Philadelphia City Hall from Arthaus. Photo by Thomas Koloski

YIMBY Looks Back at the Renovation of Philadelphia City Hall in the 1980s

8:00 am on April 19, 2022 By Thomas Koloski

Philadelphia’s City Hall has loomed proudly in Center City since it topped out in 1894, but its tower continues to stand only thanks to several renovations. While the municipal floors of the building only rise nine stories high, the clock tower remains the largest freestanding masonry structure in the world to this day. The edifice is topped by a 37-foot-tall statue of William Penn, the founder of Pennsylvania, which brings the tower to a full height of 548 feet. The structure was designed by John McArthur Jr. and Thomas Ustick Walter, and was completed in 1901. In this feature, Philadelphia YIMBY takes a look back at the direly-needed renovation for the top of the clock tower that took place in the 1980s.

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A Project HOPE development at 115 East Huntingdon Street. Credit: Cecil Baker + Partners Architects

Renovation Underway at Project HOME Residence at 115 East Huntingdon Street in West Kensington

7:30 am on April 19, 2022 By Vitali Ogorodnikov

A recent site visit by Philadelphia YIMBY has revealed that renovation work is underway at 115 East Huntingdon Street in West Kensington, where a five-story prewar building is being converted into a 56-unit mixed-use development, which is part of Project HOME, a nonprofit organization that provides housing and support services to socially vulnerable populations. Located on the Episcopal Campus of the Temple University Hospital, the development will offer two elevators, full sprinkling, and support staff. Permits list a project team of Cecil Baker + Partners Architects as the designer, the hospital’s Project HOME as the owner/developer, and T. N. Ward Company as the contractor. Construction costs are specified at $14.9 million.

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3226 Germantown Avenue. Credit: Cornerstone.

Permits Issued for 3226 Germantown Avenue in Allegheny, North Philadelphia

7:00 am on April 19, 2022 By Colin LeStourgeon

Permits have been issued for a mixed-use development at 3226 Germantown Avenue in Allegheny, North Philadelphia. The building will rise four stories tall once completed and will hold commercial space on the ground floor and 41 apartments. The building will span 56,077 square feet of space. Construction costs are listed at $13.4 million. Cornerstone Consulting is the architect of record for the project.

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725-29 South Broad Street. Photo by Jamie Meller. March 2022

Construction Pending at 725-29 South Broad Street in Hawthorne, South Philadelphia

8:00 am on April 18, 2022 By Vitali Ogorodnikov

Last year in May, permits had been issued for a commercial renovation and vertical expansion for a three-story prewar building at 725-29 South Broad Street in Hawthorne, South Philadelphia. Since that time, however, no construction progress has been made on the structure, as Philly YIMBY’s recent site visit has shown. Designed by CANNOdesign, the structure, located on the east side of South Broad Street on the block between Bainbridge and Fitzwater streets, will rise five stories. Permits list Santech Construction Corp. as the contractor and a construction cost of $3.8 million.

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