Philadelphia Projects & Construction

A look at recent, ongoing and future developments in the Philadelphia area.

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6025/5965810781_0ed3a70874_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/62619569@N00/5965810781/)
Philadelphia Skyline 2011 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/62619569@N00/5965810781/) by JKEL (http://www.flickr.com/people/62619569@N00/), on Flickr

Phillydeals (http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/inq-phillydeals/Another-Comcast-tower-in-Center-City.html)

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Another Comcast tower in Center City?

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The Comcast building on the Philly skyline. (Clem Murray / Staff Photographer)

A buyer affiliated with Liberty Property Trust on Aug. 3 paid $40 million for the lot at 1800 Arch St., ending a longshot proposal by developers to build what would have been the tallest building in Center City Philadelphia.

Seller Multi Employers Property Trust, a union pension investment fund, had paid $32 million in 2007. "We're glad MEPT made a nice profit," David Richter, head of Marlton-based Hill International Group's real estate affiliate, which had hoped to develop a 1,500-foot tower on the site, told me. "We would have preferred they hold onto the property. I think we're getting close to the end of the recession. But MEPT got a good offer, for the best piece of property in Center City."

Hopeful brokers I talked to said a likely occupant for a new building on that site would be its neighbor, Comcast Corp., whose Liberty-built and -managed Comcast Center headquarters, at nearly 1,000 feet, is Philadelphia's highest building. Comcast is looking for space and has leased parts of the former CoreStates and Bell Atlantic headquarters towers.

But it's not clear that Comcast would spend $50 a square foot for new construction, when existing Philadelphia office space is available at half that price. Comcast doesn't need the 700,000+ sq ft a big tower would create, and it would be tough to finance such a large project without other tenants.

Comcast has acquired plenty of legacy NBC Universal office space in other cities, such as 30 Rockefeller Center in Manhattan (though Philly brokers are hoping Comcast could move back-office NBC operations in North Jersey down here). Comcast already controls a site on its headquarters block that could accomodate maybe a 20-story tower, if it wants to build.

That leaves open the possibility that a Liberty financial partner is looking at Comcast or another potential tenant long-term, and sees this as a chance to control the site. Liberty held the site of Comcast's current headquarters a block away for years until the company was ready to commit.

The site doesn't fit Liberty's recent deals. With few big companies hiring or needing office space, Liberty has been selling office sites and buying warehouses.

But some large corporations are using the depressed property and construction market to update home offices on the cheap. For example, PNC Financial Service Group this summer announced a new 40-story headquarters in its native Pittsburgh.

A new tower would give Philadelphia contractors and construction workers relief from the three-year slump, especially since work ended on the Pennsylvania Convention Center expansion and Brandywine Realty Trust's 30th St. Post Office conversion earlier this year.

Hill plans to concentrate its future development energies on "hotel properties on the West Coast, resort properties in the Caribbean, and low-cost housing in the Third World," Richter told me. The former tower plan, dubbed American Commerce Center, was proposed four years ago by developer Joseph Grasso and promoter Garrett Miller. Hill replaced Grasso in the group two years ago. Miller left Hill in July and joined Matthew McManus' NAI Bluestone commercial real estate loan brokerage group.

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Philly.com (http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/inq-phillydeals/Toll-pushes-Society-Hill-condo-plan.html)


Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Toll Bros.' new Society Hill condo plan

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A previous plan for the former NewMarket space, planned as hotel, condos and parking and called Stamper Square. (H2L2)

Homebuilder Toll Bros., of Horsham, has until Aug. 31 to exercise an option to acquire the long-vacant site of the NewMarket restaurant and retail center, between Front and Second, Pine and Lombard, on the east end of Society Hill, for a condominium development.

Toll's informal proposal, as provided to members of the Society Hill Civic Association and other neighbors in recent meetings, is for a four-story complex of 73 brick-fronted wood-frame condos, no stores or restaurants, with 90 underground parking spaces. Units would start in the $400,000 range for one-bedroom spaces. Toll hopes to start work later this year.

That's more modest than Bridgman Development's 15-story rival Stamper Square plan, for the same site, which included 150 hotel rooms, 77 condos and 350 parking spaces (details corrected).

But the Stamper proposal, opposed by some neighbors who have gotten used to the neighborhood's relative quiet since NewMarket faded in the 1980s, and delayed when financing proved hard to get after the 2008 credit crisis, depended on city zoning revisions that expired in June, Bill Kramer, division director for development planning at the city Planning Commission, tells me. The site is controlled by Larry Linksman's Bridge Funding, a New York financing firm, according to city records.

[...]

Philly.com (http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/inq-phillydeals?main=&cat=&month=&year=&page=2)


Friday, September 16, 2011

SugarHouse casino expansion, Chinatown tower plans

Philadelphia City Planning Commission meets Tuesday Sept. 20, upstairs at 1515 Arch St., 1 pm. On the agenda:

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- SugarHouse casino will flesh out the first of several planned expansion projects. This one will increase the size of the gambling area and the parking garage, and move entrances to allow more traffic. A hotel and other projects will be presented at a later date. This stage to be presented by Ian Cope of Cope Linder Architects. "Information only," no public discussion or planners' action.

- Chinatown Tower, a "mixed-use," 11-story, boldly-colored building, with retail stores, rental hall, nonprofit offices and up to 8 stories of apartments. Presented by John Chin, Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation, for the vacant northwest corner of 11th and Vine, formerly owned by PennDOT and the Redevelopment Authority. Also "information only," no public discussion.

- Umbria Village, by JERC Partners, 168 apartments in 16 four-story buildings, 199 parking spaces, 35 bike spaces, a 2-story clubhouse-poolhouse, at 1 Parker Avenue in Roxborough, adjacent to the Ivy Ridge Station above the old Manayunk. Smaller version of a previously approved plan. Needs planning approval before it goes to the Zoning Board.

- Navy Yard, near Tasty Baking bakery, Liberty Property Trust is dividing a 12-acre site into separate 4 and 8 acre sites for future commercial buildings.

- Closing the end of Unruh Ave. for the North Delaware Trail and Greenway Project in Wissinoming; and, separately, closing Ashland St. along Frankford Creek, which could affect a second nearby trail..


Read more: http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/inq-phillydeals/Casino-expansion-Chinatown-tower-on-Philly-planners-list.html#ixzz1YhynJTXj
Watch sports videos you won't find anywhere else

===

PhillyShark (http://phillyshark.blogspot.com/2011/09/chinatown-eastern-tower-community.html)


Chinatown Eastern Tower Community Center

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The Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation plans to build a 23-story, 265-foot-high residential and office tower, with a community center on the ground floor, on two parcels at the northwest corner of Vine and 10th streets. The communities strong desire for a community center prompted the project, but constructing a stand-alone center proved prohibitive, therefore the PCDC joined with private developer Teres Holdings to iron out a more solid economic plan.

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Plans call for 12,000 square feet of retail space, 15,000 square feet of office space, 144 mostly rental apartments and a 23-car garage. A small charter school is a possible office tenant, and the buildings 2-story community center would include 500-person multi-function room where basketball can be played and a health center. floors 6 to 23 would be residential, with a mix of one and two bedroom units. The tower would be topped with a green roof, residences would have operable windows, and silver LEED certification would be sought.

[...]



A start date for this project has not been announced. Stay tuned...

Philly Bricks (http://ilovebricks.blogspot.com/2011/07/things-are-looking-up-on-chestnut.html)


Saturday, July 30, 2011
Things are Looking Up on Chestnut Street

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Well, at least literally.

John Buck Co. of Chicago plans on break ground in September on the 35 storey Buck Tower apartments on the site of the Sidney Hillman Medical Center.

Although Hartshorne Plunckard Architecture's glass tower pales in comparison to the diagonally positioned midcentury clinic, it will be an exciting contribution to our skyline in a time of economic uncertainty.

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PhillyShark (http://phillyshark.blogspot.com/2011/09/cira-centre-south.html)


9/30/2011

Cira Centre South

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Cira Centre South has been in the works for almost 5 years now and finally it seams as though phase two of the project may actually happen. Penn Connects offerers some nice updated renderings of the planned mixed use development that will soon be the neighbor of the IRS at the former Post Office and Penn Park.

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The Post Office Annex development, as presented in a preliminary design by Brandywine Realty Trust, proposes two mixed-use towers fronting on Walnut and Chestnut Streets, and a 1667-car parking garage with street level retail in the middle of the block. The now complete Parking garage will soon host its first tenants, Old Nelson Food Market and the Schulykill River Development Corporation.

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PhillyShark (http://phillyshark.blogspot.com/2011/10/future-of-festival-pier.html)

10/12/2011
The Future of the Festival Pier

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The Festival Pier, located at the foot of Spring Garden Street on the water front, is one of the major focal points for the revitalization of the Central Delaware waterfront. The pier currently host a long list of public events throughout the year, mostly during the spring and summer months. But all of this is soon to change, with plans of establishing Spring Garden as a greenway from the Delaware to the Schuylkill, and increasing density around and on the pier, which will drastically change the programming and use of the site. Increased density will certainly make this site a 365 destination anchored by residences, live work units, and entertainment.

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[...]

New Loft for Callowhill Rivals Expectations (http://ilovebricks.blogspot.com/2011/10/new-loft-for-callowhill-rivals.html)

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New Dranoff Development For South St. And Broad (http://ilovebricks.blogspot.com/2011/10/in-spite-of-bad-economy-its-evident.html)

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Sugarhouse Expansion (http://phillyshark.blogspot.com/2011/09/sugarhouse-expansion.html)


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Sugarhouse Casino representatives hope to build a parking garage 40 feet shorter than what was originally approved for their next phase of development, while also retaining the option to build outward instead of upward if there is the need for more parking in the future.


Deputy Mayor Alan Greenberger told the Philadelphia City Planning Commission that the administration thinks the longer retention of more surface lot space is a good trade for reducing the garage from 10 to 6 stories above an expanded ground floor casino space.

The plans the commission has already approved called for all but 10 percent of the 100,000-square-foot parking lot to disappear when the garage is built. The current plans also require SugarHouse to build the 3,200 space garage in one phase. Under this proposal it could be build in several phases, said project architect Cope. SugarHouse wants to begin with 1,500 spaces.

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There were also discussions of future phases, including a hotel tower adjacent to the port-cochere and ground-floor retail and presumably residential development along Delaware Avenue. That development would be slated for the future, dependent on market conditions. The hotel would be less than 300 feet tall, respecting the current height limit, with a green roof. The expansion would ad about 600 construction jobs and 500 permanent jobs.

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Phase1

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Phase2

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Phase3

http://phillyshark.blogspot.com/2011/09/sugarhouse-expansion.html
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Hot on the heels of NYC's very successful High Line Park, Philadelphia is planning its own sky park:

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http://phillyshark.blogspot.com/2011/08/philadelphias-sky-park.html

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PhillyShark (http://phillyshark.blogspot.com/2011/06/philly-lives-goes-up.html)


Philly Live Goes Up!

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The long anticipated South Philadelphia development, "Philly Live" has finally begun construction of the first phase of the project. Developers, Philadelphia-based sports and entertainment firm Comcast-Spectacor, and world-renowned developers The Cordish Company, have teamed up on this project, proposing a destination retail, dining and entertainment district at the Philadelphia Sports Complex. The 300k plus sqft. entertainment complex will host the largest sports bar in the world. The first phase will contain several restaurants, retail and the mega sports bar. Comcast Spectacor expects the construction of phase one to be complete in time for Opening Day for the Phillies in April, 2012. Construction on the rest of the project, including a hotel has not been determined and depends heavily on the economy.

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Drexel University's Masterplan Revisited (http://phillyshark.blogspot.com/2011/05/drexels-race-street-closure.html)

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Reinforcing Market Street As The Heart Of Campus

Construction projects on the northern edge of Market Street will center more activity in this key area and further Drexel's presence in West Philadelphia. This shift, which began with the renovation of Van Rensselaer Hall, the move of administrative functions to 3201 Arch Street, and the construction of the East and North Residence Halls, will provide a more even distribution of activity throughout the campus. The conversion of the Armory into an athletic and convocation center also will help ensure a more even distribution of campus resources, as will potential dining outlets north of Market Street.

Strengthening Drexel's North/South Connections

Development along 30th, 32nd, 33rd, and 34th streets will enliven the Campus by enhancing linkages among its warious districts and strengthening connections with Drexel's University City neighborhood.

Enhancing Student Life

Adding retail establishments, outdoor seating areas, lighting, and greenery to the streetscape will invigorate the student experience, as will new residence halls and recreational spaces.

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The closing of Race Street between 33rd and 34th Streets to auto traffic, creating a safe and green pedestrian link through campus. The project is the first phase of an ambitious landscaping project to create a pedestrian mall and series of walks to connect the north residential portion of the campus to the academic core. Phase one adds new trees, lighting and seating areas along Race Street to create a pedestrian and bicycle only east/west link between 33rd and 34th streets.

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Papadakis Integrated Science Building
Architect: Diamond and Schmitt
Estimated Budget: $69,000,000

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LeBow College of Business Expansion
Architect: Robert A.M. Stern with VMA
Estimated Budget: $92,000,000

any information on the childrens hospital expansion plans?

supposed to be massive. $2bn over 5 years

Wistar Institute Breaks Ground (http://phillyshark.blogspot.com/2011/11/wistar-institute-expands-in-university.html)

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11/30/2011

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The Wistar Institute broke ground back in late September on a major expansion project that will ensure its future at the forefront of cancer research and vaccine development. The institution is building a seven story, 89,700-square-foot research tower, which will rise above its current landmark facility designed by architects George W. and William G. Hewitt at 36th and Spruce streets in 1894. The project will enable Wistar to expand its research operations, recruit new scientific faculty and pursue collaborative biomedical research in emerging areas of science.

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Scheduled for completion in the spring of 2014, the $100 million expansion project will support 380 construction jobs and is expected to create 100 new research and administrative jobs at Wistar in the future.

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any information on the childrens hospital expansion plans?

supposed to be massive. $2bn over 5 years

Here's an article from June about CHOP's expansion plans:

phillydeals (http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/inq-phillydeals/CHOP-seeks-plans-for-1000000-sq-ft-South-St-Grays-Ferry-site.html)


Wednesday, June 8, 2011
CHOP plans million-sq-ft project at South St. site (Update)


(Revised) Children's Hospital of Philadelphia has asked builders to submit proposals for a building project almost as big as the Comcast Center or One Liberty (but not so tall), on a nine-acre site once home to a World War II-era Marine tank warehouse and a beer distributor, from South St. south along Schuylkill Ave.

CHOP is seeking plans for one million square feet of potential offices and labs at the former Springfield Beverage site, which Children's acquired last year, plus the tank warehouse that was later used as storage by the Philadelphia School District and as the John F. Kennedy vocational high school.

The vacant warehouse was gutted by developer Sam Switzenbaum for an abortive condo project before the real estate market crashed.

"It's right across the South Street bridge for our main campus. It offers us an opportunity to allow for growth, to maybe bring in some research areas we currently have in other places, closer to the main campus," Childrens spokesman George V. Bochanski Jr. told me.

"It's been vacant for years. It's been underutilized and unsightly. The neighborhood is really interested and excited about CHOP moving onto the property," Gus Scheerbaum, an engineer who heads the South of South Neighborhood Association, told me.

He said CHOP first approached the group informally in 2009 to gauge neighbors' reaction to moving some operations there from its crowded University City campus. "They are still early in the process," he told me. "Our concerns are related to traffic, pedestrian safety, street lighting," and a mix of residential and commercial use that doesn't turn an unfriendly "brick wall" to residents.

The project would fill a vacant area near the heart of a string of old-time rowhouse neighborhoods that have lately attracted expensive redevelopment. "It's a clean use. It brings a lot of employment. It will have a positive ripple effect on the neighborhood," says developer Carl Dranoff, whose projects include the nearby Locust on the Park and Left Bank apartments. Dranoff expects CHOP will seek a hotel for patient families as part of its proposal.

Nobody's mentioned a hotel to the neighbors, Scheerbaum said. "We haven't had a community meeting about this development. But there will be," he said.

Does CHOP need the whole million square feet, or will it lease space to other institutions and business uses? "We have a close association with Penn, but I don't think we have an interest in becoming a landlord for other uses," Bochanski said.



As proposals come in, the results should be extraordinary! :cheers:

Drexel's new master plan is supposed to be coming out tomorrow...

phillyshark (http://phillyshark.blogspot.com/2011/11/dilworth-plaza-redo-begins-soon.html)


Dilworth Plaza Redo Begins Soon

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The renovation of Dilworth Plaza, the main Gateway to City Hall, will soon get underway. The two-and-a half year construction project is stated to open some time in 2014. The currently inaccessible, multi-level, unattractive, hard-surface plaza into a sustainable, well-maintained, green public space with no stairs or barriers from the street. The new plaza will have a large lawn, tree groves, a programmable fountain and space for 400 benches and chairs. The underground will be dramatically improved as a new transit gateway, providing entrances to Broad Street and Market Street subways and the trolley lines. New elevators will make the transit levels accessible for the first time.

[,,,]

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New Dance Center For The Pennsylvania Ballet (http://phillyshark.blogspot.com/2011/12/pennsylvania-ballet.html)


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The Pennsylvania Ballet plans to create a $17.5 million dance center on North Broad Street. The project has broken ground on a complex of five dance studios, school and offices signaling another step forward for the revival of North Broad Street. The project was greeted with open arms by the city and arts community. However The project includes the demolition of a building at 325 N. Broad that is listed on the national Register of Historic Places, and the preservation community is not joining in the applause for the project.

[...]

Great to see all this redevelopments! I think Philly has some of the most potential of any city on Earth. It's got rich history, an educated populace, an amazingly good ivy league school, huge corporate presence in the area, lies right between NYC and DC, has wildly successful sports teams, a beautiful skyline, and it lies in between 2 rivers! And somehow the city is lackluster, I think with the right focus though, Philly can truly redevelop itself into a globally relevant city of the future.

Philly.com (http://www.philly.com/inquirer/breaking/business_breaking/135681973.html)


$60M entertainment district unveiled

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By Suzette Parmley

INQUIRER STAFF WRITER


Standing before a giant red banner with the words, "Xfinity LIVE!," executives at Comcast-Spectacor and Cordish Cos. on Thursday unveiled a sports-themed entertainment and dining district at the site of the old Spectrum.

The first phase of the complex, at a cost of approximately $60 million, will feature about a dozen restaurants - including Chickie's and Pete's, Victory Brewing Co., Nick's Roast Beef and the Original Philadelphia Cheesesteak Co., and bars with stages for live bands. About 20,000 parking spaces will be available for patrons of Xfinity LIVE! at the stadium complex in South Philadelphia.

The developers intend for the complex to become a destination venue on its own, beyond the patrons that would gather before and after sports events.

"This is the first phase of a phenomenal development," said Comcast-Spectacor chairman Ed Snider, standing on a raised stage. "I can't wait for it to open in a little more than three months. We're confident it will be a tremendous success."

Xfinity LIVE! will open its doors April 5, to coincide with the NHL playoffs and also the start of the Phillies season, according to those involved in its construction.

Among its offerings: An Xfinity On Demand Theater, an outdoor viewing experience that will feature everything from games to family movies; the NBC Sports Arena, featuring a high-tech 32-foot diagonal screen; the NBC Sports Field, which will play host to outdoor activities and sports leagues, and something termed the NBC Sports Game Experience, driven by video games and taking place in the Broad Street Bullies Pub.

[...]
Read more: http://www.philly.com/philly/business/breaking/135681973.html#ixzz1gdzWPBpt
Watch sports videos you won't find anywhere else

any information on the childrens hospital expansion plans?

supposed to be massive. $2bn over 5 years

Caught this rendering of CHOP's South Campus extension on Mark Chen's website:

http://www.mchen-arch.com/projects/001_master_planning/001_childrens_hospital/images/1.jpg
http://www.mchen-arch.com/projects/001_master_planning/001_childrens_hospital/001.html

It looks preliminary and I've seen other variations so FWIW...

Family Court Building Pushes On (http://phillyshark.blogspot.com/2012/01/family-court-building-pushes-on.html)

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bitKGn7besk/TwY1jjjH5-I/AAAAAAAACoI/wcS6rWs06SU/s1600/Picture+1.png
14 floors...or 15?


1/05/12

The new Family Court Building would come as a welcome addition to Philadelphia's government institutions by many who work in and use the facility, but a few sour neighbors think different. There is always someone to protest progress and change, even if there are no immediate threats to the environment, neighborhood, or patrons themselves. Some times these concerns consider the rights of neighboring citizens and way of life and at other protecting history and tradition, but in the case of the family court building, it is neither.

The new structure will take the place of a eye souring parking lot at 15th and Arch Streets, which has stood unbuilt for decades, and will only tower 14 stories above street level with 3 levels of underground parking. Sponsors recently approached the Art Commission for a variance that will allow a 15th floor to be added. The board was met by two protesters from the neighboring art deco Metropolitan apartment building, siting concerns of setback regulations and zoning, stating he had concerns about the new structure interfering with site lines, views and daylighting of his property. The Art Commission has table the discussion for further review.


http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cgzaz0xT8oQ/TwY1ufpzBWI/AAAAAAAACoU/4f2NTDxHcfY/s1600/Picture+2.png
PhillyShark

GlaxoSmithkline Moves To Navy Yard (http://phillyshark.blogspot.com/2012/01/glaxosmithkline-moves-to-navy-yard.html)

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jaJKDonMDbo/TwJNRhGoekI/AAAAAAAACg0/jB64lwHbGco/s1600/Picture+6.png


Liberty property Trust and Synterra Partners create the workplace of the future at five Crescent Drive, at the Philadelphia Navy Yard. GSK has signed a 15.5 year lease for the new building. The 205,000 square-foot, four story facility design by Robert A.M. Stern Architects will be designed to achieve LEED Platinum certification. The project represents a $81 million investment by Liberty. GSK plans to relocate all employes currently based in center city to the new location between fourth quarter 2012 and first quarter 2013, immediately after completion.

1900 Arch apartment building to add 236 units to Center City: http://phillyshark.blogspot.com/2011/12/1900-arch-project-checks-in-to-center.html

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As reported about a month ago the fourteen story, mixed use building designed by Varenhorst Architects, will have 236 apartments, a restaurant, additional commercial and retail space, 131 underground parking spaces, and 79 bicycle parking spaces. the building is certainly ready for the eco-friendly city dweller, two blocks from major public transit, a grocery store, retail and entertainment.

2040 Market Gets New Lease On Life (http://phillyshark.blogspot.com/2011/12/2040-market-gets-new-lease-on-life.html)

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-x2Vo5aeQgfo/TvTHw2KeZVI/AAAAAAAACc4/DcGDdGSMqdQ/s1600/Picture+21.png
From this

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rf07CTWHBSE/TvTJGIOsYjI/AAAAAAAACdw/BRvO9jGKE0s/s1600/Picture+24.png
...to this.


The former AAA mid-Atlantic headquarters is finally getting second chance, and staking a place in the 21st Century. Ushering in new life to the often barren West Market Street, 8 additional floors will be added to the original 2040 Market building, bringing it to 13 floors. Two additional 13 story wings will be added to the back of the building, along Ludlow Street.

Designed by Steven Varenhorst Architects, the building will have 275 high-end rental apartments, 32 of which will be two bedroom apartments, at the request of Center City Residents Association, increasing the size of the building from 120,000 square feet to 300,000 square feet. The facade of the original building will be clad with panels that will create bunches of windows, rather than the seamless ribbon of windows it currently has. All parking will be underground, some of it within the existing building and some under the new additions. There will be two entrances to the parking, one on Ludlow and the other unfortunately on Market.


http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gCvRb-VRPvM/TvTHwANf11I/AAAAAAAACcw/6MalsTfevg4/s1600/Picture+20.png

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Not a skyscraper but a welcome boost to density in Center City's western flank.

Curbed (http://philly.curbed.com/archives/2012/02/07/dilworth-plaza-the-jardin-de-luxembourg-of-the-east-coast.php)


Dilworth Plaza: the Jardin de Luxembourg of the East Coast

Below we present Curbed-relevant excerpts from the mayor's state-of-the-city address to the Chamber of Commerce.

http://www.designboom.com/weblog/images/images_2/jenny/dilworthplaza/echelman01r.jpg

"Improving Philadelphia’s built environment will remain a top priority in my second term."

Dilworth Plaza will: "rival the parks of Paris, London and Rome."

Philadelphia is and will be:

· cleaner, healthier, safer, smarter
· a city of ideas, where ingenuity is celebrated
· world-class
· on the move
· a critical member of the global marketplace
· livable
· global
· international
· increasingly competitive
· progressive
· great
· educted
· sustainable
· green

Waterfront news:

"On the Delaware Waterfront, we opened the Race Street Pier and Connector and will complete the trail network, from Pennsport to Tacony. On the Schuylkill, the trail is extending below South Street. Soon Philadelphia will boast the two best waterfronts in the nation."

Neighborhood-specific progress:

· There has been revitalization of Woodland Avenue, El Centro De Oro and Girard Avenue East.

· Baltimore Avenue has the City’s first pop-up park in front of the Green Line Café.

· Bustleton and Castor Avenues have thriving Russian and Brazilian immigrant businesses.

· Market Street West between 46th and 63rd streets is a prime corridor for growth and development, right under the newly renovated El.

· We hope to redevelop the Reading Viaduct with the Center City District in the Callowhill/ North Chinatown neighborhood—our own “High Line Philly”.

· Xfinity Live will be opening in March in the Sports Complex area.

Market Street East and North Broad Street (two of Philadelphia's "great boulevards"):

"On Market Street East ... we are focused on working with businesses and retailers to make a cleaner, safer, more enjoyable experience for everyone and to stop the code violations and behavioral problems that currently hold this area back.

"I am committed to returning Market East to its former glory, creating a walkable boulevard from City Hall to the river—a connector from our city’s historic heart to the central business district and cultural corridors.

"Families finished visiting the sites on Independence Mall will walk to 13th Street’s Midtown Village or Rittenhouse Square for dinner, or even stroll all the way down the Ben Franklin Parkway to the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Barnes Museum, which will soon make Philadelphia the art capital of the world."

Proof of North Broad Street renewal:

The expanded Convention Center;
The creation of Lenfest Plaza at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts;
The construction of the Pennsylvania Ballet’s new studios;
The dining destinations of Osteria, Route 6, Alla Spina and Via;
The impending redevelopment of the Inquirer building; and
Temple University’s investment of $200 million to help revitalize this street.

[...]

PhillyShark (http://phillyshark.blogspot.com/2012/02/post-brothers-apartment-building-at.html)


Post Brothers Apartment Building at 12th and Vine

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JubEdIwcc_U/T0b7KZILs0I/AAAAAAAADOw/JinGmeShEgI/s1600/Picture+2.png

The 10 story abandoned building at 12th and Vine is getting a new LEED on life with bright future as a 163 unit apartment building, 7,000 square feet of retail space, LEED-certification, rooftop pool and "dog socializing area".

The building was purchased by Post Brothers Apartments last year and due to be fully transformed sometime this upcoming Fall. The building will be wrapped in a brand-knew metal skin and vegetated biowalls, that will not only give it a modern aesthetic, but will also add to its energy efficiency.
[...]

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http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--u68aLsqehg/T0b7Nq3UKzI/AAAAAAAADPA/TgBUVFmFmPQ/s1600/Picture+4.png

Philly.com (http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/inq-phillydeals/Union-fund-Millions-for-2116-Chestnut-Girard-Block-to-follow.html)



Three new Center City high rise plans
Thursday, March 1, 2012

http://assets.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/blog/natalie-kostelni/2-28%20nk%20John%20Buck%20rendering.jpg?v=1
2116 Chestnut

1) Financing for 2116 Chestnut St.: Chicago investor John A. Buck and the union-backed Indure Fund held a groundbreaking Thursday and said they've each invested $20 million in their planned $100 million 319-unit apartment tower (plus shops and a parking garage).

Banks led by JPMorgan Chase & Co. are lending Buck and Indure the other $60 million, and Pennsylvania taxpayers will be giving them $10 million when the job is done, in a move approved by Govs. Tom Corbett and his predecessor, Ed Rendell.

Buck, who founded John A. Buck Co. in 1981 and holds a Wharton MBA, said it's his first development in Philadelphia, and he thanked political leaders for sweetening the deal. He added, "I love Philadelphia. It's good to be back here. Philadelphia has more of a residential and warm feeling to it than our great city" of Chicago.

"We've been looking for a Philadelphia project with John Buck Co. for years; there was never anything that made sense before," Jeffrey J. Kanne, preisdent of Indure's advisory firm, told me. The project's backers say up to 800 workers will be active on the job site between now and its scheduled 2013 completion.

Indure is funded by the pension plan for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and the National Electrical Contractors' Association.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_DTbnUSpnx9w/Sx_1aw1_24I/AAAAAAAADX4/1JXrx8L4AUQ/s320/girard.JPG
The Girard Block proposal from 2009

2) Indure is also looking for government help for a propsal to redevelop the Girard Block, between 11th and 12th, Market and Chestnut streets, according to Kanne and Peter Soens, a partner in the group that agreed to develop the block after buying rights from the city-run Girard Trust.

Soens and Indure have big plans for the Girard block: They want to lure a Target-style discount or Giant-style grocery store, a hotel, and an apartment developer to that location. But "that depends on getting money" from the city or another government entity, Kanne told me.

Mayor Nutter, city councilemembers Kenyatta Johnson and Bobby Henon, and state economic development officials were also on hand. John Dougherty, president of Philadelphia's IBEW Local 98, noted his union had been active in convincing Indure to use union electricians' pension funds to back both the 2116 and the Girard projects, creating "good jobs, with good wages, and benefits."

http://www.uwishunu.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/phs-pop-up-garden-680uw.jpg
Vacant lot at 20th and Market

3) J. Tmothy Duffy of Michael Salove Co. tells me he and his group are seeking tenants (corrected) for yet another Center City apartments and retail project, on Brandywine Realty Trust's grass-covered block on the north side of 20th and Market next to Independence Blue Cross. Independence is a likely participant. Officials there tell me it's too early to talk about plans.

---

Glaxo-Iroko Headquarters rising at the Navy Yards

http://hiddencityphila.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/IMG_9933-1024x768.jpg
http://hiddencityphila.org/2012/02/into-the-frontier/

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http://hiddencityphila.org/2012/02/into-the-frontier/

phillyshark (http://phillyshark.blogspot.com/2012/03/central-delaware-master-plan-is-adopted.html)


Central Delaware Master Plan is Adopted!
3/09/2012

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Many have been waiting and anticipating the day a future is secured for Philadelphia's Premier Waterfront and it finally came. The Philadelphia City Planning Commission unanimously adopted the Master Plan for the Central Delaware Waterfront in its entirety, Tuesday afternoon. The new roadmap for the future of the waterfront is an ambitious plan, but very realistic. The plan aims to reunite the city and the waterfront with a system of linked parks and extended city streets. The Central Delaware Plan is now part of the city's comprehensive plan. It must be considered by by any city governing body when making a waterfront decision.

[...]

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Thank goodness! The waterfront deserves so much more than the shit that's there right now. Looks amazing! Philadelphia is about to snap and hit a new stride I think.

Thank goodness! The waterfront deserves so much more than the shit that's there right now. Looks amazing! Philadelphia is about to snap and hit a new stride I think.

It's sad that the Delaware River lost so much industry but now the city is reconnecting to a prime natural asset so just like NYC, Philly is beginning to transform itself into a true destination. They are even working to create a 'High Line' park of their own! :cheers:

It's sad that the Delaware River lost so much industry but now the city is reconnecting to a prime natural asset so just like NYC, Philly is beginning to transform itself into a true destination. They are even working to create a 'High Line' park of their own! :cheers:

Great to hear! I love Philly, and I think if transformed, it could become absolutely amazing. It's got arguably more pre-revolutionary history than any other city in the US. There's so much potential, I think if the city is able to clean up it will become more of a tourist destination that it already is. It's proximity to NYC and Washington DC without the cost of either is also a draw.

The Provident Mutual Life Insurance Building Set To Be Reconfigured As Headquarters For Philadelphia Police, Health Dept. Medical Examiner (http://philly.curbed.com/archives/2012/03/20/pmlib-building-what-a-lovely-morgue-it-will-be.php)

http://cdn.cstatic.net/images/gridfs/4f68a65085216d638201961b/6848325102_9dd299b72a_b.jpg
http://philly.curbed.com/archives/2012/03/20/pmlib-building-what-a-lovely-morgue-it-will-be.php


The Provident Mutual Life Insurance Building (PMLIB) at 46th and Market is set to be reconfigured as a headquarters for the Philadelphia Police Department, the Health Dept. and the morgue. In other words, a building for the kind of crappy times in life—getting busted, getting sick, getting dead. The building itself, though, is far from crappy, as Curbed staff photographer Laura Kicey proves with this gallery of exterior photos. We especially like the ship atop the clock tower as a metaphor for passing from one life stage to the next. We hope the ship is retained.

New Renderings for Reading Viaduct Elevated Park Are Out (http://www.uwishunu.com/2012/04/behold-the-first-official-renderings-of-the-proposed-reading-viaduct-elevated-park-philadelphias-planned-park-in-the-sky/)

Before:
http://www.yourdailycheesesteak.com/wp-content/gallery/reading-viaduct/reading_viaduct5.jpg

After:
http://philly.curbed.com/uploads/ReadingViaPres0312.9.after.jpg
http://philly.curbed.com/

http://i.bnet.com/blogs/philadelphia-reading-viaduct-spur-4-680px.jpeg
http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/smart-takes/philadelphias-reading-viaduct-gets-the-8216high-line-treatment/24991

http://www.uwishunu.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/reading-viaduct-park-spur8-680uw.jpg
http://www.uwishunu.com/2012/04/behold-the-first-official-renderings-of-the-proposed-reading-viaduct-elevated-park-philadelphias-planned-park-in-the-sky/

http://i.bnet.com/blogs/philadelphia-reading-viaduct-spur-overview1-680px.jpeg
http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/smart-takes/philadelphias-reading-viaduct-gets-the-8216high-line-treatment/24991

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http://www.uwishunu.com/2012/04/behold-the-first-official-renderings-of-the-proposed-reading-viaduct-elevated-park-philadelphias-planned-park-in-the-sky/


http://archpaper.com/uploads/image/philly_reading_line_05.jpg
http://archpaper.com/e-board_rev.asp?News_ID=5801

Xfinity Live now open in the Stadium District

tGLcXtro_WI

New Renderings for Reading Viaduct Elevated Park Are Out (http://www.uwishunu.com/2012/04/behold-the-first-official-renderings-of-the-proposed-reading-viaduct-elevated-park-philadelphias-planned-park-in-the-sky/)

Before:
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After:
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http://philly.curbed.com/

http://i.bnet.com/blogs/philadelphia-reading-viaduct-spur-4-680px.jpeg
http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/smart-takes/philadelphias-reading-viaduct-gets-the-8216high-line-treatment/24991

http://www.uwishunu.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/reading-viaduct-park-spur8-680uw.jpg
http://www.uwishunu.com/2012/04/behold-the-first-official-renderings-of-the-proposed-reading-viaduct-elevated-park-philadelphias-planned-park-in-the-sky/

http://i.bnet.com/blogs/philadelphia-reading-viaduct-spur-overview1-680px.jpeg
http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/smart-takes/philadelphias-reading-viaduct-gets-the-8216high-line-treatment/24991

http://www.uwishunu.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/reading-viaduct-spur-entrance1-680uw.jpg
http://www.uwishunu.com/2012/04/behold-the-first-official-renderings-of-the-proposed-reading-viaduct-elevated-park-philadelphias-planned-park-in-the-sky/


http://archpaper.com/uploads/image/philly_reading_line_05.jpg
http://archpaper.com/e-board_rev.asp?News_ID=5801

High Line knock-off...?

High Line knock-off...?

One of several in the works: Queens, Philadelphia, Jersey City and others are all planning parks along old elevated rail lines. Considering the billions in investments spawned by the High Line, a lot of cities are finding this kind of development irresistable. :cheers:

-Copycats even include the Tappan Zee Bridge! http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/05/nyregion/trying-to-nudge-a-tappan-zee-turned-park-closer-to-reality.html :crazy2:

2116 Chestnut update:

Construction is underway

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7103/6896281974_0e155251cc_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/dharmalar/6896281974/)
Untitled (http://www.flickr.com/photos/dharmalar/6896281974/) by Dharmalar (http://www.flickr.com/people/dharmalar/), on Flickr

Tower crane will be up and running at Drexel LeBow job tomorrow!

nakedphilly (http://nakedphilly.com/rittenhouse/another-hotel-on-the-horizon-for-center-city/)


Another Hotel on the Horizon for Center City?


As we continue to claw our way back from the financial crisis that’s weighed us down since 2008, we’re encouraged when we hear about major downtown projects that indicate renewed optimism in the marketplace. The hospitality industry has been fairly stagnant over the past decade, though we’ve seen some recent action when the Hotel Palomar opened in 2009. Hotel Monaco in Old City is set to open later this year.

Last week was the groundbreaking for the new 246 room Home2 Suites by Hilton at 12th and Arch Sts., a project we told you about six months ago. Though about $10M in government loans and grants are funding this project, another $50M of private capital makes up the difference. Just last week, we gave you the heads up about a boutique, 150 room hotel planned for East Chestnut Street.

And now, according to a thread on Philadelphia Speaks, another hotel is in the works, just down the street from City Hall. User Aro1419 contacted Starwood Hotels about a future W Hotel listed on their website, located at 1441 Chestnut St., with an expected opening date of January 2015. Representatives responded in the affirmative, which is good news indeed.

Provided this hotel gets built (not something that we’ll consider a guarantee until they break ground), the former site of One Meridian Plaza will finally be filled in and fully utilized for the first time in over two decades. For those unfamiliar with the story, One Meridian Plaza, an office building, caught fire in 1991, resulting in the tragic deaths of three firefighters. The blighted, unusable building remained until 1999, due to litigation. A surface parking lot was located here for seven years, until The Residences at the Ritz Carlton, completed in 2009, filled the other half of the lot.

Hopefully, downtown parking will get a little more difficult in the near future, when hotel construction begins and the remaining surface lot closes down for good.

----


Now This:


From: http://www.philly.com/philly/business/20120502_W_Hotel_planned_for_Chestnut_Street.html

W Hotel planned for Chestnut Street

http://www.michaelangelina.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/W-Hotel.jpg

May 03, 2012|By Suzette Parmley, INQUIRER STAFF WRITER

An upscale W Hotel is scheduled to break ground next year on a half-acre site that was originally planned for a $420 million Waldorf-Astoria Hotel with luxury condominiums before the lending markets collapsed four years ago.

The new hotel would sit on what is now a surface parking lot at 1441 Chestnut St, just behind the Ritz-Carlton Hotel and its condo tower, according to a representative of Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide Inc., which owns the W brand.

“It is going through,” Katherine Tory, a member of Starwood’s development team, said Tuesday. “Construction is set to begin in about a year.”



Given this site was cleared for the cancelled Waldorf Astoria, a W Hotel could rise as high as 700 ft. Most likely it will be in the low 300s...but who knows?

http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/6929/Waldorf_Astoria_Hotel_Philadelphia_Rendering.jpg
Hotelchatter.com

Barnes Museum nears May 19 opening

http://www.theartnewspaper.com/imgart/Barnes-philly-2012.jpg
http://www.theartnewspaper.com/articles/Barnes-Foundations-general-counsel-Brett-Miller-found-dead/26296

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8006/7151220975_80c21de170_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/phillytrax/7151220975/)
At The Barnes (http://www.flickr.com/photos/phillytrax/7151220975/) by phillytrax (http://www.flickr.com/people/phillytrax/), on Flickr

PlanPhilly (http://planphilly.com/mid-rise-apartment-building-planned-empty-lot-just-north-ben-franklin-bridge)


Mid-rise apartment building planned for empty lot just north of Ben Franklin Bridge

http://planphilly.com/sites/planphilly.com/files/BridgeProj.jpg

Another new development is proposed for the Central Delaware Waterfront – an 11-story apartment building, just north of the Ben Franklin Bridge in Old City.

Previously, the development proposed by Ensemble Real Estate, called Marina View Tower, was going to be a high-rise. It is now set to be a mid-rise, more than 120 feet tall, slightly shorter than the stone pier of the bridge.

While shorter than it once was, the building is higher than the 100-foot height limit called for in the draft of the Central Delaware Zoning Overlay.

[...]

Temple U. Moves Forward With $144 Million New Library (http://hiddencityphila.org/2012/05/temples-new-144-million-library-moves-forward/)

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A new $144 million, 300-350,000 square foot library just north of McGonigle Hall on North Broad Street will be a beacon of Temple University’s “more urban and urbane campus,” according to a request for design proposals sent recently to architects.

The project, under the direction of new university architect Margaret Carney, follows on the goals set by Temple’s 2020 Framework masterplan and a 2008 library assessment and includes $50 million in funding from the state, approved by Governor Corbett.

Second Time's The Charm For Haddington Apartment Building (http://hiddencityphila.org/2012/05/distinctive-west-philly-apartment-house-renovated/)

http://hiddencityphila.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/IMG_9640.jpg


West Philadelphia nonprofit ACHIEVEability will cut the ribbon Wednesday on a $7 million renovation of its historic Lawson Residences at Von Louhr, on 61st St. just south of Market. The neighborhood has seen little investment for decades, but ACHIEVability combined tax credits in a new way to help finance the project.

“It’s probably the largest development in that immediate area in the last 50 years,” said ACHIEVEability CEO Marcus Allen. “I think it’ll have an immediate economic impact because many people who worked on this project were from this area, from West Philadelphia. It’s also going to have a great impact on the value of the houses around it.”

The Barnes Foundation / Tod Williams + Billie Tsien

http://www.archdaily.com/238238/the-barnes-foundation-building-tod-williams-billie-tsien/

Architects: Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects (TWBTA)
Location: 2025 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, PA
Landscape Architect: OLIN
Key Dates: September 10, 2007 Selection of architects; October 7, 2009 Design unveiling; November 13, 2009 Groundbreaking; May 18, 2012 Building dedication; May 19, 2012 Opening of the Barnes Foundation
Photographs © 2012 The Barnes Foundation

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^^

Very Nice!!

Temple Names 26 Story Rising Tower For Mitch Morgan (http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/inq-phillydeals/Temple-names-26-story-tower-for-landlord-Mitch-Morgan.html)

http://www.lerchbates.com/upload/ProjectPhotos/Temple%20Gateway%20Residences.jpg
http://www.lerchbates.com/projects/Default.aspx

http://www.cboglass.com/content/images/TempleUniversity/TEMPLEUTERRACE.JPG
http://www.cboglass.com/showcase/portfolio

http://www.cboglass.com/content/images/TempleUniversity/TEMPLEUNIV.jpg
http://www.cboglass.com/showcase/portfolio

wow nice the city looks very nice

great projects!!

Curbed (http://philly.curbed.com/archives/2012/06/28/new-apartments-coming-to-center-city-university-city.php)


New Rentals Coming to Center City, University City

http://www.pennconnects.upenn.edu/all_project_images/cira_centre_south_images/cira_centre_south_large_9.jpg

At a meeting with investors, Brandywine Realty Trust's head honchos disclosed big plans for new rental properties. First among them: By the end of 2014, there'll be 292 apartments at 1919 Market Street, along with 55,000 square feet of retail space. Also, University City's Cira Centre South will have a "mixed-use residential development" for student housing and regular-people housing.

There are also other big plans for new construction in New Jersey and Pennsylvania that will be announced later, but for now, it seems certain that Center City and U City will see a significant bump in available apartments for rent.

---

Residences At The Lorraine (http://phillyshark.blogspot.com/2012/06/residences-at-lorraine.html)

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--I7IqQuw0FE/T-SvJalGJNI/AAAAAAAAEiA/KMp6BpSQPOQ/s1600/Picture+3.png


Owners Lorraine Land LLP contracted Cope Linder Architects to design a proposal for a residential mixed use development for the Divine Lorraine and surrounding properties. The project has not yet received approval and there is no date set for construction. I will say that this project would be a sure positive boost for the surrounding communities.

The program calls for 150 condos and restaurant in the restored Divine Hotel. Mixed-use development of 450 one-bedroom and efficiency units, supermarket, health club, cafe, and 620 space parking garage all adjacent to a new pedestrian plaza.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Gpu5pC6tfU0/T-SvJ1MaHQI/AAAAAAAAEiI/g80Ojh4nb00/s1600/Picture+4.png

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-apmBsUtlifI/T-SvKOAxqiI/AAAAAAAAEiQ/yt8tLzZjQYg/s1600/Picture+5.png

PhillyShark

Wistar Institute Expansion Begins (http://phillyshark.blogspot.com/2012/06/wistar-institute-expansion-university.html)

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-s92m7YCSXZA/T-8-o3ept3I/AAAAAAAAEko/BHPbHmuPGxk/s1600/Picture+18.png


The Wistar institute, located in the heart of the University of Pennsylvania campus has begun construction on its planned expansion of the institute. The new facility will be replacing an older building in the middle of their Spruce Street complex. Construction should take about 2 years to complete.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kXpyOcZ0S0w/T-8-tBO-dnI/AAAAAAAAElQ/z2iJ5a1EArg/s1600/Picture+23.png

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N5NPHHmSAbY/T-8-p2WSp2I/AAAAAAAAEkw/ddaJwWTTz64/s1600/Picture+19.png

New Tower Development At 933 Penn St (http://phillyshark.blogspot.com/2012/06/new-tower-development-at-933-n-penn-st.html)

http://nakedphilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/south-side-elevation-933-n-penn-st-560x362.jpg
http://nakedphilly.com/fishtown/another-residential-tower-coming-next-to-sugarhouse/


Developers plan to construct a twenty-story 215 foot tall residential building with parking on the first five floors, with 200 apartment units above at 933 N. Penn St. adjacent to Sugarhouse Casino and Waterfront Square. There will also be 1500 SF of lower level retail. The developer plans to use 17,000 SF of the lot and offer to donate the exiting pier 40 that is part of the site to the city. The city however does not feel the pier will benefit the because it is not at the terminus of a major river- city connector street. The pier would also cost $7 million to reconstruct and $3 million to demolish and leave the piles for marine life habitation.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-o89gN6ERxTc/T-9LrXgNlmI/AAAAAAAAEl8/94kkbxlQQo8/s1600/Picture+26.png
Older render of a previous attept to build a high rise at this address.

This tower exceeds current height limits (100 ft) for that area. There may be many twists and turns to this saga...

New Eastern Tower Community Center (http://phillyshark.blogspot.com/2012/07/new-eastern-tower-community-center.html)

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JbyLbtRifEI/T_do-bwHkBI/AAAAAAAAEqw/TTijsf5O2rI/s1600/Picture+8.png


New construction looms on the horizon for Chinatown North. The Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corp. plans to create a 23-story, multipurpose tower located at the northwest corner of 10th and Vine streets. The first two floors of the building will include the recreational area and retail space. The remainder of the tower will be used for residential units and offices featuring spectacular views of the city.

Zoning for the future structure is in place and approved, making it the largest building in Chinatown. The goal of the PCDC is to start building next year with a two year construction timeline to follow. They are currently in the process of selecting the perfect architect for the job.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IjTaK6iWkUo/T_dr6l3E0-I/AAAAAAAAErQ/Rs0fae8dOBk/s1600/Picture+10.png

2116 Chestnut cranking up:

http://nakedphilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/IMG_2696-560x420.jpg
http://nakedphilly.com/rittenhouse/update-construction-moving-along-at-2116-chestnut-street/

and a reminder of where we're all going:

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-n2BBfOsNCHw/Tqry9asB53I/AAAAAAAABy8/kdSSDFphXkE/s1600/Picture+22.png
http://phillyshark.blogspot.com/2011/10/big-philly-development-news-marriott.html

2040 Market St

In May:
http://assets.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/blog/natalie-kostelni/2040marketconstruction.jpg
bizjournals

This month:
http://nakedphilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/IMG_2642-560x420.jpg
http://nakedphilly.com/tag/2040-market-street/

http://nakedphilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/IMG_2641-560x420.jpg
http://nakedphilly.com/tag/2040-market-street/

http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/559248_486218878072268_1434020785_n.jpg
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?p=5782904

Morgan Hall at Temple University rising nicely:

http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/c0.78.403.403/p403x403/487986_465607450124291_1784820628_n.jpg
http://www.facebook.com/templeu?sk=taggednotes

Final beam being raised:
http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/c0.128.403.403/p403x403/394629_466002883418081_453526796_n.jpg
http://www.facebook.com/templeu?filter=3



http://www.aegispg.com/uploads/properties/Residence%20Hall%20courtesy%20of%20MGA.jpg

Pier 34 & 35 Development (http://phillyshark.blogspot.com/2012/08/pier-34-35-development.html)

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rgIo8s6mItA/UCvsA1oyfDI/AAAAAAAAFUI/pu3Fw54Juv0/s1600/Picture+7.png


Last Thursday Ensemble Real Estate, the developer who plans to build several new residential projects on the Central Delaware, presented updated plans for an apartment building on Piers 24 and 35 to the Central Delaware Advocacy Group. The developers have made some modifications by removing the loading dock from street view, and the portion of the building fronting Columbus Blvd. has been brought down to 100 feet to fit the Master Plan, with an additional 180- foot structure set back from the street surpassing the 100 foot limit. This still leaves waterfront advocates questioning the public benefit the project will offer. All that was offered was an 8-foot wide promenade leading to the river, which isn't much of a public amenity.


http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EYoAfBa4k-I/UCvr-m42upI/AAAAAAAAFT4/y7sUTvjKo6I/s1600/Picture+5.png

http://phillyshark.blogspot.com/2012/08/pier-34-35-development.html

New Office Tower To Rise On Market St. (http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/inq-phillydeals/New-Market-Street-tower-ready-to-start.html)

http://www.3711market.com/img/3737market-render3.jpg
Earlier render for a taller tower at this address


The University City Science Center, a consortium of Penn, Drexel and other institutions that's a major office and lab landlord along Market and Chestnut Streets west of the Schuylkill, says it's ready to start work in September (finishing in mid-2014) on its new 11-story tower at 3737 Market Street (NE corner 38th & Market, corrected) in West Philadelphia, in a joint venture with developer James R. Berens' Baltimore-based firm, Wexford Science & Technology. [renders are for a previously proposed 16 story tower]

http://www.3711market.com/img/3737market-render2.jpg
3711 market.com

The 273,000 sq ft building's major tenant will be nearby Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, which will fill at least 156,000 sq ft with orthopedic and outpatient offices. There's also room for stores, offices and labs. UCSC and Wexford say they also hope to lure some start-up firms to the other 88,000 sq ft.

The partners plan to spend more than $15 million on the project. They plan to put the contracting work out to bid, UCSC chief executive Stephen Tang told me. Philadelphia's Intech led construction of 3711 Market next door in 2008-10.

Tang says start-up space in that building filled quickly, with small companies including Integral Molecular and Eli Lilly & Co.'s Avid Radiopharmaceuticals unit. He said 30 smaller firms now share UCSC "incubator" space, and he expects some will be ready to move into their own new building "in two to three years."

UCSC had proposed a higher-rising "gateway" project for the neighborhood before the 2008 economic slowdown. The lot south of Market and west of 38th remains available; it is "the jewel in the crown" and would support a higher tower, UCSC chief executive Stephen Tang told me. "This is one of the few intersections in University City -- or Center City -- that has two lanes of traffic going in both directions; it is a very desirable location."

Olde Kensington Umbrella Factory To Get The Loft Treatment (http://phillyshark.blogspot.com/2012/08/umbrella-factory.html)

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rxX2VCXTK3I/UC1Bxz6ipMI/AAAAAAAAFVA/uwZJq3F-OxE/s1600/Picture+1.png


The 178,000 sqft abandoned Umbrella Factory located on the corner of 5th St. and Master St. in Olde Kensington will soon be converted into 142 residential loft style condominiums and 2 commercial spaces. The units will also be suitable for conversion to assisted-living, student housing, or subsidized/artist housing.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-m9LP1Bcks_c/UC1ChsDnrGI/AAAAAAAAFVY/1Bez1lLXPRM/s1600/Picture+4.png

The eight-story skeleton of brick and empty windows has sat vacant for more than 20 years. However, with $25 million in private investment, the building will soon be transformed into luxury condos, off-street parking and boutique shops.

Sasaki’s design integrates new and existing buildings in an effort to increase visual connection to surrounding community

The Drexel campus straddles both sides of Market Street in Philadelphia’s University City section. Sasaki Associates' addition to the Daskalasis Athletic Center (DAC), a 1960s-era athletic complex, accomplishes several institutional and programmatic goals. It increases the university’s visual presence along Market Street, integrates existing and new buildings into a unified complex, and groups all of the recreation facilities into a new building wing. Respecting that the DAC is surrounded by one of Drexel’s few outdoor landscape spaces, the design also maximizes preservation of the site’s open space.

The new building wraps around two sides of the DAC building, providing a new urban presence along Market Street. The main façade is treated as a large glazed screen with meandering folds shaded by the extension of the building’s floors. The folded enclosure provides alcoves along the exercise areas, where active users and equipment add a sense of colour and movement to the streetscape. The glazed skin is also the result of extensive energy studies.

The design is expected to reduce cooling loads by 50% on the south façade and 30% on the east. The building addition incorporates a major pedestrian artery, creating a walkway through the building linking two key areas of the campus. This newly created passageway renders existing and new programmes as a focal point for students, visitors, faculty and staff crossing the campus at this location.

The building’s largest component, an indoor gymnasium and jogging track, is placed on the upper portion of the site, opening up directly to the preserved green. The gym space, surrounded by open balconies, allows all activities spaces to be communicated visually. Ample fenestration around the gym provides day-lighting and visibility from inside and out, relating the interior space of the gym with the adjacent soft flooring plaza, used for outdoor group exercise.

The plaza conceals a rainwater harvesting system that collects water from 50% of the existing DAC and 70% of the new structure into an underground cistern. Collected rain water is used for toilet flushing to reduce potable water demand. At street level, the building interacts with the passing urban scene. Paving patterns echo the angular folds of the building, a café is placed among trees preserved and integrated into the design, and a restaurant engages the larger community as well as students. A previously nondescript corner is brought to life through the combination of a landscaped plaza and the center’s climbing wall framed in glass - a further outward expression of a building housing dynamic activities.

Source: www.worldarchitecturenews.com (http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/index.php?fuseaction=wanappln.projectview&upload_id=20462)

http://static.worldarchitecturenews.com/news_images/20462_1_1345669667_7893DrexelUniversity.jpg

http://static.worldarchitecturenews.com/news_images/20462_2_1345669668_1162DrexelUniversity.jpg

http://static.worldarchitecturenews.com/news_images/20462_3_1345669668_8718DrexelUniversity.jpg

http://static.worldarchitecturenews.com/news_images/20462_4_1345669668_4471DrexelUniversity.jpg

http://static.worldarchitecturenews.com/news_images/20462_5_1345669668_3735DrexelUniversity.jpg

http://static.worldarchitecturenews.com/news_images/20462_6_1345669669_6185DrexelUniversity.jpg

205 Race St Back In The Game (http://phillyshark.blogspot.com/2012/08/205-race-street.html)

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-w-P8AQQIANo/UD_BlTnBmgI/AAAAAAAAFhk/y2TWV0p71KI/s1600/Picture+14.png
New proposal


Developer Jeffrey Brown revisits a proposal he once had high hopes for years ago before development across the city came to a halt. Brown is once again hoping to transform the vacant lot he owns at 205 Race Street into a 16-story, 128-unit apartment building with commercial uses on the ground floor.

Last Tuesday the project was presented to the Old City Civic Association, where it was voted on and rejected 11-to-1. The site is located in a C-3 zoning district which has strict restriction on height and building width. The portion of the project that fronts on Race Street would be 5 stories and 60 feet high, up from 52 feet in the previous plan. A residential tower, to be set back 14.5 feet from Race along the Ben Franklin Bridge, would be 197.5 feet high, up from 178 feet in the previous plan. The first floor would be dedicated to commercial uses, and the developer hopes to bring in a big client, like a supermarket to fill a large retail space.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qV7-nt64o_I/UD_BmP7_WFI/AAAAAAAAFhs/Nf99KR2Siu0/s1600/Picture+15.png
Past proposal

The proposal exceeds the 65-foot height cap and the 70-foot width cap contained in Old City's overlay. It also violates the 450% maximum gross floor area of the C-3 district, with a proposed total area of 695 percent of the lot. Officials feel that the current proposal is an overbuild and blatant disregard to the support it received on its past proposal considering its violations then, with a current proposal that pushes the envelope even more further violating district restrictions.

The proposal also includes plans for 34 interior parking spots, accessible via Florist Street, which runs parallel to the Bridge. This does not meet the minimum of 90 spaces (7 per 10 units) required under the old zoning code, nor would it meet the 38-space minimum requirement of the new code (3 spaces per 10 units). If the ZBA grants the zoning relief requested, construction would likely begin in the first quarter of 2013.

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PhillyShark (http://phillyshark.blogspot.com/2012/08/renaissance-plaza-delaware-waterfront.html)


Renaissance Plaza; Delaware Waterfront

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wCKwPRUXglQ/UDe-9nKfCFI/AAAAAAAAFa8/VQb7GIMvO2Y/s1600/Picture+4.png

The old World Trade Square Proposal site may finally see life in what seems to be the start of a new era in the development of Philadelphia's Delaware Waterfront. Since the adoption of the Delaware master plan overlay, and just recently the installment of the new city wide zoning code, we have seen an increase in proposed development projects along the river, many are revised versions of projects we've seen in the early years of the last decade.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zeeriTgiiAA/UDe_ATV67wI/AAAAAAAAFbM/_J_NS8zZivU/s1600/Picture+6.png
Old World Trade Square concept

Todays featured project is located at 400 N. Columbus blvd. Developer Waterfront Renaissance Associates plans to build a 1,458-unit, four-tower residential and retail complex at the corner of Columbus Boulevard and Spring Garden Street, at the same location WRA had planned to construct World Trade Square.

The tallest two of the four towers of Renaissance Plaza would rise 426 feet, the other two 227 feet. The shorter towers would be more than double the 100-foot height limit established in the Central delaware Waterfront Master Plan. This has raised red flags for a few concerned board members of DRWC. The shorter towers would be more than double the 100-foot height limit established in the Master Plan. However, the Philadelphia City Planning Commission, which must approve plans of development for projects within the Central Delaware, has the power to grant exceptions to the height limits.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Tcuua829TJg/UDe-_hHMW_I/AAAAAAAAFbE/pkPAe8zAo6A/s1600/Picture+5.png

The proposal for the 5.29 acres site includes more than 90,000 square feet of retail space. The developments also plans for public open space and green areas that all Philadelphians- complex residents or not- can use. The project would be built to the highest LEED standard attainable, and include a green roof with swimming pools.

[...]

Morgan Hall progress:

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8435/8010892467_c20fe8d479_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/phillytrax/8010892467/)
A New Peak (http://www.flickr.com/photos/phillytrax/8010892467/) by phillytrax (http://www.flickr.com/people/phillytrax/), on Flickr

1213 Walnut Back On Again With height Reduction (http://u3ventures.com/development/1213-walnut/)

http://u3ventures.com/new/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/4.jpg
http://u3ventures.com/development/1213-walnut/

Comeback of long-stalled project shows resurgence of luxury rental market in Center City.

3737 Market St. Tower (http://phillyshark.blogspot.com/2012/10/3737-market-street-tower.html)

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HlcI-d0pdFY/UG7e5oU8-lI/AAAAAAAAGcg/WwoGlFJJ-L4/s1600/What-3737-Market-will-look-like-completed..jpg


Penn presbyterian Medical Center will be the future anchor tenant of another addition to the Science Center in University City. The institution will occupy 155,700 square feet of space, allowing construction of the tower to proceed, filling in the abundance of parking lot space that dots the district. Penn Presbyterian will located orthopedics and outpatient services in the building. The remaining 88,000 square feet in the tower will be controlled by the Science Center and its joint venture partner, Wexford Science & Technology, and private Baltimore based real estate investment firm.


http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c4GSl7OS1Is/UG7e259dX1I/AAAAAAAAGcQ/qMQOV_wzjzI/s1600/Picture+17.png


Meh. Welcome back to Independence Mall circa 1959...

Paine's Park Breaks Ground Oct. 12 (http://philly.curbed.com/archives/2012/10/11/franklin-paine.php)

http://www.tonyhawkfoundation.org/content/posts/paines-park-skyline-view-sm.jpg
http://www.tonyhawkfoundation.org/news/2012/08/27/latest-skatepark-grants-announced/


Tomorrow is the groundbreaking, at long last, for Paine's Park, the multifaceted skatepark plaza near the Art Museum. The park project is the result of a remarkable collaboration between the grassroots skating community and the highest levels of city government (and everyone in between), demonstrating that skateboarding issues don't have to be governed by an us-vs.-them dynamic. While the park, designed by Anthony Bracali and Brian Nugent, won't be only for skating, skateboarders will take priority. It's hard to imagine—sitting outdoors at a public space, watching skaters do their thing, and not anticipating the arrival of the cops to kick them out.

2116 Chestnut enters the skyline:

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8186/8095382918_8ec6e8afea_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/tomspix/8095382918/)
I Never Get Tired of This View (http://www.flickr.com/photos/tomspix/8095382918/) by Tom Ipri (http://www.flickr.com/people/tomspix/), on Flickr

Ground Breaks Today for Navy Yard's First Hotel (http://philly.curbed.com/archives/2012/10/18/ground-breaks-today-for-navy-yards-first-hotel-courtyard-by-marriott.php)

http://www.uwishunu.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/navy-yard-courtyard-marriott-680uw.jpg
http://www.uwishunu.com/2012/10/coming-attraction-philadelphia-navy-yard-to-get-its-very-first-hotel-brand-new-leed-certification-seeking-172-room-courtyard-by-marriott-to-officially-break-ground-tomorrow-thursday-october-18/


Ground breaking news! (See what we did there?) Works begins today for the Philadelphia Navy Yard's first hotel, a Courtyard by Marriott. The Philadelphia Navy Yard will unveil its first hotel in late 2013, as construction for a $34 million Courtyard by Marriott begins today.

In addition to 172 guest rooms, the five story, 99,000-square-foot hotel will boast a restaurant, lounge, fitness center, and 2,000 square feet of meeting space. To be located at Rouse Boulevard and Intrepid Avenue, the energy-efficient hotel is said to be seeking LEED certification. Development is by Ensemble Hotel Partners LLC and Liberty Property Trust/ Synterra LP; Erdy McHenry Architecture is behind the modern design.

Paseo Verde Set For Spring Opening (http://hiddencityphila.org/2012/10/north-centrals-paseo-verde-set-for-spring-completion/)

http://hiddencityphila.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/DSC07849-1024x683-2.jpg


Temple News discusses Paseo Verde, a LEED Platinum transit-oriented residential complex at 9th & Berks Streets sponsored by the Asociación Puertorriqueños en Marcha. Planners hope to connect low-income residents with job training and opportunities, as well as bridging the divide that the Regional Rail tracks help perpetuate. “[The development] is convenient for a variety of people, and is a perfect location to allow for communities to interact,” said project manager Joanna Cuevas. Construction is expected to be finished in the spring.

http://www.gridphilly.com/storage/assets/201206-038/PaseoVerde-NightRendering-9.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1337871702740
gridphilly

Could Renaissance Plaza Come To The Delaware Waterfront? (http://nakedphilly.com/old-city/could-renaissance-plaza-come-to-the-delaware/)

http://nakedphilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/RenaissanceTwo.png


Down on the waterfront, there’s a comprehensive Plan for the Central Delaware that envisions short- and long-term development along our urban riverbed. Among its various profferings is a 100-foot height limit on new structures. But nowhere in the current plans for a four-tower 1458-unit mixed use residential and retail development, known as Renaissance Plaza, being presented by developers Waterfront Renaissance Associates is that limit abided.

The project would occupy a 5.29 acre site located at 400 N. Columbus Blvd., at the intersection of Spring Garden and Columbus formerly slated to be the World Trade Plaza, according to PlanPhilly. Plans call for two 426 feet towers and two 227 feet towers.

But right now developers are only circling among various civic groups and city agencies to present their current plants in order to compile community input, so that they can in turn make adjustments, according to Joe Schiavo, vice chair of the Old City Civic Association (OCCA). Developers appeared before the OCCA’s developments committee last month after previously coming before the Central Delaware Advocacy Group and the Planning Commission.

Height is one major issue that’s been raised by groups across the board. The Plan for the Central Delaware is based on a concept that favors distribution over density. It’s rooted in the idea that by limiting the height of new structures, distribution is forced because law forbids developers from creating one large tower where basically the first developer in dominates the area. Instead of one tall building, you get four or five smaller ones.

As such, height is one of the major issues to be addressed in a letter currently being drafted by OCCA members about the project, which will then go along to the Planning Commission, the group responsible for approving (or not) said plans.

Schiavo said his group looks at the concepts of the project and how it might impact the area, as opposed to liking or disliking plans.

http://nakedphilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/RenaissanceOne.png

Blatstein Unveils Casino Plan (http://philly.curbed.com/archives/2012/10/24/bart-blatstein-unveils-new-casino-the-provence.php)


"The Provence"

http://philly.curbed.com/uploads/provence.jpg


Developer Bart Blatstein, who transformed Northern Liberties, owns the former Inquirer/Daily News building at 400 N. Broad. Tonight was the unveiling for his proposed entertainment complex, which includes a 120,000 square-foot casino. He may not have the gaming license yet, but given the attendance and the level of detail proffered, it felt very much like City Hall believes it's going to pan out.

Name: The Provence

Operator: Hard Rock International
Complex includes:

· 120,000-square-foot casino
· 125-room hotel
· Rooftop shopping/dining village
· Theater
· Private swim club
· Nightclub
· Comedy club
· Jazz club
· Spa and fitness center
· Meeting/event space
· 60-foot botanical garden
· 60,000 square feet of "upscale shops"
· Restaurants
· Two indoor parking garages

http://cdn.cstatic.net/images/gridfs/5089451f85216d6875001b78/the-provence-botanical-gardens.jpg

http://cdn.cstatic.net/images/gridfs/5089452285216d6875001b83/the-provence-night.jpg

http://cdn.cstatic.net/images/gridfs/5089452585216d6875001b8d/the-provence-front.jpg

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oh! my god...

Drexel University LeBow College Of Business Progressing: (http://phillyshark.blogspot.com/2012/10/drexel-university-construction-update.html)

http://i810.photobucket.com/albums/zz21/esb1250/lebow.png

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2ZzDaiXqCp4/UImiZTYpvcI/AAAAAAAAG9U/Tgo44KNEHBI/s1600/Picture+20.png

http://phillyshark.blogspot.com/2012/10/drexel-university-construction-update.html

Divine Lorraine Developer Freaks Out Neighbors With Preliminary Map (http://philly.curbed.com/archives/2012/10/26/divine-lorraine-developer-freaks-out-neighbors-with-preliminary-map.php)

http://philly.curbed.com/uploads/neighbors_divine_20121024_1655626377.jpg


North Broad developer Eric Blumenfeld has some rather grandiose plans for the Divine Lorraine Hotel, but nearby residents are worried that the developer's vision is a little too broad—literally.

A preliminary map of Blumenfeld's development shows the scope of his proposal, and it's right on top of some currently occupied homes, which has thoroughly freaked out Blumenfeld's soon-to-be neighbors.

NewsWorks spoke with residents who, in theory, would be "developed over" if Blumenfeld goes ahead with what he calls his "dream plan." One of them, Susan Cranshaw, currently lives where Blumenfeld's Shared Visual Arts Complex would be. She told reporter Elizabeth Fiedler: "When I saw that my house was obliterated—that I was not expecting at all and that was quite a shock."

Blumenfeld claims this initial map is just a first try: "...when you use your imagination you kind of don't live with real barriers. You just pretend you have total access to everything. And then it has to get refined. So neighborhood and community development is a process."

Oct. 31: 2116 Chestnut site comes through Sandy just fine:

http://blog.philadelphiarealestate.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/photo11.jpg
http://blog.philadelphiarealestate.com/phillys-own-highrise-crane-spared/

New N. Broad Tower To Rise Over Temple U. Area (http://ilovebricks.blogspot.com/2012/12/temple-rising.html)

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UP8cihW2F0g/UMzJkgELPjI/AAAAAAAAFOk/dFkHluqy3rc/s1600/rend1_sml.jpg


---

Penn and Drexel continue to transform University City and Temple might be finally catching up with its long forgotten North Philadelphia, where its skyline is beginning to resemble something of a skyline.

What's even more exciting are the development proposals at key North Broad intersections finally becoming reality. The State Office Building is being converted into luxury apartments at Spring Garden and a casino has been proposed for the neighboring Inquirer Building at Callowhill.

Even the Divine Lorraine and the Metropolitan Opera House near Fairmount may soon see new life. As projects inch their way north on Broad Street, we could soon forget that Temple University isn't so far from Center City.

Piatt Associates proposed Cromwell Tower designed by Agoos Lovera would stand 30 stories in the heart of Temple's North Broad campus, further defining North Broad's skyline, and with continuing North Broad improvements, help eliminate the street's detached relationship with Center City.

Family Court Building Finally Starting To Rise (http://blog.philadelphiarealestate.com/family-court-building-finally-rising/)

http://blog.philadelphiarealestate.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/FCConstruction1.jpg


In what seems like the longest timetable on any construction project in Center City, the new Philadelphia Family Court Building at 1501 Arch Street is finally starting to show real signs of progress. Once complete, the building will reach 265 feet, with 15 floors of office space and 4 stories of underground parking. As the images show, the building is now up to the 4th floor and the sheer size of this building is quickly becoming obvious.

http://blog.philadelphiarealestate.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/FCConstruction2.jpg

http://blog.philadelphiarealestate.com/family-court-building-finally-rising/

2116 Chestnut coming along nicely:

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8198/8201147319_63693ae4f8_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/phillytrax/8201147319/)
Get Up | Get On (http://www.flickr.com/photos/phillytrax/8201147319/) by phillytrax (http://www.flickr.com/people/phillytrax/), on Flickr

PhillyBricks (http://ilovebricks.blogspot.com/2012/12/1601-vine-street.html)

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dG1269YceIQ/UMzEkueOT2I/AAAAAAAAFNA/nLez3BTjc8w/s1600/loganLg.jpg


1601 Vine St.

The Klein Company of Philadelphia has proposed a residential development at 1601 Vine Street, Logan Place, next door to the new Mormon Temple which is preparing to begin construction.

The residential tower, designed by BLTa, would be 26 stories, have 230 apartments, and 25,000 square feet of retail space.

Starwood's 1441 Chestnut Plans Begin To Take Shape (http://ilovebricks.blogspot.com/2012/12/high-in-sky.html)

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BZOpPB1SwnE/UMk-3G0wpxI/AAAAAAAAFJ4/HFjF_S9_8qg/s1600/shitz+1441.jpg
http://ilovebricks.blogspot.com/2012/12/high-in-sky.html


Once home to Frank Furness's Morris Building, 1441 Chestnut Street has been the site of broken promises since it was demolished following the devastating fire that ultimately destroyed One Meridian Plaza fire across the street from City Hall. Yesterday, a plan was proposed to finally develop the lot.

Previously the site of a Waldorf Astoria proposal, its potential became a dream come true for architecture and skyscraper nerds, myself included. While the city won't earn a Waldord brand, the latest proposal seems promising and equally exciting.

The proposal calls for a $280M hotel, LEED certifications, and fifty stories on the site. In case you're not keeping track, that would make it the fifth tallest building in Philadelphia. In other words, tall.

The building would house two unique Starwoods brands, one possibly a W Hotel. Vine Street Ventures of Dallas plans to develop the property, owned by Brook Lenfest of Philadelphia.

Brown-Hill Making A Splash At 205 Race St. (http://ilovebricks.blogspot.com/2012/12/205-race-street.html)

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ApCzyUgHCVc/UL6ZtTISE9I/AAAAAAAAE6c/GEr5TLNwJiI/s1600/205_east.png


Back in 2004, when funky little firms like CREI were using up and coming urban neighborhoods as their architectural playground for experimental and pricy designs, Brown-Hill proposed its own avant-garde condo development for a forlorn bucolic meadow at 2nd and Race.

It didn't happen, but the sign promising the redevelopment of this inexplicably vacant lot remained for years, reminding pedestrians that a small group of idiots with nothing but idle time and the arrogance to dictate their irrational opinions really can make a difference.

At a sensibly scaled 9 to 10 stories and respectful ground floor relationship, it was good design; and adjacent to the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, a noisy interstate, and a high speed rail line, it was a good opportunity to develop an unlikely location for residences. But in the heyday of financial optimism, it wasn't good enough for the Old City Civic Association and they managed to keep their beloved vacant lot vacant for another eight years.

Well Brown-Hill is back and, in the wake of the financial crisis and a more realistic outlook on construction opportunities, hoping that the OCCA has a new outlook of their own.

Brown-Hill's new design keeps the same interaction with the sidewalk that it did in it's 2004 design, but proposes and additional six floors. At 198 feet tall it would be the tallest building in Old City.

[...]

UC Science Center plans 27 Story Tower At 36th & Market (http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/inq-phillydeals/UC-Science-Center-plans-27-story-apartment-tower-at-36Market.html)

http://technicallyphilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Rendering-of-new-residential-building-at-3601-Market-Street-on-the-Science-Center-campus.jpg
3601 Market St.


POSTED: Thursday, January 3, 2013, 2:39 PM

UPDATE with Tang comments/ - The University City Science Center, an office and lab landlord owned by a consortium of Penn, Drexel, CHoP, USP and their neighbors, says it will start work on a 27-story apartment building -- its first housing project in its 50 years -- at 3601 Market Street this fall, in a joint venture with investor Wexford Equities and Southern Land Co.

"It's really about community development, for innovators and entrepreneurs," UCSC President Stephen Tang Ph.D. told me. "It makes sense in the evolution of this comunity. We're a nonprofit, in the business of developing communities. You have to have mixed use on your campus to develop a sense of place and vibrancy beyond 9 to 5. That's been lacking on our campus for some time."


When I asked why the private sector can't supply the need, Tang demurred: "We were deeded the land 50 years ago," and "it's time for the community to be established here as a 24/7 mixed-use kind of project. We want to be seen like Mission Bay in San Francisco or Cambridge in Massachusetts. Communities in their own right, not just analogs," or suburban-style office parks in a city.

[...]

The Temple Of Tomorrow (http://hiddencityphila.org/2013/01/insights-on-the-temple-of-tomorrow/)

http://hiddencityphila.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/IMG_9134.jpg

The dorm tower finishing up. (Jan. 18)

Brandywine picks Georgia dorm builder for 36-story Philly site: sources (http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/inq-phillydeals/Brandywine-picks-Georgia-dorm-builder-for-36-story-Philly-tower.html)

http://www.ciracentre.com/images/CiraSouthOverview.jpg


Brandywine Realty Trust, a Radnor company that is one of Center City's dominant landlords, has asked Campus Crest Communities, a Georgia-based company mostly known for building student housing at suburban and small-town colleges in the South and West, to put up student housing on a site permitted for a 36-story high-rise tower at 2930 Chestnut St. in University City, according to two real estate industry sources familiar with the deal.

Despite Crest's apparent lack of experience on big-city high-rise work, digging started last weekend for foundations for the project, which is part of the Cira 2 complex that Brandywine hoped to build on the block between Chestnut and Walnut streets, 29th and 30th streets, adjoining the Penn campus to the south and Drexel to the north.

[...]
Read more: http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/inq-phillydeals/Brandywine-picks-Georgia-dorm-builder-for-36-story-Philly-tower.html#ixzz2K4OpQgiC


http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-S4CqfHctlrQ/ToYWPvqiCUI/AAAAAAAABec/6lfm1k4RjvI/s1600/Picture+15.png
http://phillyshark.blogspot.com/2011/09/cira-centre-south.html

“Unapologetically Contemporary” Tower Seeks Architectural Pulse In North Philly ("http://hiddencityphila.org/2013/02/unapologetically-contemporary-tower-seeks-architectural-pulse-in-north-philly/')

http://www.torcon.com/news/images/colorrenderseview.jpg
http://www.torcon.com/news/11_20_2012_wanamaker_plaza.asp



a strong sign that Philadelphia real estate developers are beginning to find market value in bold design and in creating social spaces, a $100 million 14 story residential “unapologetically contemporary” tower is advancing on 12th Street and East Montgomery Avenue adjacent to Temple University’s campus. The building is part of a multi-phase development by the Goldenberg Group of the block that was home to the Wanamaker Middle School, which closed in 2005. Future phases of the project, potentially starting in 2015, will build out the edges of the remaining two and a half acres of the block to create a strong connection to the street and an open courtyard inside.

“From the beginning of this project, Ken Goldenberg was saying, ‘I won’t build it if it’s not cutting edge’,” said Goldenberg director of development Kevin Trapper. “This project is not just about maximizing real estate but about the transformative nature of development we do. We take this to heart.”


http://hiddencityphila.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/wanamaker2-660x422.jpg
http://hiddencityphila.org/2013/02/unapologetically-contemporary-tower-seeks-architectural-pulse-in-north-philly/

New Details, New Design For Cira Centre South: (http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/inq-phillydeals/Confirmed-Ga-developer-to-build-student-high-rise-near-Penn.html)

http://www.multihousingnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/The-Grove-at-Cira-Center-South.jpg
http://www.multihousingnews.com/news/todays-deals-brandywine-campus-crest-and-hsre-partner-on-158-5m-project/1004073503.html

http://media.dpn.s3.amazonaws.com/27520_10011723258_copyf.jpg
http://www.thedp.com/article/2013/02/new-upscale-housing-option-targets-grad-students


Brandywine Realty Trust, Radnor, put out a statement last night confirming it has joined Georgia-based Campus Crest Communities to build a high-rise student tower at 2930 Chestnut St. on ground leased from the University of Pennsylvania.

The joint venture - 40% owned by investor Harrison Street Real Estate, the rest split by Brandywine and Campus Crest - will rise 33 stories (the site is permitted for 36), sleep 850 students (not counting guests), and cost $158.5 million (with $97.8 million lent by banks led by administrator PNC and syndicator Capital One).

Brandywine expects Drexel students as well as Penn students will live in the tower, dubbed The Grove at Cira Center South (Cira North is the office building by 30th St. Station).

The Granary Progressing Well (http://nakedphilly.com/logan-square/the-granary-is-progressing-and-will-include-pizza-from-vetri/)



http://i810.photobucket.com/albums/zz21/esb1250/granary_zps3452be03.png

http://nakedphilly.com/logan-square/the-granary-is-progressing-and-will-include-pizza-from-vetri/



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West Market St. Thriving With New Projects (http://nakedphilly.com/university-city/new-chop-primary-care-facility-opens-on-market-street-in-west-philly/)

http://nakedphilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Rendering-of-new-residential-building-at-3601-Market-Street-on-the-Science-Center-campus.jpg
3601 market St.

Good News At South & Broad (http://ilovebricks.blogspot.com/2013/02/southstar-lofts.html)

After years of squabbling, Southstar Lofts ready to swing into action.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pIobOQ_WMY8/URWmuElLYGI/AAAAAAAAFWc/1McpjwPGT7A/s1600/home1.jpg

The site: These gardens are ready!

http://philly.curbed.com/uploads/curbed01.jpg
http://philly.curbed.com/archives/2013/02/14/diggin-in-the-garden.php

Market8 does some serious...marketing: (http://philly.curbed.com/archives/2013/02/13/the-plan-for-market8.php)

ouPpy549Bfw


http://i810.photobucket.com/albums/zz21/esb1250/market8_zps0649d8eb.png
Artist's drawing of Market8 philly.com

Yesterday was the big day for developer and President of The Goldenberg Group Ken Goldenberg, who presented the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board with a video detailing the overall plan for the redevelopment of 8th & Market. As it currently sits, the undeveloped surface lot at 8th & Market is the definition of a missed opportunity, with passersby recalling the site's many failed proposals. Most memorable is the failed DisneyQuest amusement park plan from 1998, which would seem incredibly out of place in that location today.

http://philly.curbed.com/uploads/Screen%20Shot%202013-02-13%20at%209.28.45%20AM.jpg

It appears that the new partnership is much more enthusiastic, as Market8 partner David Adelman (who played a major role in the redevelopment of University City), labeled the project as an entertainment center "that happens to have a casino." Certainly a much more lucrative plan for the city than surface parking.

[...]

The Granary Sends Luxury Apartments Aloft: (http://philly.curbed.com/archives/2013/02/14/the-granary-comes-again.php)

http://philly.curbed.com/uploads/granary02.jpg
curbed http://philly.curbed.com/archives/2013/02/14/the-granary-comes-again.php

Pumping Station Into New Philly Fringe Festival Home (http://planphilly.com/articles/2013/02/12/transformation-from-pumping-station-to-philly-fringe-home-begins)

http://planphilly.com/uploads/media_items/wrt-rendering-of-the-philly-fringe-hq.0.143.1700.813.752.360.c.jpg
http://planphilly.com/articles/2013/02/12/transformation-from-pumping-station-to-philly-fringe-home-begins


The transformation of a 1903 riverfront pumping station into the future home of Philadelphia Live Arts Festival and Philly Fringe has begun.

The organization best-known for its annual festival began tearing out old pumps and shoring up the brick structure at the corner of Race Street and Columbus Boulevard after hitting a fundraising milestone: 90 percent of the $5.2 million it will take to complete the first phase of construction. Efforts to raise an additional $1.5 million or so are under way, said President and Producing Director Nick Stuccio.

The goal is to have the new 240-seat theater, studio and offices ready for this fall's Fringe Festival (Sept. 6-21). An indoor restaurant and bar, outdoor plaza space and further building restoration will be completed by late spring 2014, he said. This week's big project in the 1,500-foot space: Spraying the ceiling with six inches of material designed to both improve acoustics and provide insulation.

The festival, which brings international, contemporary performance art to a huge number of sometimes unusual places around the city each year, won't change its focus, Stuccio said.

But having a permanent home-base will allow Philadelphia Live Arts and Philly Fringe to become more of a year-round presence in Philadelphia, with regular performances in its new theater, he said. Competition for a slot on the festival roster is fierce he said. More time means more opportunities, especially for local productions and acts, he said. Stuccio sees the possibility of mixed visual and performance arts installations on the waterfront, along the pedestrian and bicycle trail, and even in some of the existing strip-malls.

“A world of possibility opens up,” he said.

Broad Street Armory To Make Way For Apartments (http://philly.curbed.com/archives/2013/02/21/broad-street-armory-is-dunzo-50-apartments-to-replace-it.php)

http://philly.curbed.com/uploads/new-armory-building.jpeg


Developers are saying the Broad Street Armory is in terrible shape and cannot be saved. After going as far to draft up a design with the structure included, they've now decided to scrap it for an all new building with 50 apartments and a surface parking lot. It would seem the Neighbors Association took to the demo kindly, at least according to the member that wrote.

"All in all there was no real opposition. And in the 25 or so years I've been doing this, I have never seen a meeting with this many people (about 60) and this large a project go this smoothly."

.

Philadelphia University College of Design, Engineering and Commerce

http://philly.curbed.com/uploads/PU1.jpeg
Curbed

http://hiddencityphila.org/2013/02/at-philly-u-a-new-building-becomes-a-fulcrum-for-academic-innovation/

Cira South Complex Slowly Taking Shape
(http://philly.curbed.com/archives/2013/03/08/cira-south-complex-slowly-taking-shape.php)

http://philly.curbed.com/uploads/CiraCentreSouth.jpeg


The Cira Centre is undoubtedly the tallest building west of the Schuylkill, and the ever-growing University City district is working towards the completion of the first of two potential sister towers, named The Grove at Cira Centre South. Ground was recently broken on The Grove, which will stand 33 stories tall at Chestnut Street between the Schuylkill Expressway and 30th Street. Plans exist for a second larger tower bordering Walnut Street but nothing is set in stone just yet considering the scale of the project.

Funded by Harrison Real Estate Capital (which will own 40%), Brandywine Realty Trust, and Campus Crest Communities Inc. (each of which will own 30%), The Grove will exist solely as residential space and will aim to attract a younger crowd of graduate students and working professionals.

If all goes to plan, we're looking at a tentative completion date of Fall 2014. The tower's design isn't anything terribly interesting, but it's exciting nonetheless to see the Philadelphia skyline continue its slow westward expansion.

Condos Are Out: Hotel to Open Within Two Liberty Place (http://philly.curbed.com/archives/2013/03/07/hotel-to-open-within-two-liberty-place.php)

http://penthouses.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/philly-picture%201.png

Here's The New Glass Building Coming to 15th & Walnut (http://philly.curbed.com/archives/2013/03/08/renderings-alert-a-fresh-new-look-is-coming-to-15th-walnut.php)

http://philly.curbed.com/uploads/cheesecake-factory-philadelphia-600.jpg


The intersection of 15th & Walnut is about to undergo a drastic facelift. In an area rich with masonry, the southeast corner will soon be home to a new three-story glass building with a Cheesecake Factory as the anchor tenant on the second floor. Glass buildings have grown in popularity of late, but there will be some major differences between this new building and, say, the famous Apple store in midtown Manhattan.

Some highlights. >>
Here are a few highlights from today's article from Philadelphia Inquirer Architecture Critic Inga Saffron (who is giving the project her high praises):

• The glass building will be anchored by 20th century masonry heavyweights
• Steel beams will be visible through the glass exterior
• Ground floor is ideal for 1-2 retail/commercial spaces
• Third floor can be subdivided

[...]

The Goldtex at 12th & Vine

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8366/8509536199_87d762e86e_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philadelphiaphotos/8509536199/)
Under Construction, The Goldtex, 12th &amp; Vine, Loft District, Philadelphia (http://www.flickr.com/photos/philadelphiaphotos/8509536199/) by PhiladelphiaPhotos (http://www.flickr.com/people/philadelphiaphotos/), on Flickr

Family Court Building gaining steam:

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http://buildingphilly.com/family-court-building-1501-arch-street-2/

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http://buildingphilly.com/family-court-building-1501-arch-street-2/

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http://buildingphilly.com/family-court-building-1501-arch-street-2/

James Price (http://buildingphilly.com/illedelph/)

.

2116 Chestnut Nearing Completion: (http://buildingphilly.com/2116-chestnut-update_march-1st/)

http://buildingphilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/20130301-084223.jpg
http://buildingphilly.com/2116-chestnut-update_march-1st/

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http://buildingphilly.com/2116-chestnut-update_march-1st/

http://buildingphilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/20130301-084257.jpg
http://buildingphilly.com/2116-chestnut-update_march-1st/

Goldtex Building looking good

http://hiddencityphila.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/goldtex_widefront.jpg
http://hiddencityphila.org/2013/03/goldtex-after-the-war/

New 24 Story Drexel Student Housing; Lancaster Square (http://phillyshark.blogspot.com/2013/03/new-24-story-drexel-student-housing.html)

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m9_z0YE3Ox8/UUyf4MqjXlI/AAAAAAAAJRk/gDdVapOuAWs/s1600/Picture+18.png


Drexel University continues to expand developing the northern fringes of University City into a world class "live- work- lean" community. The university plans to enroll 9000 new students, some of which will be online and through satellite campuses in the suburbs, but many of those students will be in need of housing on Drexel's main campus. Drexel is planning a 24-story residential mixed use tower at 34th and Lancaster in Powelton Village. The project would offer roughly 1,300 beds in about 350 suites for students. It would include modern amenities such as private bathrooms, and have first-floor retail space catering to community residents.

The project, known all Lancaster Square, designed by Solomon Cordwell Buenz Architects out of Chicago, will be developed by American Campus Communities, which also built Chestnut Square.


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[/URL]

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All: [url]http://buildingphilly.com/upenn-med-construction-march-24th/ (http://buildingphilly.com/upenn-med-construction-march-24th/)

South Star Lofts Going Great Guns (http://buildingphilly.com/south-star-lofts-march-26th/)

http://buildingphilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/20130326-085821.jpg

http://buildingphilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/20130326-085836.jpg

All: http://buildingphilly.com/south-star-lofts-march-26th/

http://cdn.cstatic.net/images/gridfs/5089452585216d6875001b8d/the-provence-front.jpg

Is the highrise to the right a new build?

It's taken from this post (in case you had forgotten about it): http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=96720838&postcount=75

^ no it is the Inquirer / Elverson building the former headquarter of the Inquirer.



http://img801.imageshack.us/img801/5633/dscn4396f.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/801/dscn4396f.jpg/)

Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us) own picture

Wistar Institute Update (http://phillyshark.blogspot.com/2013/03/wistar-institute-research-building.html)

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gXi08s9jP64/UUkz6fv-c0I/AAAAAAAAJLE/ADNqekTx9YQ/s1600/Picture+29.png


The Wistar Institute at 36th and Spruce Streets is well underway with construction crews at work daily. The new seven story glass and steel research tower is slated to open in 2014, providing a new home for the Institute's cancer center and will sit adjacent to the Institute's 117-year-old brick building.


http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xgwZKFM_Yj0/UUk0nBX4FLI/AAAAAAAAJLk/hglkjgmOL0o/s1600/IMG-20130304-01045.jpg

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ri0Ni6Bgz_k/UUk0ODrSIeI/AAAAAAAAJLU/ZFSFjW7WtZw/s1600/IMG-20130304-01044.jpg[/img

[img]http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-h4K0o1KoRZA/UUk0OnDppzI/AAAAAAAAJLY/V_6WS_oUvhs/s1600/IMG-20130304-01043.jpg

Demolition Coming to Free Up Green Space @ Singh Center -UPenn (http://buildingphilly.com/demolition-coming-to-free-up-green-space-singh-center-upenn/)

http://buildingphilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/20130404-170809.jpg

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Science Center at 3800 Market Street – Concept (http://buildingphilly.com/3800-market-street-concept/)

http://buildingphilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/20130404-003846.jpg

The Granary April 3:

http://buildingphilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/20130403-113542.jpg
http://buildingphilly.com/granary-april-3rd/

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http://buildingphilly.com/granary-april-3rd/

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http://buildingphilly.com/granary-april-3rd/

2116 Chestnut (T/O) from Delancey St

http://buildingphilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/20130402-152939.jpg
http://buildingphilly.com/2116-chestnut-from-delancey-st/

Family Court Building -April 2nd

http://buildingphilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/20130402-102348.jpg
http://buildingphilly.com/family-court-building-april-2nd/

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http://buildingphilly.com/family-court-building-april-2nd/

205 Race May See The Light of Day (http://phillyshark.blogspot.com/2013/04/205-race-may-see-light-of-day.html)

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1Du52BYBYRY/UV8EkPSiBQI/AAAAAAAAJVM/xrnNGQwIwZs/s1600/Picture+15.png


Brown Hill Development inches closer to constructing the 197' condo towers at 205 Race Street. First District Councilman Mark Squilla introduced a bill in the City Council Thursday that would amend the Center City Zoning overlay to allow larger construction projects in the area surrounding the Benjamin Franklin Bridge. The bill adds a "Bridge Approach" area to the Old City subsection of the Center City Overlay. The new area is bounded by Race Street, 4th Street, and Interstate 95.

Approval of the bill is expected to subsequently support development that will draw activity to the area surrounding the Race Street Connector to encourage its use so that residents and visitors may re-connect to the waterfront.

High-rise to replace two 38th and Chestnut brownstones (http://www.thedp.com/article/2013/03/high-rise-development-to-replace-two-38th-and-chestnut-brownstones)

http://media.dpn.s3.amazonaws.com/28264_cathedral3660x359_copyf.jpg


A 25-story high-rise development will soon replace two historic brownstones at the corner of 38th and Chestnut streets.

The tower will include apartments, church offices and retail space. The Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral — located at 3723 Chestnut St. — hired Radnor Property Group to construct the new building and hopes to have it completed by the fall of 2015.

In their application for demolition to the Philadelphia Historical Commission, the cathedral contended that it does not currently produce sufficient income to support the preservation of the cathedral and its community programs and that they believe the new structure would provide essential facilities and funding.

The church hopes that this new building will bring in a steady stream of revenue that will enable the maintenance and preservation of the cathedral and its community programs and services.

The process began in April 2012 when the Philadelphia Cathedral sent a request to the Philadelphia Historical Commission for permission to tear down two historic townhouses owned by the church. The townhouses are located on the lots of 3723 and 3725 Chestnut St. and are known together as the parish house of the Episcopal Cathedral.

The two townhouses “are attractive and significant buildings designed by an important local architect, Charles M. Burns,” Aaron Wunsch, assistant professor of Landscape Architecture and Historic Preservation, said. The buildings were designated as historical landmarks in 1981.

“Their loss and the change in scale that will result from the new tower will significantly alter the feel and appearance of the area,” Wunsch added.

When the Philadelphia Historical Commission granted permission to the church to demolish these townhouses, not all community members were satisfied with the decision.

“We challenged the application [of the church] and appealed the decision of the Historical Commission,” Marian Kornilowicz, chair of the board of the Preservation Alliance of Greater Philadelphia, said.


http://nakedphilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/church2.jpg
http://nakedphilly.com/university-city/high-rise-will-replace-historic-brownstones-in-west-philly/

205 Race In Zoning Controversy Over...Blocked Views Of A Billboard!! (http://philly.curbed.com/archives/2013/04/10/205-race-project-blocking-the-view-at-the-center-of-zoning-controversy.php)

http://philly.curbed.com/uploads/205%20race%20rendered.jpg


A hypothetical highrise at 205 Race is the impetus for the proposal of a new "Bridge Approach Area" in the zoning code. Though the project is opposed by the Old City Civic Association, essentially because it is too big. The project is technically illegal, according to current Old City zoning code, but could have easily gotten through variance hearings. Could have, if it weren't for one very prominent billboard.

The billboard in question, owned by Keystone Outdoor Advertising, is currently visible from the Ben Franklin Bridge for about eight seconds. If 205 Race were to go up, it might cut down on the billboard's viewing time; in order to protect their real estate in the air, Keystone threatened lawsuits. Because the project would technically be illegal, Keystone had the upper hand.

205 Race In Zoning Controversy Over...Blocked Views Of A Billboard!! (http://philly.curbed.com/archives/2013/04/10/205-race-project-blocking-the-view-at-the-center-of-zoning-controversy.php)

http://philly.curbed.com/uploads/205%20race%20rendered.jpg

I don't know what it is but lately to me it seems the buildings planned or under construction around the U.S. now seem overtly reminiscent of the 1960s.

So Brasilia was a successful experiment architecture?

I don't know what it is but lately to me it seems the buildings planned or under construction around the U.S. now seem overtly reminiscent of the 1960s.

So Brasilia was a successful experiment architecture?

The trend began with Wallpaper Magazine in the 1990s. Their celebration of all things mid-century modern caught on fast, not least because developers can build these styles more cheaply.

205 Race May See The Light of Day (http://phillyshark.blogspot.com/2013/04/205-race-may-see-light-of-day.html)

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1Du52BYBYRY/UV8EkPSiBQI/AAAAAAAAJVM/xrnNGQwIwZs/s1600/Picture+15.png
205 Race and that billboard.


Brown Hill Development inches closer to constructing the 197' condo towers at 205 Race Street. First District Councilman Mark Squilla introduced a bill in the City Council Thursday that would amend the Center City Zoning overlay to allow larger construction projects in the area surrounding the Benjamin Franklin Bridge. The bill adds a "Bridge Approach" area to the Old City subsection of the Center City Overlay. The new area is bounded by Race Street, 4th Street, and Interstate 95.

Approval of the bill is expected to subsequently support development that will draw activity to the area surrounding the Race Street Connector to encourage its use so that residents and visitors may re-connect to the waterfront.

Developers at 205 Race say their project is intended to mirror the scale not of the other buildings in the neighborhood, but of the Ben Franklin Bridge.

1900 Arch Gets Deep: (http://buildingphilly.com/1900-arch-street-april-13th/)

http://buildingphilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/20130413-194857.jpg

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http://www.varenhorst.com/images/projects/ARC/ARC001.jpg
http://www.varenhorst.com/

CHOP Ambulatory Care Center – April 9th (http://buildingphilly.com/chop-ambulatory-care-center-april-9th/)

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All: http://buildingphilly.com/

The Sansom: Nearly Done (http://buildingphilly.com/the-sansom-april-9th/)

http://buildingphilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/20130410-182810.jpg

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The Drexel skyline, April 13

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8126/8651243250_6a0e1268c3_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/phillytrax/8651243250/)
Higher Education (http://www.flickr.com/photos/phillytrax/8651243250/) by phillytrax (http://www.flickr.com/people/phillytrax/), on Flickr

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8117/8644288526_462316a747_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/phillytrax/8644288526/)
34th Street (http://www.flickr.com/photos/phillytrax/8644288526/) by phillytrax (http://www.flickr.com/people/phillytrax/), on Flickr

Family Courts April 7:

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8519/8630740042_bb2600efe9_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/phillytrax/8630740042/)
Coming Up For Air (http://www.flickr.com/photos/phillytrax/8630740042/) by phillytrax (http://www.flickr.com/people/phillytrax/), on Flickr


Beyond the cranes at the medical campus, 2116 Chestnut (center left) nestles into the skyline:

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8113/8635058961_64a3584678_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/phillytrax/8635058961/)
Skyline Shot #723992-R (http://www.flickr.com/photos/phillytrax/8635058961/) by phillytrax (http://www.flickr.com/people/phillytrax/), on Flickr

Renovations Underway at Squatters' Infamous 'Paradise City' (http://philly.curbed.com/archives/2013/04/19/squatters-infamous-paradise-city-renovations-underway.php)

http://philly.curbed.com/uploads/croydon%20building.jpg


The Croydon Building, which sits on 49th Street between Locust and Spruce has been vacant since the 1990's. However, in December of 2011 the Orens Brothers bought the building and announced plans to restore it, and as you can see from the pictures, construction is now underway.

The building, known as "Paradise City" by squatters was the site of a 2007 murder, and had attracted community concern for many years. The restored building will be a 127 unit apartment complex with multiple different layouts. The developers claim that it will also incorporate community gardens.


http://philly.curbed.com/uploads/croydon%20rendering.jpg

Drexel's LeBow School Of Business Finishes Up: ("http://buildingphilly.com/drexel-lebow-school-of-business/')

http://buildingphilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/20130419-093528.jpg
http://buildingphilly.com/drexel-lebow-school-of-business/

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http://buildingphilly.com/drexel-lebow-school-of-business/

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http://buildingphilly.com/drexel-lebow-school-of-business/

Edgewater Proposes Second Phase Tower (http://phillyshark.blogspot.com/2013/04/edgewater-proposes-second-phase-tower.html)

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-i0495Xc-bkI/UXLb__uQvoI/AAAAAAAAJXk/894FEHo6xCo/s1600/Picture+3.png


The not too impressive Edgewater development along the Schuylkill banks, although appropriate in context and function, is proposing a much nicer but still ordinary addition to the Edgewater complex. Realen Properties is proposing to construct the second phase of Edgewater, a multifamily complex at 23rd and Race streets. The addition calls for a 22-story building on an existing surface parking lot at the ramp off 23rd Street.

The first phase completed in 2006 costing $70 million consisted of a 13-story apartment complex with 290 apartments that overlooks the Schuylkill River part of the project, which included 20 three-story townhouses, also rentals.

Navy Yard Reaches 10,000th Job Milestone (http://phillyshark.blogspot.com/2013/04/will-navy-yard-stand-on-its-own-as.html)

http://a57.foxnews.com/global.fncstatic.com/static/managed/assets/660/371/NavyYardPhilly.JPG?ve=1


The Navy Yard has now reached its 10,000 jobs mark with more people working there than ever before, and appears to be on track to influence more companies to relocate to the neighborhood. Part of its success is due to a buoyant technology business community, with some of that growth occurring at the expense of Center City. Now many are asking if the Navy Yard can stand on its own. Many have faith, but the biggest commitment will need to come in the form of infrastructure, in order to really see its full potential.


http://planphilly.com/uploads/media_items/navy-yard-master-plan-2013-update.0.116.1392.666.752.360.c.png
http://planphilly.com/articles/2013/02/01/navy-yard-unveils-updated-master-plan-celebrates-10k-jobs-milestone

http://www.navyyard.org/userfiles/image/ny2013mp_thumb.JPG
http://www.navyyard.org/resources-and-links

19th and Arch 4/20

http://buildingphilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/20130420-164827.jpg
http://buildingphilly.com/19th-and-arch-april-20th/

Morgan hall Wraps Up At Temple U. (http://phillyshark.blogspot.com/2013/04/morgan-hall-temple-university.html)

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Morgan Hall Raises The Philly Skyline

The $174 million, 736,000 square foot apartment complex features a beautifully understated (except for its hight) contemporary 27 story tower joined by a ten story dorm on the south end designed by MGA Partners. The two dorms will contain at least 1,200 beds in 4-person suites and 20 singles. There will also be dining facilities and new retail dining space in a separate building on North Broad Street and a courtyard in the middle of the complex. The project is set to open July 2013.



http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kQBrPeMWSUI/UXnvNj6EyaI/AAAAAAAAJco/iYYS1zaErSM/s1200/IMG-20130304-01083.jpg

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Temple University
Wanamaker Plaza North Tower Update (http://phillyshark.blogspot.com/2013/04/wanamaker-plaza-north-tower-update.html)

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Work on the 14 story student housing tower at Temple University is underway.

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Family Court Building Tops Out:

http://buildingphilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/20130422-092059.jpg
http://buildingphilly.com/family-court-building-appears-to-be-topped-out/

Philaphillia Post Of The Month: (http://philaphilia.blogspot.com/2013/04/empty-lot-of-week-april-16th.html)

Empty Lot of the Week-- April 16th

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Spring Garden Violation Shit Lot: 1200-1212 Spring Garden Street

This corner looks like shit. This isn't even the only empty lot at this location! How the fuck did it get to this point? With all the improvements happening nearly every few blocks in Philadelphia, how did this lot get so neglected? Fuck this lot and everything it stands for. An abandoned property whose tax delinquent owner is making a shitload of money on its FOUR billboards. That's right, FOUR. Oh, and fuck Clear Channel for leasing the billboard space from this slumlord. This all gets exacerbated by the fact that this neighborhood was once one of the best in the city!

---


:)

Drexel: The NYU of Philadelphia? (http://philly.curbed.com/archives/2013/04/30/drexels-campus-plans-redevelopment-or-penntrification.php)

http://philly.curbed.com/uploads/market%20street%20redeveloped.jpg
Rendering of Market & 32nd St. future from Drexel


Today, Drexel acquired a large parcel of land at 32nd and Market, which they plan to use for unspecified development. West of 30th Street, Market street is full of parking lots, empty space, and broad sidewalks: Drexel's plans to add plantings and retail space seem like an uncontroversial, positive move for the neighborhood. However, Drexel University has big plans for turning its neighborhood into a campus: will they meet the same resistance that UPenn has met in its efforts to turn West Philly into University City?

http://philly.curbed.com/uploads/thru%202017.jpg
[Map of Drexel's development plans through 2017, from Drexel University]

Over the next four years, Drexel's plan for Market street looks like it'll have a small impact: they want to put retail space into buildings they already own, put in a few planters and benches at Market and 33rd, and move their career center, and redevelop assets they already own. However, their Campus Map for plans beyond 2017 shows a radically different vision for the area they're calling their campus, and their plans for development stretch far beyond Market Street.

http://philly.curbed.com/uploads/after%202017.jpg
[Plans for 2017 and beyond, from Drexel University]

Worth noting is the rhetoric Drexel is using: they're calling their development plan a "campus master plan," and frame development of the area bounded by 30th st. to the east, Walnut to the south, 40th st. to the west and Spring Garden to the north as "campus development." It's true that the area is their campus, but it also includes residential neighborhoods, like Mantua and Powelton Village that don't have strong ties to the University. As Drexel's development efforts move away from Market street, will they meet more resistance?

[...]

DRWC Releases Designs for Pier 53 Park (http://philly.curbed.com/archives/2013/04/29/dwrc-releases-plans-for-pier-53-park.php)

http://philly.curbed.com/uploads/title%20pic.png


Plans for the Washington Avenue Green's extension onto the old Pier 53 were released on Saturday. The plans reflect the park's history and future, and its ambitious goals. The park will incorporate plantings (of native plant species) that will improve the health of the river. and therefore, the entire surrounding habitat. The team for the project includes ecologists and biologists as well as architects and park planners, and has an ambitious vision for innovative environmental stewardship without erasing the pier's history as an important urban site.

Pier 53 served as an immigration station for Philadelphia between the years of 1873 and 1915. The station was torn down in 1915, but rubble from the original building remains: bricks, concrete and found elements are incorporated throughout the park's design. An art installation at the end of the pier, called the land bouy, will track currents and shine throughout the night, with a phosphorescent glass cylinder, which is charged by the sun. The artist, Jody Pinto, found that her own family had passed through Pier 53, and was inspired to create a beacon of welcome to commemorate the history of the immigration station.

[img]


http://cdn.cstatic.net/images/gridfs/517e9caef92ea14d9c023fdd/site%20plan.png

http://cdn.cstatic.net/images/gridfs/517e9cb3f92ea14d9c023fe7/20130426%20Land%20Buoy.JPG

http://cdn.cstatic.net/images/gridfs/517e9cb6f92ea14d9c023ff1/20130426%20Columbus%20Blvd%20Entry.JPG

That pier park looks awesome! Will the sail element on the observation tower/ spiral stair tower spin like a wind turbine or just act like a weather vane?

That pier park looks awesome! Will the sail element on the observation tower/ spiral stair tower spin like a wind turbine or just act like a weather vane?

I think it's more of a kinetic art peice than anything else. :dunno:

Wanamaker Tower Rising Fast: (http://blog.philadelphiarealestate.com/construction-update-wanamaker-tower-going-up-fast/)

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.

Visions of Grove at Cira South ("http://philly.curbed.com/archives/2013/05/06/do-grad-students-swim-renderings-for-grove-at-cira-south-released.php')

http://cdn.cstatic.net/images/gridfs/5188026ef92ea12a7e001863/5.jpg


The latest renderings of the planned Grove at Cira South tower show a luxury vision of student life: a rooftop pool, (will grad students emerge from their officecaves to use a pool? In the sunlight?), a concierge level with coffee service, and a 24 hour fitness center. The architects say that they've planned the building to be a social, inviting space. Hidden City called the renderings "elegant" and "complex", and the renderings, complete with semi-opaque rendering people, do give a sleek, glassy glimpse of things to come.




The oft-criticized 11 story parking garage next door will also get updated, perhaps to stem some of the controversy. The plans call for a public green roof, in order to create some open, public green space in the area.

The tower will also incorporate ground-level retail, which will help it become a vibrant part of the neighborhood. The retail space is also designed to give the tower a social feel, like many other features that have been incorporated into the tower. There are public lounges, concierge areas, a media lab, and a library. Though most of the apartments will be one bedrooms, the tower might well become a social space for students.


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Blatstein Mulling New Tower Along Schuylkill (http://hiddencityphila.org/2013/05/blatstein-to-transform-design-center/)

http://philly.curbed.com/uploads/mrktplace%20design%20center.jpg


The Marketplace Design Center, Philadelphia’s premier destination for interior design, may soon have itself a major makeover. Sources tell Hidden City that Bart Blatstein’s Tower Investments, Inc. is in the process of purchasing the enormous complex at 2400 Market Street.

The six-story building extends from Market to Chestnut, and from the below-grade 24th Street to the CSX railroad tracks, where Robert Wyland’s iconic East Coast Humpbacks mural faces the Schuylkill River Park’s scissor ramps.

The Design Center, which has been in the building since 1975, would remain, but additional retail and residential components would be added. One potential development, sources tell us, would be the construction of a new multi-story tower on top of the existing building, set back and in the center, creating a 360º terrace.

Such a mixed-use project would create a significant benchmark on the Center City side of the evolving amalgamation with University City, one which has seen The Porch at 30th Street Station, Penn’s and Drexel’s continued eastward expansion, and The Grove at Cira Centre South, already under construction, on the other side of the Schuylkill River.

Attempts to reach Blatstein for comment were unsuccessful. A representative at the Design Center would neither confirm nor deny Blatstein’s interest, but did say that the building is officially still for sale.

Cira South The Grove May 7th (http://buildingphilly.com/cira-south-the-grove-may-7th/)

http://buildingphilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/20130507-131250.jpg

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http://buildingphilly.com/

May 7: 2116 Chestnut Finishing up

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http://buildingphilly.com/2116-chestnut-may-7th/

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http://buildingphilly.com/2116-chestnut-may-7th/

SugarHouse Casino to Double in Size (http://philly.curbed.com/archives/2013/05/07/sugarhouse-to-double-in-size-accommodate-nj-gamblers.php)

http://philly.curbed.com/uploads/sugar%20house%20expansion%20rendering%20pre%20revision.jpg
http://planphilly.com/articles/2011/11/16/sugarhouse-gets-planning-commission-support-revised-expansion-plan-related-ordinances


Today, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board heard testimony on the SugarHouse's new proposed second phase, originally sold to the city as a luxurious casino-resort-ballroom-venue megacomplex. The new plan calls for a 100% embiggening of the current big box. According to the Inquirer, Philly politicians sung the praises of our waterfront slot depot because they fund the Mummers, and the New Year's Eve Fireworks.

Perhaps not-so-coincidentally, this year was the first that the Pennsylvania casinos were able to beat out Atlantic City in the competition for gross gaming revenue. But competition for Pennsylvania casinos, (including the lucky winner of the second casino license,) will be steep: New York, DC, and Maryland are investigating the possibility of building their own new casinos.

http://cdn.cstatic.net/images/gridfs/51880270f92ea12a7e00186d/4.jpg

amazing!

South Philly To Gaming Board: "Get This Sh*t The F*ck Outta Here!" (http://philly.curbed.com/archives/2013/05/09/south-philly-begs-gaming-board-to-look-elsewhere-for-second-casino.php)

http://media.dpn.s3.amazonaws.com/27789_casinof.jpg
http://www.thedp.com/article/2013/02/philadelphia-casino-proposals-presented-to-gaming-control-board


At yesterday's Casino hearings, two South Philly community organizations pleaded with the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board to consider their plight, and not grant a license to any of the three casinos (Casino Revolution, Live! Hotel & Casino, and Hollywood Casino,) proposed to go up in South Philly.

Both organizations explained that, between the stadium and the concert venues, they were already contending with two stadiums, an arena, and an entertainment complex, they were dealing with enough already. Though NIMBY arguments are usually easy to dismiss, it's hard not to sympathize with South Philly residents who already contend with "380 annual events, 8 million visitors and 5.5 million vehicle trips each year." The fact that the casinos would be open 24/7 would mean that South Philly residents never get a break from the stream of outside traffic.

[...]

University City

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7365/8726812337_d2fdf4ce83_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/phillytrax/8726812337/)
Big Block (http://www.flickr.com/photos/phillytrax/8726812337/) by phillytrax (http://www.flickr.com/people/phillytrax/), on Flickr

The Granary

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7285/8736403383_7dbb8e8782_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/phillytrax/8736403383/)
The Granary Apartments (http://www.flickr.com/photos/phillytrax/8736403383/) by phillytrax (http://www.flickr.com/people/phillytrax/), on Flickr

CHOP's Schuylkill Avenue Master Plan (http://philly.curbed.com/archives/2013/05/17/chops-lower-schuylkill-master-plan.php)

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For your viewing pleasure, here is a gallery of glossy renderings of a possible Children's Hospital of Philadelphia to be. Highlights include innovative stormwater management solutions and lots of new green space.


http://cdn.cstatic.net/images/gridfs/51969d50f92ea1459b03146b/3.png

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All: http://philly.curbed.com/archives/2013/05/17/chops-lower-schuylkill-master-plan.php

Family Court Framing Out Nicely (http://phillyshark.blogspot.com/2013/05/phl-family-court-update.html)

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http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4fCb1xzXmT8/UZ1VcM7lreI/AAAAAAAAJx8/ZjheC-1CMRE/s1100/20130512_083927.jpg

All: http://phillyshark.blogspot.com/2013/05/phl-family-court-update.html

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June 1: Glass fitting has begun

http://nakedphilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/IMG_5228.jpg
http://nakedphilly.com/logan-square/update-family-court-building-is-coming-along/

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http://nakedphilly.com/logan-square/update-family-court-building-is-coming-along/

Work Moves Quickly At The Grove At Cira Center South (http://buildingphilly.com/the-grove-may-29th/)

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Work On South Star lofts Ramps Up: (http://buildingphilly.com/south-star-june-3rd/)

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http://www.southstarlofts.com/

Dilworth Plaza revamp in full swing:

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http://buildingphilly.com/dilworth-plaza-june-3rd/

19th & Arch begins its ascent:

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http://buildingphilly.com/19th-and-arch-may-28th/

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http://buildingphilly.com/19th-and-arch-june-3rd/

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http://buildingphilly.com/19th-and-arch-june-3rd/

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http://philadelphiaheights.wordpress.com/2011/01/20/new-highrise-at-19th-arch/

Drexel’s largest residence hall will create a new gateway for Lancaster Avenue and Powelton Village ("http://philadelphiaheights.wordpress.com/2013/05/23/drexels-largest-dorm-will-create-a-new-gateway-for-lancaster-avenue-and-powelton-village/')

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Drexel University has been expanding in recent years and plans to expand further, hoping to add 10,000 new students in the next decade. The Drexel campus in University City has, also, been attracting students who used to mostly commute to the main campus. A large share of these students have been living in apartments in Powelton Village and, increasingly, adjacent neighborhoods, such as West Powelton and Mantua, further away from the main campus. This has caused many of Powelton’s historic Victorian-style homes to be renovated into cheap student apartments, as well as, 1920s-era apartment buildings to be dominated by students. Powelton Village now has a homeownership rate of just 12%, which has been a concern for the neighborhood’s residents. In order to attract more students onto the main campus, Drexel has been planning and building new dormitories and student apartment buildings on campus. They are about to complete Chestnut Square, at 32nd & Chestnut Streets, which I wrote about last year, and have built Caneris Hall on 32nd Street, Race Hall at 33rd and Race Streets, and the 17-storey, football-shaped Millenium Hall at 34th Street and Powelton Avenue. ... But, the University’s largest and most ambitious new residence hall will be on the southern corner of the intersection of 34th Street & Lancaster Avenue, on the site of the Hess Laboratory and a parking lot, next to the artistic community organization known as the Community Education Center.

The new residence hall will be known as Lancaster Square. It is being built by American Campus Communities, the same builders of Chestnut Square, in partnership with Drexel, and being designed by Solomon, Cordwell, Buenz. The tower will be 24 storeys and 278 feet tall and the entire project will have 528,500 square feet. It will consist of two distinct sections, a low-rise, five and eight-storey tall portion along Lancaster Avenue and the highrise portion, that will mostly be behind the low-rise section along Lancaster and will extend in a wedge-shaped tower to the corner of 34th & Lancaster. It will have 351 units for students, with the maximum capacity of 1,350 student beds. There will be 89 underground parking spaces and bike parking, as well as, a storm water cistern. Additional parking will be available in other lots and garages on campus. The first floor, along Lancaster Avenue, will have 19,000 square feet of retail space all along the sidewalk and will protrude out from the building, creating a terrace above the sidewalk.

[...]


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New highrise apartment tower, Edgewater II, will add to skyline (http://philadelphiaheights.wordpress.com/2013/05/15/new-highrise-apartment-tower-edgewater-ii-will-add-to-skyline-along-the-parkway-and-the-schuylkill-river-trail/)

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Another apartment tower is planned for Center City, this time on a site adjacent to the Vine Street Expressway and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. The tower will be part of the large Edgewater apartment and townhouse complex at 23rd and Race Streets. Edgewater was built on a former parking lot situated on the Schuylkill waterfront and adjacent to the Schuylkill River Park and trail (also known as Schuylkill Banks), circa 2005, by Realen Properties. That development consists of 270 apartments in a 14-storey building covered in gray concrete panels and large windows, with circular balconies, and 20 rental brick townhouses, across a driveway from the highrise building and on 23rd Street. A 675-car parking garage is imbetween the townhouses, partially hidden by them. A small planted garden is at the end of the driveway in the middle of the complex, and the complex has a courtyard and a “bark park”, along the western side, by the railroad tracks.

This new tower, designed by Design Collective, will be built on a parking lot north of the parking garage, at 230 N. 23rd Street, next to the eastbound off-ramp from the Vine Street Expressway where it intersects with 23rd and Summer Streets. Realen had always intended to build on this parking lot, but had waited until the time was right for more housing. It will be called Edgewater II and will be 22 storeys, and 263 feet, tall and have 240 rental units and a total square footage of 300,000 square feet. The outside will have prefabricated panels, mostly on the south side, to match the first highrise building, but will also have large glass windows, mostly on the north side, to match the glass towers of Center City when being viewed from the Parkway or the Expressway.

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New apartment tower and hotel to be built soon on the 1200 block of Walnut Street (http://philadelphiaheights.wordpress.com/2013/04/30/new-apartment-tower-and-hotel-to-be-built-soon-on-the-1200-block-of-walnut-street/)

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A new highrise apartment tower is about to be built in Center City, east of Broad Street, on Walnut Street in the busy Washington Square West neighborhood. This new tower will have a mix of rental apartments and a hotel. According to the renderings, the hotel brand may be the trendy mid-priced brand Element, although that brand is supposed to be in a new hotel project west of Broad Street that I will be writing about soon.

The new tower is being developed by U3 Ventures and designed by TEN Arquitectos. It is on the 1200 block of Walnut Street, at 1213 Walnut Street, on the site of a surface parking lot and the site of a recently demolished thrift store building, that had been vacant for a long time. It will be 26 storeys and 294 feet tall. The tower will be slender, with metallic sheathing, and will have two outcroppings from the tower covered in sleek, colored glass. The roof space will be utilized, with a pool on the roof of the base, a few storeys above the sidewalk. The ground level will have retail, likely a restaurant on Walnut Street and a smaller cafe on Sansom Street, and a driveway and walkway between Walnut and Sansom that will have separate entrances and lobbies to the hotel and the apartments. A neighboring business on Sansom Street, historic Fergie’s Pub, will remain on the site, next to the Sansom Street cafe. The ground floor will be covered with large glass-panel windows. There will be no parking in this building, since the surrounding neighborhood has ample available parking and it usually is not necessary to own a car in this area of the city.


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University City Science Center to build large and sleek apartment tower on Market Street in University City (http://philadelphiaheights.wordpress.com/2013/04/25/university-city-science-center-to-build-large-and-sleek-apartment-tower-on-market-street-in-university-city/)

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http://technical.ly/philly/2013/01/04/university-city-science-center-new-residential-development-3701-market/


The University City Science Center is the nation’s first urban research and office park, founded 50 years ago to attract and maintain high-tech industries that seek to capitalize technology that was developed at the city’s many universities, or based on those universities’ research and breakthroughs. It is situated along Market Street, in University City, between 34th and (eventually) 39th Streets, and has 2 million square feet of office and research space in 15, mostly mid-rise buildings, over 17 acres. Vacancy is extremely low and the Center attracts foreign companies and helps incubate new high-tech businesses. The Science Center is undergoing a huge expansion that will add approximately 1.5 million square feet of new office and research (lab) space, an increase of more than 50%...

The leadership of the Science Center has started to try to make Market Street livelier, in an urban way, by adding more retail and restaurants to new construction, but now they want to take that to a new level by building a large highrise apartment tower at 36th & Market Streets, on a current surface parking lot, that will start to create a true neighborhood for the Science Center and a community of high-tech workers in University City. The tower will be developed by Wexford Equities, a subsidiary of Wexford Science and Technology, a major landlord of office and research space in the Science Center, and Southern Land Company, and it will be designed by BLT Architects. The new apartment tower has received approval from the City Planning Commission, last week, and from the Zoning Board of Adjustment, just yesterday, April 24. The land will be owned by the Science Center and a final agreement with the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority will be finalized within the next month. Once that agreement is finalized, then the tower can start construction. Officials at the Science Center believe that they will start that construction in the autumn.

The new tower will be 27 storeys and 310 feet tall, making it the tallest building in the Science Center and the tallest on Market Street in University City. It will be at an angle, right on Market Street, but set back from 36th Street, perhaps to allow sunlight onto that block because the 18-storey tall 3535 Market Street building is across 36th Street. The apartment tower, officially at 3601 Market Street, will have 362 apartment units of different sizes, 15,000 square feet of retail space on Market and 36th Streets, 194 parking spaces, and 121 bicycle parking spaces. The entire building will have approximately 413,000 square feet of floor space. The entrance to the apartments will be on Market Street and the retail on the first level will stretch all the way to 36th Street (the developers hinted at the recent Planning Commission meeting that they may sign a large tenant for most of the space). The facade of the tower will have large-paneled windows, at the corner of 36th & Market, and staggered windows along the rest, with balconies. The parking garage will be three levels above ground and visible above the retail portion, but it will not stretch all the way to 36th Street, and it will have its entrance on Filbert Street on the northern side of the building. There will be a green roof over the one-storey retail portion and a sign saying “3601” (if the Art Commission approves it). The developers believe that building the parking garage underground is impossible, because soil testing revealed some toxins from the site’s once industrial past, and that building underground would expose these toxins when they must be properly sealed with concrete. The developers will plant new street trees on 36th Street, which currently has none at this corner.

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http://philadelphiaheights.wordpress.com/2013/04/25/university-city-science-center-to-build-large-and-sleek-apartment-tower-on-market-street-in-university-city/

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http://southernland.com/

New 25-storey highrise apartment building at 38th & Chestnut Streets in University City (http://philadelphiaheights.wordpress.com/2013/04/09/new-25-storey-highrise-apartment-building-at-38th-chestnut-streets-in-university-city/)

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A new highrise apartment tower is planned for the busy intersection of 38th and Chestnut Streets. This is the latest story on my blog about highrise apartment towers in the city. This apartment tower will replace two historic townhouses (at 3723 and 3725 Chestnut Street), a small apartment building that used to be a townhouse, and a small yard next to the Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral, on 38th Street, in University City. The developer is Radnor Property Group, which is purchasing the neighboring properties from the Episcopal Cathedral to build the apartment tower and in order to provide revenue to renovate the existing church building and fund the church’s community programs. It is being designed by BLT Architects, also known as Bower, Lewis, Thrower Architects.

The new tower will be 25 storeys tall and have 280 rental apartment units, and it will have retail at the street level, along both Chestnut and 38th Streets. It will have a linear, modernist look with abundant windows and balconies. There will be a church community center and school, attached to the original church structure, and a day care center in the basement. The church applied to have the historically designated townhouses, that were used as the church’s parish house, demolished last year, arguing that they did not have sufficient funds to afford the approximately $3 million renovation of their historically designated cathedral and needed to sell the townhouses and yard to obtain those funds. The City’s Historical Commission granted the demolition permits, saying that the demolition was in the ”public interest” according to preservation laws, but the Preservation Alliance of Greater Philadelphia objected to the demolition, arguing that the townhouses, designed by architect Charles M. Burns, were still too historically significant and that tearing down historically designated buildings to save other historically designated buildings would set a dangerous precedent. When the Preservation Alliance lost their appeal to the Historical Commission, they decided to work out an agreement in which the Episcopal Cathedral committed in writing to spending the funds from the sale of the next door properties to renovation of the existing cathedral and agreed to a timeline for the renovation and maintenance for 50 years, if the Preservation Alliance dropped their lawsuit in Common Pleas Court. The developers are planning to break ground in September and be ready for occupancy by 2015.

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New 1919 Market Tower Design Released (http://blog.philadelphiarealestate.com/brandywine-releases-1919-market-details/)

Since the 1980s, 1919 Market has been through many development iterations, from a 50 story twin to the BCBS Tower to this:

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In preparation for the Civic Design Review process required under the new city zoning code, Brandywine Realty Trust has released a rendering and more details about its planned mixed-use residential/commercial tower proposed for 1919 Market Street in Center City.

The 28-story tower will contain 278 rental apartments and 25,000 square feet of commercial/retail space. The tower rises from a four-story podium. The commercial space will be in the bottom two floors of the podium, with frontages on both Market and 20th streets, while the third and fourth floors will consist of bi-level apartments with interior stairwells.

To protect the privacy of the Kennedy House residents to its north, the tower occupies only the south half of the site and is set back 200 feet from the Kennedy House’s south facade. A rooftop pool will sit atop the north half of the podium, next to a fitness center and club room for residents.

The building will have garage parking for 219 cars.


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http://blog.philadelphiarealestate.com/brandywine-releases-1919-market-details/