The Laurel Rittenhouse. Credit: Southern Land Company

YIMBY Shares Photos from the Topping-Out Ceremony of The Laurel Rittenhouse in Rittenhouse Square, Center City

Two weeks ago, Philadelphia YIMBY has announced the topping-out of The Laurel Rittenhouse at 1911 Walnut Street in Rittenhouse Square, Center City. Designed by Solomon Cordwell Buenz and developed by the Southern Land Company, with the Harman Group as the structural engineer and the Hunter Roberts Construction Group as the contractor, the building now stands 599 feet and 48 stories tall, making it the ninth-tallest skyscraper in Philadelphia and the tallest residential building in Center City. The all-residential building (the tallest of the kind on the city) will offer 185 rental units and 64 luxury condominiums. Today we share some new photos from the topping-out ceremony.

Read More


Former view of 2243-45 North Front Street. Credit: Google.

Permits Issued for Ten-Unit Building at 2243-45 North Front Street in East Kensington

Permits have been issued for the construction of a six-story, multi-use building at 2243-45 North Front Street in East Kensington. Upon completion, the building will feature a basement, commercial space on the ground floor, and ten residential units. In total, the building will hold 11,389 square feet of space. Lonny Rossman is listed as the design professional and Pinhas Malka as the contractor. Construction costs are specified at $1.8 million.

Read More

Rendering of Generating Facility after residential conversion.

Permits Issued for Vertical Extension at Fishtown Power Plant Redevelopment at 1325 Beach Street in Fishtown, Kensington

Partial permits have been issued for the Fishtown Power Plant Redevelopment, a mega-project planned at 1325 Beach Street in Fishtown on the Delaware River waterfront. The development includes a renovation of the Delaware Generating Station, a closed and abandoned power plant where construction work is already in progress, and a two-study addition atop the structure, for a combined 284 residential units inside. The permits were issued specifically for the addition, as renovations have already been underway for some time. The two additional floors will hold 68 residential units within 49,260 square feet of space. Construction costs for this portion of the project are estimated at just under $8 million.

Read More

1701 Fairmount Avenue. Looking northwest. Credit: Google Maps

Demolition Permits Issued for Commercial Building at 1701 Fairmount Avenue in Fairmount, North Philadelphia

Permits have been issued for the demolition of a single-story, 7,400-square-foot commercial building at 1701 Fairmount Avenue in Fairmount, North Philadelphia. The building is situated at the northwest corner of the intersection with North 17th Street and is currently home to a beverage distributor. Permits list Daj 1701 Partne [sic] as the owner and RLC Contractors Inc. as the contractor. Demolition costs are listed at $12,000.

Read More