Center City towers from North Broad Street. Photo by Thomas Koloski

One Liberty Place Lighting Nearly Complete with Upcoming Event in Center City

Over the course of the past few months, an upgrade of the decorative lighting system has been in progress at One Liberty Place at 1650 Market Street in Center City, where the light strips that highlight the angled top of the tower are being reworked. Designed by Helmut Jahn of Murphy/Jahn and developed by Rouse and Associates, the two massive skyscrapers of Liberty Place were the first in the Philadelphia skyline to boldly break past the informal 548-foot height limit established by the tower of City Hall nearly a century earlier.

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Current view of 5904-06 Germantown Avenue. Credit: Google.

Permits Issued for 28-Unit Building at 5904-06 Germantown Avenue in Germantown, Northwest Philadelphia

Permits have been issued for the construction of a 28-unit multi-family building at 5904-96 Germantown Avenue in GermantownNorthwest Philadelphia. Upon completion, the new building will rise five stories tall and will feature a green roof and roof deck situated at the pinnacle. Three of the apartments are set to be accessible. In total, the building will hold 27,450 square feet of space. Construction costs are estimated at $3,684,601.

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Philadelphia skyline with unbuilt proposals looking northeast. Image and models by Thomas Koloski

Philadelphia YIMBY Presents Updated Massings Of The Unbuilt Philadelphia Skyline

In March, YIMBY shared exclusive renderings of the Philadelphia skyline featuring several unbuilt skyscrapers that would have made the city appear quite different from its current look. The conceptual massing shows the possibilities that never happened, though they remain archived by the original architects and now also by our publications. Numerous projects have been canceled in the city over the years, including the American Commerce Center, a tower once proposed in Center City that would have stood taller than the Comcast Technology Center. Today we present updated massing renderings of the Philadelphia skyline with many projects that remain unbuilt.

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Comcast Technology Center 2014 and current design from Spring Garden Street Bridge. Left: image by Foster and Partners. Right: Photo by Thomas Koloski

Comparing The 2014 and Final Design of The Comcast Technology Center

Soon after the completion of the 973-foot-tall Comcast Center in 2008, which stood as the tallest building in Philadelphia, local residents and outside watchers wondered what was next for the city skyline. Almost six years later, on January 15, 2014, the design for the Comcast Technology Center, then known as the Comcast Innovation and Technology Center, was revealed to the public. The tower would become the new tallest skyscraper in Philadelphia, planned to stand 1,121 feet tall at 1800 Arch Street in Center City, across the street from the previous record-holder. The design by Foster and Partners was an unfinished version of the current building, as many portions of the building had to be finalized. The developer of the Comcast Technology Center is Liberty Property Trust, which met its fate when it was purchased by Prologis Inc. In this YIMBY feature, we compare the 2014 design and the current version of the skyscraper using renderings, architectural models, and photographs.

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The Maven at 1533 Ridge Avenue. Credit: CANNOdesign

Structural Frame Complete at The Maven at 1533 Ridge Avenue in Francisville, North Philadelphia

Construction work continues to progress steadily at The Maven, a 28-unit mixed-use development rising at 1533 Ridge Avenue in FrancisvilleNorth Philadelphia. Designed by CANNOdesign and developed by Khosla Properties, the building rises five stories tall, with a commercial space on the ground floor. Residential units situated above, consisting of studios, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom apartments. Tester Construction is the general contractor. In total, the building holds 23,665 square feet of space. Construction costs are estimated at $3.9 million.

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