One Liberty Place looking northeast. Photo by Thomas Koloski

Looking Back to the Moment When One Liberty Place Passed the Statue of William Penn Atop Philadelphia City Hall

7:30 am on January 10, 2022 By Thomas Koloski

For nearly 35 years, the Philadelphia skyline has been dominated by skyscrapers rising well above 500 feet in height. The idea to breach of the height limit informally established by the 548-foot-tall pinnacle of City Hall, also known as the “Gentlemen’s Agreement,” surfaced in 1984. The first tower to rise above the limit was One Liberty Place, a daring structure for the time that rises 945 feet and 61 stories above ground at 1650 Market Street in Center City. The project was designed by Helmut Jahn of Murphy/Jahn and developed by Rouse and Associates (which eventually became Liberty Property Trust), and was completed in 1987. In this feature, Philadelphia YIMBY takes a look back at when One Liberty Place passed the statue of William Penn on top of City Hall.

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Rendering of 1601 Frankford Avenue.

Excavation Advances at The Skylar at 1601 Frankford Avenue in Fishtown, Kensington

7:00 am on January 10, 2022 By Colin LeStourgeon

Excavation work is making steady progress at The Skylar, a mixed-use development underway at 1601 Frankford Avenue in Fishtown, Kensington. Designed by Ambit Architecture and developed by Stamm Development Group, the new building will stand three stories tall, span 5,910 square feet, and feature ground-floor commercial space, four residential unit, a cellar, and a roof deck. In total, the building is expected to cost an estimated $1.15 million.

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1700-30 North Howard Street. Credit: Coscia Moos Archtiecture

Demolition Progresses at 1700-30 North Howard Street in Olde Kensington

8:00 am on January 9, 2022 By Colin LeStourgeon

Demolition work is making steady headway at 1700-30 North Howard Street in Olde Kensington. Designed by Coscia Moos Architecture, the newly renovated and expanded building will rise six stories, with an attractive commercial space on the ground floor in the existing industrial structure. The development will hold 103 residential units and parking for 35 cars and 50 bicycles. In total, the structure will hold 90,405 square feet of space. Construction work will cost an estimated $13.8 million.

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1901-09 North 33rd Street. Looking northeast. Credit: Google

Permits Issued for 16-Unit Building at 1901-09 North 33rd Street in Strawberry Mansion, North Philadelphia

7:30 am on January 9, 2022 By Vitali Ogorodnikov

Permits have been issued for the construction of a three-story, 16-unit residential building at 1901-09 North 33rd Street in Strawberry Mansion, North Philadelphia. The development will replace a vacant lot bound by North 33rd Street to the west, West Berks Street to the south, and Monument Street to the north, situated across from Fairmount Park. The structure will be built in four compartments separated by a fire wall, with each compartment containing four bi-level units. Building features include full sprinkling and parking for six bicycles. According to city permits, the site is under the ownership of the Philadelphia Land Bank. Permits also list Michael Johns as the design professional, BDFS Group Inc. as the contractor, and a construction cost of $2.4 million.

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4890 Summerdale Avenue. Credit: Corporate Realty Partners & Co., Inc.

Permits Issued for 100,000-Plus-Square-Foot Self-Storage Facility at 4890 Summerdale Avenue in Lawncrest, Northeast Philadelphia

7:00 am on January 9, 2022 By Vitali Ogorodnikov

Permits have been issued for the construction of a three-story, 104,100-square-foot self-storage facility at 4890 Summerdale Avenue in Lawncrest, Northeast Philadelphia. The development will rise on a large site situated just to the north of Roosevelt Boulevard and just to the east of the Northeast Tower Center shopping mall. The building will be fully sprinkled. Permits list Truman Gee as the design professional, Swinerton Builders as the contractor, and a construction cost of $6 million.

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