Fourth scheme of the PSFS Building. Image via George Howe and William Edmond Lescaze

YIMBY Presents Massing Renderings of the Fourth Design for the PSFS Building

In the past month, YIMBY has posted multiple publications on the PSFS Building and its history. The building stands at 1200 Market Street in Market East, Center City, with a height of 491 feet that dominates the local skyline even now, and did even more so when it was recently built. The tower was designed by George Howe and William Lescaze, who drew up several designs of the building prior to construction. In this feature, Philadelphia YIMBY shares the fourth iteration of the PSFS Building, which also had a physical model built.

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Rendering of Innovator Village via Philly Living Team.

Permits Issued for 2401 Washington Avenue at Innovator Village in Graduate Hospital, South Philadelphia

Permits have been issued for 2401 Washington Avenue, Building A, part of the Innovator Village development in Graduate HospitalSouth Philadelphia. Upon completion, the development will rise four stories tall and will feature 28 residential units as well as a parking garage. In total, the building will hold 25,264 square feet of space, with construction costs estimated at $3.2 million. The building shares its address with Innovator Village, an under-construction development that brings 82 residential units to the area, many of which have already been sold.

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Philadelphia City Hall 1910. Photo via shorpy.com

Looking at the Construction of Philadelphia City Hall’s Clock Tower

At the time of construction, Philadelphia City Hall at 1400 John F. Kennedy Boulevard in Center City was a building that was both ahead of its time and inspired by traditional design. The municipal floors and the clock tower feature stone walls, cornices, pillars, and decorative additions that brought the public to awe. The 548-foot structure was designed by John McArthur Jr. and Thomas Ustick Walter, who have both worked on other well-known buildings. John McArthur Jr. designed the First National Bank, and Thomas Ustick Walter designed the new and current dome of the Capital Building in Washington D.C. While the highest space in the building sits nine floors above ground, the clock tower stands hundreds of feet tall and was constructed just after the municipal floors. Today Philadelphia YIMBY looks at the construction of the clock tower, which ranks as the world’s tallest freestanding masonry building.

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