Unfinished Liberty Place design model. Photo from Helmut Jahn

Visualizing the Under-500-Foot-Tall Early Iterations of Liberty Place on the Skyline

The Liberty Place complex is emblematic of the Philadelphia skyline as they played a key role in Center City‘s skyscraper growth. The towers currently stand 61 and 58 stories tall, with angled sharp crowns pointing toward to the sky, one tower capped with a tall and another with a short spire. The project was commissioned by Willard G. Rouse III of Rouse and Associates, who had originally pictured a $150 million 38-story tower rising to a height that measured somewhere under 500 feet. Just days after New Year’s Day in 1984, the building was first discussed in a publication about how Rouse won the bid for the site how it may become the city’s premier office tower. The architect, Helmut Jahn, was selected in March, and had produced a rapid succession of concepts under 500 feet, which eventually evolving well above that height. Today we share exclusive massing concepts of how the skyline would have looked if the towers were built to their originally planned height.

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North Central Philadelphia. Credit: Google Maps

North Central Philadelphia Takes the 19th Place on Philly YIMBY’s First Anniversary Countdown

Philadelphia YIMBY’s First Anniversary Countdown, which looks at the most frequently mentioned article categories over the course of the past year, briefly took a backseat to hot-off-the-presses content we shared with our readers. Today, we resume the series by looking at the 19th place in the countdown, which goes to North Philadelphia East, which has garnered 40 category mentions. To be more precise, this entry also includes North Central Philadelphia and North Philadelphia West, which have amassed 36 and 34 mentions, respectively. We are grouping all three in a single publication due to significant overlap between the categories.

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Current view of 616 North 40th Street. Credit: Google.

Permits Issued For 616 North 40th Street In Mantua, West Philadelphia

Permits have been issued for the construction of a three-story, mixed-use building at 616 North 40th Street in MantuaWest Philadelphia. The structure will feature ground-floor commercial space and three residential units. A pilot house will provide access to a roof deck. The building will hold a total of 4,381 square feet of space. Anthony Maso is the design professional for the development, with JPL Construction listed as the contractor. Construction costs are listed at $400,000.

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Rendering of 2101 Washington Avenue. Credit: JKRP Architects

Permits Issued for 247-Unit Mixed-Use Development at 2101 Washington Avenue in Graduate Hospital, South Philadelphia

Permits have been issued for the construction of a 247-unit mixed-use development at 2101 Washington Avenue in Graduate HospitalSouth Philadelphia. Designed by JKRP Architects and developed by OCF Realty, the structure will rise six stories tall. Two large commercial spaces will be located on the ground floor, one at 21st Street and the other at 22nd Street. Amenities will include a roof deck and an underground parking garage for residents. In total, the building will hold 195,131 square feet of space. Construction costs estimated at $40 million.

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Current view of 2129 Seybert Street. Credit: Google.

Permits Issued for Seven-Unit Building at 2129 West Seybert Street in Sharswood, North Philadelphia

Permits have been issued for the construction of a seven-unit multi-family building at 2129 West Seybert Street in SharswoodNorth Philadelphia. Upon completion, the building will rise three stories tall, will hold 6,395 square feet of space, and will feature multiple roof decks. Georges Ballouze is listed as the design professional, with Firestone LP as the contractor. Construction costs are estimated at $900,000.

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