Mellon Bank Center. Photo via Elizabeth Day Art & Architectural Illustration

A Look at the Former, Taller Iteration of Mellon Bank Center, Center City

The 824-foot Mellon Bank Center at 1735 Market Street was completed in 1990. Originally, the tower had a similar design yet with a taller shape and several other  differences. Designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox and developed by CommonWealth REIT, the tower would have stood 880 feet tall and would have featured projecting floor space at the corners up to an estimated height of 400 feet. The crown would have also appeared more skeletal than it looks today. Stone patterns all around the base are different.

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113-121 South 19th Street. Credit: Pearl Properties/DAS Architecture

New Permits Filed at 113-121 South 19th Street in Rittenhouse Square, Center City

Permits have been issued for the consolidation of the five properties that make up the site of the 567-foot-tall, 49-story skyscraper proposed at 113-121 South 19th Street in Rittenhouse Square, Center City. The façades of most of the prewar buildings at the site will be incorporated into the future tower’s base. The 183-unit building will feature balconies on most floors on the south side of the tower. The tower was designed by DAS Architecture and Planning and developed by Pearl Properties, which built the 272-foot-tall residential building called The Harper nearby at 112 South 19th Street nearly two years ago. The high-rise will stand two blocks north of Rittenhouse Square, featuring a mix of glass, metal and stone at the façade.

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1306-14 Callowhill Street. Rendering credit: Bernardon

Permits Issued for a 181-Unit Development at 1306-14 Callowhill Street in Callowhill, North Philadelphia

Permits have been issued for the construction of a large residential project at 1306-14 Callowhill Street in Callowhill, North Philadelphia. The development will stand seven floors tall and hold 181 residential units upon completion. All of the units will be apartments available for rent. A retail space measuring 3,208 square feet will be located on the ground floor of the structure. Additionally, 51 parking spaces will be included in the development. The 184,679-square-foot structure was designed by Bernardon and will cost an expected $18 million to build.

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Permits Issued for a Seven-Unit Structure at 1616 Ridge Avenue in Francisville, North Philadelphia

Permits have been issued for the construction of a mixed use structure at Francisville, North Philadelphia. When completed, the building will stand five stories tall, with a commercial space occupying the ground floor. The upper floors will include seven residential units, each being an apartment. Construction costs are estimated at $1.275 million.

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American Commerce Center rendering via Kohn Pendersen Fox

The Story of the American Commerce Center, Once Planned as Philadelphia’s Tallest Tower

During the construction of the first Comcast Center tower, many wondered whether the 975-foot-tall skyscraper would rank as the city’s tallest for much longer. Just a few months before the former’s topping out, details were released about the American Commerce Center at 1800 Arch Street, a proposal that stunned many development watchers with its 1,510-foot height. The project was being developed by Hill International Real Estate Partners and designed by Kohn Pendersen Fox, a firm that is also behind the 792-foot-tall Mellon Bank Center, currently the city’s fifth-tallest building, and Arthaus, a 542-foot-tall skyscraper currently under construction. The development was ultimately canceled and the 1,121-foot-tall Comcast Technology Center was built at the site.

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