PHILADELPHIA | 2400 Market | 305 FT | 20 FLOORS
 

Title: 2400 Market
Project: luxury apartments, office space, retail, green space/promenade
Architect: Varenhorst and Gensler
Developer: PMC Property Group
Location: 2400 Market St., Philadelphia, PA
Neighborhood: Penn Center
District: Center City Philadelphia
Floors: 20
Height: 305 feet

https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net...83&oe=57E1DD90

https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net...49&oe=57DB6FAE

https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net...8c&oe=57D2BD08

https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net...f4&oe=57E42D91

https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net...6e&oe=579DADF1

https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net...8a&oe=57DAA2C6

http://www.varenhorst.com/work/project/2400_market
http://planphilly.com/articles/2014/...become-reality
http://www.philly.com/philly/busines...community.html
http://www.centercityphila.org/docs/...CPDC121614.pdf

Thank you, summers! :tup:

I appreciate the horizontal diversity of the massing (i.e., not flat), but this would look much better if each of the three "wings" were of various heights or if maybe the middle "wing" had another 10 floors.

Agree with the need for varying heights - although I'd prefer they go a step further and just cut out the middle part (above any street-level retail) and stack that square footage on a north tower and a south tower (2 towers total of different heights and different but complementing designs.) The gap between the 2 towers could be a green/public/park space.

The wall-like massing of this proposal is very poor.

^ Touche! An even better idea that nets additional height while breaking up the building along the waterfront. I like it!

Nice first draft. Keep going with this.

Article from PhillyMag on the project.
http://www.phillymag.com/property/20...el-apartments/

I think this would actually be a cool spot for a street level entertainment spot maybe a movie theatre or something with a bar or two and outdoor elements or something like a D&B. Along those lines at least. You can tap into the waterfront, penn and Drexel and the growing CC residential. Then the residential on top. Never gonna happen though ha

Marketplace Design Center picks new home at East Market project

Most important part in bold below:

http://www.bizjournals.com/philadelp...rket-11th.html

This is really great on so many levels. It's great that the Marketplace Design Center is staying in center city. It's also great that the new office space in the Market East development is getting leased up. That bodes well for future office phases of that development. The fact that the 2400 Market still appears to be in the works is the icing on the cake.

From the links Summers provided:

http://i.imgur.com/4EawB1k.png
http://i.imgur.com/oAcLAXP.jpg

The sign for the Market Place Design Center is up with a completion of winter 2017.

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5712/...cc6d7561_b.jpg

totally forgot about this one. PMC is on the move.

Anyone have more details on this. Also what is the linkage of Market and Chestnut, will there be a new pedestrianway or road, alos anyone have a clue on the retail or types proposed

forgot about this one myself

I'm dying to see a rendering.

Shouldn't there be a proposal somewhere on philly.gov including the renderings?:uhh:

I'm sure that someone more knowledgable than me will be able to find something, but the massing study is all I've ever seen.

Doesn't the permit there have more detailed info? Can someone just take a more zoomed in picture of the permit itself at least so we have height etc.?

Pearl's Broad and Locust project sign has been up for a while without renderings or other supporting detail. Save for Summmers seeing it and cluing us in to the basics that would be a similar mystery. At least we know details are around the corner though.

im wondering why this didnt have to get a CDR hearing. I know there are certain thresholds in terms of size and number of units that trigger a review. I'm not sure why this doesnt qualify. It could be that they haven't submitted an application for the actual building permit yet.

Here's a permit from April for this project. They're going with Varenhorst again for the design just like they did for 2040 Market and 1900 Arch

Permit Number

568154

Application Type

ZONING/USE PERMIT

Permit Type

Z/U-ADDITION

Status

COMPLETED

Date Issued

December 29, 2014

Last Updated

April 10, 2015

Work Description

FOR THE CONDITIONAL APPROVAL OF THE LOT ADJUSTMENT TO CREATE ONE (1) LOT FROM TWO (2) EXISTING LOTS (2402-14 MARKET STREET AND 2330 MARKET STREET). SIZE AND LOCATION AS SHOWN ON PLANS/APPLICATION. FOR THE ERECTION OF AN ADDITION TO THE EXISTING SEMI-DETACHED STRUCTURE WITH ROOF DECKS AT THE 5TH, 7TH, 8TH, 9TH, 11TH, AND 19TH LEVELS. STRUCTURE TO UTILIZE PUBLIC ART, PUBLIC SPACE AND MIXED INCOME HOUSING FLOOR AREA BONUSES. ALL REQUIRED AGREEMENTS AND DOCUMENTATION TO BE SUBMITTED BEFORE FINAL PERMIT ISSUANCE. ENTIRE STRUCTURE TO BE CONSTRUCTED IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE REGULATION OF THE SPECIAL FLOOD HAZARD AREA (§14-704(4)(C)(.2)). SIZE AND LOCATION AS SHOWN ON PLANS/APPLICATION.

Contact Information
STEPHEN VARENHORST ARCHITECTS
STEPHEN VARENHORST
230 N 21ST ST
PHILADELPHIA, PA 19103
Contact Type
DESIGN PROFESSIONAL

EDIT: I posted the same info as above but I did find this permit issued October 8 and updated on October 30:

This definitely has to go through CDR. It's definitely over 100,000 square feet.

FWIW
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/574/2...2409c56e_c.jpg

Found this low quality picture in the CCD Developments 2014-2018 Report, page 25. This report was put together at the end of Q4-2014 so this may be outdated information, but thought I would share it anyway. Hopefully, new information will be released soon.

https://www.centercityphila.org/developments/index.php

Let's hope they spend the money on an awesome design and back it with high quality materials.


LUBERT-ADLER AND PMC PURCHASE MARKETPLACE DESIGN CENTER
4/11/14 | Philadelphia, PA
A partnership consisting of Lubert-Adler and PMC Property Group has paid $42 million to buy 2400 Market Street, otherwise known as the Marketplace Design Center, in Philadelphia. "It will be the most exciting project Lubert-Adler has worked on in 15 years,"

Quote:

said Dean Adler of Lubert-Adler. "I think it's going to be our crowning project."

"This is really the gateway to Philadelphia," he continued, citing the property's position across from University City, 30th Street Station, near Rittenhouse Square, the Central Business District as well as near Interstate 76 and the Schuylkill Expressway. "This is one of the most ideal locations for any type of use. It is in the heart of two places that are exploding and you're at the epicenter of town.

Very happy to see a great mixed use project in this location, but I really dislike the massing of this vague design that we saw long ago. Especially with its positioning on the river. I hope they have improved it.

Thats what I thought. It probably hasn't gone for review yet because they havent' applied for the actual building permit for the addition yet. They are going for permits in a piecemeal fashion. Zoning and demo permits have been issued so far. No building permit for the additional floors.

I would hope that the plans include provisions for some restaurant/bar deck component. This would be the perfect location for some Chicago River Walk style fun.

Pedestrian promenade
 

PlanPhilly mentioned this 2400 Market project and a, "...promenade from Market St to Chestnut St," over a year ago with this old rendering included:

http://planphilly.com/uploads/media_....752.360.c.png

http://planphilly.com/articles/2014/...become-reality

^^^ While the project is going to fit within the footprint of the existing building, I'm not sure how much, if any, of it will remain. I recall reading somewhere that the whale mural depicted in the rendering was not going to survive.

Great!

I didn't get that they were building on top of the existing structure, but that appears to be the case, right?

Yep, the plan is for an overbuild.

with this type of promonade and the trail itself it will really change the face of the river.

If the development nrth of JFK ever comes to bear this streatch of the river will really be changed and act to further enhance the connection of CC and U City

maybe a ferry from here to the navy Yard would work as well for commuters if no BSL extension ever takes place

I don't think I ever realized that until I saw the permit and the rendering that got posted recently. I'm glad to hear it, because I think the current building looks very nice on the Chestnut side (but for the lack of access to the building).

2400 Market's Chestnut Street side has one of Center City's better patio locations with that deep setback. I would hope that the plan is to take advantage of it -- a beer garden overlooking the Schuylkill would be pretty cool.

I hate dumping on this, but that rendering looks too much like 1900 Arch.

I really hope they can use quality materials, and their designs are becoming very noticeable. No imagination. They're too squared off looking.

Ok, I'm done bitchin'
Now, The beer garden, I can agree with! :cheers:

Don't hold your breath waiting for PMC Property Group aka Philadelphia Management Company aka the worst Philly landlord ever to use "quality materials" in any of their buildings.

I lived in one of their properties and vowed never to set foot in anything they own or build ever again.

2040 Market is already falling apart inside - go on yelp and see pictures tenants have posted.
1900 Arch looks terrible and I'm sure will be falling apart soon
One Water is meh...

If it were up to me PMC would be mandated to use any money they have to renovate/upgrade their existing derelict buildings before building anything new.

If anyone from PMC is lurking just know that your designs and materials suck and need to step your game up...

Now you're talking!

This looks awesome but honestly, where would the promenade physically go?

https://goo.gl/maps/bhpBCbsheuR2
https://goo.gl/maps/6eRNykPAkHo

I've having trouble reconciling the beautiful rendering with what actually exists there now. In front of the blue building adjacent to Market St, the building is literally right up against the train tracks. The grey building closer to Chestnut St does have some space, but it's not really long and still pretty narrow. Along Chestnut St, there is a really wide "patio" in front of the grey building that could definitely hold sidewalk seating or a beer garden. The view from there however, would be 2400 Chestnut and its parking lot.

Even without anything special built on the river side, this project offers a great opportunity to activate this end of Market and Chestnut Street. As far as the actual building is concerned, I'm in wait-and-see mode. I don't care for the width but the architect smartly breaks up the building so it's not just a single squat wide slab (like 2400 Chestnut).

Where's the design for Mandeville Place???

That is too bad. Sorry you had to go through that bad experience.
Yes, 2040 Market looks kinda meh. That was an "add-on" too. Maybe they saved a few million bucks not to excavate, and start from scratch. At least they could have made the interior more desirable. You are the first one that I have heard any feedback on their properties, but I'm not surprised or shocked hearing that.
With 2400 Market being an add-on as well, you would think if they saved that additional money on excavating, that they could at least upgrade the materials a bit. On the exterior AND the interior.
New, is not necessarily nice.
What concerns me, and it should concern others, is that they own the property where "River Walk" was originally proposed. I do hope that PMC doesn't wreck our western portion of Center City altogether.
Doesn't the planning commission keep a close eye on the results of the finished product, instead of the nice renderings?

The fine craftsmanship of PMC properties - a SMALL snippet of a much longer Yelp blurb on 2040 Market:

As others have said, this is not surprising but man—what a shame! If the market continues to be tight though, they may not have an incentive to improve.

This rendering is from 10+ years ago when CCD commissioned a planning/design firm to propose ways to improve Center City's connectivity to the Schuylkill.

There IS supposed to be a connection between Chestnut and Market, but it won't look like this.

I tried.

Perhaps if you hadn't referred to yourself as [boxbot], he would have been more forthcoming. :P

Yes, Mr. Boxbot would be more appropriate. :D

My class had a guest lecturer today who works at commercial real estate firm. He was talking about a few projects underway in Center City, and he said that he expects this one to break ground in 2016. I thought that was an interesting tidbit. I asked if he had updated renderings but he only showed the most recent version that's on this thread.

I nearly choked on my spaghetti meatball laughing at this.