-tall skyscraper currently under construction. The development was ultimately canceled and the 1,121-foot-tall Comcast Technology Center was built at the site.

Permits Issued for 19-Unit Structure at 225-27 North 12th Street in Chinatown, Center City

8:00 am on February 9, 2021 By Colin LeStourgeon

Permits have been issued for a six-story, 19-unit multi-family development at 225-27 North 12th Street in Chinatown, Center City. Seven bicycle spaces will be included in the project as well as six off-site parking spaces, with one set to be van accessible. The building will total 16,363 square feet of space. Tester Construction is listed as ten contractor for the project, with Coscia Moos Architecture doing the design work, although renderings are unfortunately not available at this time. Project cost is listed at cost $2.9 million.

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