PHILADELPHIA | Cira II | 725 FT | 48 FLOORS
 

Title: Cira II
Project: Office
Architect: Cesar Pelli of Pelli Clarke Pelli
Developer: Brandywine Realty Trust
Location: 3001 John F. Kennedy Blvd. Philadelphia, PA
Neighborhood: University City
District: West Philadelphia
Floors: 48 floors
Height: 725 feet

http://i.imgur.com/UL78sV7.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/KK61uc7.jpg

http://www.phillydistrict30.com/study-area-maps/

Is there news / movement on this project?

(moving this topic here)

Not to get too far ahead of ourselves, but Cira 3 would be great news simply for the fact that it gives us hope that another beautiful glass shard may be coming our way sometime in the future. The Cira buildings are a beautiful collection of towers and I'm happy that Cira 2 may not be the last one.

On the other hand, Brandywine owns many valuable parcels in CC but unlike their properties around 30th Street Station, those are not located in KOZ. They may direct their resources for office building to the Cira complex and residential towards CC. Who knows.

Thrilled to see Cira 2 happening!!!

A mix of residential and office (and probably hotels - due to proximity to the Station) between 30th Street and the current business on W. Market would be ideal for keeping the area alive after dark and on weekends. If you're going to have mostly offices anywhere, around the Station makes the most sense, as it already provides a lot of activity at all hours on its own. All that area needs to go along with office space is more restaurants and pubs to serve commuters and travelers at all hours (and they'd do a fine lunch, and maybe dinner, business from the office workers too). Every time I'm near the awful Penn Station in NYC, the only thing I envy is the hum of urban life around it at all times. 30th Street ceasing to be an isolated island will do amazing things for this town.

PS-Thanks to SummersM for showing me and others how to track down the "orphan" Philly threads via an advanced search. It's not convenient, but it's good not to miss the conversations on some important projects that aren't on the regional list.

Is GE still looking to move? What a perfect tower and location this would be for them. Also, just like Cira South with the right tenant I think this tower will get a height increase.

Little tidbit today in Hidden City's article on 2100 Market

http://hiddencityphila.org/2015/10/f...r-2100-market/

From a couple of days ago:

http://www.delawareonline.com/story/...offs/74618434/

If I had the choice, I rather see Cira 3 built before 2100 Market.

Hell yeah!!!:yes:

I'm really liking this development very much.

Listen, I still would like to see Market East rezoned to accept skyscrapers.
Oh sure, you can have your national historical parks, that's great. Lots to see and enjoy.
But let's get down to business here, lots of opportunities exist for commercial real estate.

Now, before we get into this any further, I acknowledge that some forumers would love to compare the 30th Street station with Penn Station, but let's be realistic here.
It's a different city with a common vision.
Cira II is going to expand the skyline.
What I would like to know are more details, such as public access, observation deck, dining, etc.

I'd rather see 2100 Market actually since it expands on rittenhouse with residential and commercial. After seeing 1919 market, 1800 arch, and all the lower density stuff being built in old city imo we need to jump on anything that expands rittenhouse directly.

would really like to see this and the riverwalk development come to fuition. then the Drexel innovation nabe extending

With 2000 Market can we get the 2200 lot on market developed. That should be the next super-tall

I think its safe to say Cira 3 isnt going to happen unless they can lure a huge tenant from out of the area. i think 2100 market is much more likely to go forward since its mixed use.

Just asking , thats all ...........
 

Hey summers , I sort of remember you stating there would be some info about the progress of this
tower on or near the 4th. of November ....... How's that working out ??

Secondly , you mentioned the possibility of a 400+/- high rise somewhere on East Market . Anything
new on that proposal ?? Wish it was for my favorite sore spot ( 8th.&Market ) but I doubt it .

Cira II Supertall rumors from a really cool guy that was easy to talk to.

hmm. That would be interesting. Philly's tallest tower in West Philly. It would look seriously out of place in Ucity, like Burj Khalifa, but hey if they can find a enough tenants, I'm all for it.

I am a little skeptical of this though.

In 20-40 years we will have a 2nd central business district, once the Rail yard capping is complete. Thats exciting and hard to comprehend right now. Driving up 76 will be like driving directly through the city core.

Hope someone caps the rail yard in front of FMC soon too.

Can Summers or someone in the know advise what they think the actual possibilities are of this one getting built?

It's a pretty good chance that it will eventually, it's just a matter of when. If the city and Brandywine could get their acts together and throw everything they have at Chemours and the soon to be merged Dow DuPont or one of their planned spinoffs, this tower could happen sooner rather than later.

http://www.bizjournals.com/philadelp...ger-split.html

Cira 2 does a very good job of enhancing the 30th St area!!! I'd like to see it be the tallest tower so far west of the Schuylkill!!! The parcel at 30th and Market, is perfect for a supertall, can anybody say 3000+ ft??? :skyhighmind: Imagine the tallest building in the world in the place where freedom began, right here in Philadelphia!!!

All we need is Multi Billionaire dollar Middle Eastern prince that has something to prove.

Nothing says "where freedom began" like a wealthy Arab prince.

:koko:

Delusion of Grandeur
:haha:

Shoot, why don't we just build a space elevator?

...to Mars, so that we can claim it for Philadelphia. Then Cap the whole planet and create an artificial atmosphere. Then urbanize the entire planet....since money is no object.

I already suggested that for this building (or at least attempted to start an unfounded rumor to that effect).

Ambitions are so low around here. I won't respect Philadelphia until they finally put a 10,000 footer in the Andromeda Galaxy.

http://www.delawareonline.com/story/...-lot/77987110/

Brandywine continues selling spree.

Brandywine sells 1.6-acre surface parking lot in Downtown Wilmington to JPMorgan Chase for $6.5M.

Is that good or bad?

Think it's just a continuation of Brandywine selling off assets in order to fund their super duper top secret skyscraper plans.

I agree, this parking lot sale is relative small potatoes considering they just made over $350 mil off the IRS building. I think it's clear they are selling off pieces in order to further new developments in Philadelphia.

On a side note, this is finally some good news for Wilmington. That parking lot has sat vacant for over a decade, but the whole time has had a big sign with a rendering of a fabulous mini-Cira Centre type tower for Wilmington (which of course never came to fruition). I always thought it was just another example of Wilmington's decline ...how that sign wasted away ...year after year....never to be built.

But - since Chase already has 2 buildings here, and is adding some 1800 jobs to the area, it looks like #3 will finally be built.

[IMG]https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3925/...1456ee6c_c.jpgIMG_0156

[IMG]https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3908/...34fa5526_c.jpgIMG_0157

They're looking to invest a ton of money into Philadelphia. They're likely selling off assets to prepare for new construction. Word is we'll here more about Cira II next year. :shrug:

So you mean next week? :rolleyes:

It could be as early as a few days if we're fortunate! :tup:

Agree. That's what I was getting at but didn't explicitly state it.

The only reason JPMorgan Chase has been buying up the buildings it leases from Brandywine is because new IRS tax laws make it more appealing for corporations to own, rather than lease buildings. I agree Chase wouldn't buy this surface lot unless it was planning to finally develop this Pelli-designed tower (or something else, I suppose) as part of its employment expansion. We can all look forward to more frequent Philly-Wilmington SEPTA express trains in conjunction with that expansion as well.

Brandywine has been wanting to exit the entire Delaware market for a few years now, but that is more a reflection of their larger strategy than it is a commentary on Wilmington. 2016 is shaping up to be a huge year for Wilmington. Lots of really big news on the way.

who else could be potential tenant for Cira 2? I think they really need to look outside the region. Most major CC employers have already made their decisions on relocation. Most of the old school suburban employers (I.e. vanguard and the like) aren't going to give up on sprawling office parks.

ACE Insurance. They are too big for their current building near 500 Walnut. If they moved wholly they could take up a whole Cira II.

interesting. i remember when they moved to their current location years back. Philly has snagged a few small and medium sized firms from the burbs in recent years. Hopefully we can get a big one soon. It shouldnt be that hard when you can offer space in a tower with generous state provided tax breaks.

That and transportation cannot get much better than a few steps off 30th street station and the subway. Such a prime location. :cheers:

Other one being 8th and Market. :shrug:

^also Berkshire Hathaway. They bought Fox & Roach Realtors and I don't know if that means the work force has downsized or expanded but it is certainly a transitional time for them where a new space could be beneficial. They could easily take on a majority interest in a Cira II sized project.

Surprisingly haven't heard anyone speculate that Brandywine Realty itself could be relocating to Cira II from Radnor. Gotta think this is entirely possible.

that would be nice since they seem to be betting on urban developments in general.

"Brandywine Tower at Cira Centre" does have a nice ring to it.

Indeed, although I'm sure they'd be happy to find a tenant instead of taking up space themselves.

They should move to the building anyway, to lead the charge out of the burbs and back into the city. If they want other companies to do that, and move specifically into their buildings, they should be willing to do it themselves.
Of course they wouldn't take the whole building themselves, they would lease much of it out and sell the naming rights.

There was some talk a year or so ago about Vanguard opening an office in town.

Just curious does "Cira" stand for something? is it the developers name? An acronym?

Agreed that they should lead by example (although it would make more sense in one of their "lesser" properties). I recently drove by their office in Plymouth Meeting and reflected upon the incongruity between their location and the "all in" approach that they're taking to the city.

No I don't believe it stands for anything. The developer is Brandywine Realty Trust, so it's not named after the developer. I think it's just a name they came up with. 'Cira II' would be the 4th tower in the 'Cira Complex.' The first tower 'Cira Centre' was completed in 2005. 'Cira Centre South' involves two towers: 'Evo,' which was completed in 2014 and 'FMC Tower' which is currently under construction.