AQ Rittenhouse

https://scontent-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hpho...cf&oe=556F2DA4

https://scontent-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hpho...18&oe=552BA62C

This is a good looking building. A lot nicer than the cartoonist rendering.

I was thinking the same thing. Sometimes, it's difficult to judge in advance how a building will look when it's actually built, in the context that will surround it. Especially without the benefit of photorealistic renderings, as was lacking in this case (at least for us).

This will definitely be a great addition to that block. I just wish that there were more windows on the side.

AQ Rittenhouse is looking great! Regarding the windows on the side, does AQ own any air rights on the sides? I'm a little surprised to see windows on the side at all? Can anyone comment on that?

Mormon Temple update:

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7388/...1b695550_b.jpgDSCF4029 by Music_Man84, on Flickr

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7314/...a552ccb0_b.jpgDSCF4028 by Music_Man84, on Flickr

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7423/...0f8ac12f_b.jpgDSCF4027 by Music_Man84, on Flickr

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7366/...8d023902_b.jpgDSCF4025 by Music_Man84, on Flickr

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7307/...f533619c_b.jpgDSCF4024 by Music_Man84, on Flickr

1900 Arch addition:

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7399/...e68d8b88_b.jpgDSCF4022 by Music_Man84, on Flickr

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7446/...99b7a666_b.jpgDSCF4012 by Music_Man84, on Flickr

Now that is really a nice design. This building compliments the existing block very well.

2021 Chestnut St., earlier this afternoon:

http://i.imgur.com/PGbch9d.jpg?1



Windows look terrible. Final product?

http://i.imgur.com/BB0LEOp.jpg?1

Hub 3939 earlier today (40 x Chestnut)

http://i.imgur.com/eFTst3o.jpg?1


From the back:

http://i.imgur.com/cRwWbM3.jpg?1

Couple of busted out window at 33 x Chestnut for the future Study Hotel. Hard to tell if it's prep for demo (ventilation fans) or not.. anyone know?

http://i.imgur.com/P5humTA.jpg?1

For those that know the string of empty lots or recently demolished lots near the 46th Street Station, the first building is finally going up. The master plan is 24 apartments, and this part of the city has looked like a leftover prop from a WWII movies for quite a while.

Insert in this image is from this morning:

http://i.imgur.com/XZ9ymZR.jpg

Meeting supposedly tonight for 4224 Baltimore. I'm sure this will be rescheduled due to weather.

http://www.westphillylocal.com/2015/...e-ave-project/

Awesome mixed use development coming to 3rd and Girard
http://hiddencityphila.org/2015/01/j...e-development/

Nice. Super appropriate for the area.

Its definitely a good one. With liberty square coming up at germantown/second and girard...along with a handful of other 4 story tall apartment buildings coming up between there and the El stop... its going to be a great corridor of commercial and high-end apartment complexes!

Not sure if these better renderings have been posted here yet for the new expansion of Penn's Perelman Center for Political Science and Economics (36 x Sansom):

http://i.imgur.com/2vkIy13.jpg?1


http://i.imgur.com/RGexclH.jpg?1


http://m.bizjournals.com/philadelphi...nt.html?r=full

Anyone happen to know who owns the AFSCME building at 3001 Walnut next to the future FMC tower? Is it he union themselves?

About 9 VERY large 4 story tall townhomes are going up in the shadow of the future Chinatown tower at 11th and Pearl. Very interesting location. Anyone know anything about them? Unfortunately, looks like they might be putting garage doors all along 11th and along pearl with the way the building's sticks look.

The garages are a disappointment but development for that block is a good sign. Still, I think it's unfortunate that we keep building townhouses so close to Center City. I mean I'm sure they'll sell, but considering what's happening so close on Market East, Callowhill is poised for dense development - at least I hope it is.

Where're the NIMBY's when you need them??? I thought they passed an overlay where you can't build homes with street facing driveways/garages. :hell:

There is room for both (highrises and townhouses). And we need the townhomes. It is a preferred way to live for many families. For the first time in decades, we're seeing increased interest in families wanting to remain in the city and raise kids (those who can afford it and do so comfortably, anyway). I think that's something that needs to be encouraged and that will, in the longerm, facilitate more highrise development.

Don't like the plan for the garages if that's true.

I actually think those are just big windows for commercial spaces. I remembered seeing the article below which states 5 apartment units per building. So I wouldn't get too mad over these buildings. Has someone else seen permits that say otherwise? :shrug:

http://www.ocfrealty.com/naked-phill...on-wood-street

Is there a rendering for this anywhere? The Naked Philly site didn't have one.

Also, is this a case of Chinatown further developing the area north of Vine Street? Cause, Chinatown rocks. I don't like the idea of it getting crowded out from all directions, so I hope this is the Chinatown community continuing to stake out space just to its north.

There are no permits with the city for construction...at least not recorded in L&I.

And you know what else is really annoying with this? I'm happy to see construction here, but holy f#ck man, if you look at the tax assessment for this parking lot, its total assessment is $0 for all three parcels. Sale price was $1 for all three in 2014. So, the current tax system states that this parcel of land that could actually support a pretty large building is worth absolutely nothing and is taxed as nothing.

No wonder we have so many speculators. No wonder we have so much sub-par building. With the tax structure as it is, there is no pressure to build on vacant center city land and no pressure to build something with any sort of height.

These buildings look just fine that are going up, but for this vacant land right next to center city to not be bringing in ANY money for the city is just crazy! Then, they will also have tax abatements for the next ten years.

Oh wait... the permits are filed on the 1032 parcel and not the whole thing. Perhaps they started building without consolidating? And it looks like there was a stop-work order put on the construction with THREE violations! Workman-like, insurance, and stop work order.

http://www.phila.gov/data/Pages/defa...ils&eid=465522

Heh wow, what a mess... Thanks for looking into it.

Rodin Square/ Dalian on the Park
Update from Building Philly

https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.n...fe29a9c8117990

https://scontent-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hpho...c4&oe=555554D9

More photos here:
https://www.facebook.com/BuildingPhilly

One thing I like about Philly is the abundance of townhouses. Still, I wonder about the sustainability of some of them. I see Callowhill poised to take off, and when that happens density can overrule tradition. The neighborhood has plenty of room to build apartments, so I don't think anyone's going to be consolidating these houses into condos anytime soon. But I do kind of wonder when the land value will supersede their value as single family homes. If that's the case, those buying stand to win big.

From what I could dig up online, the building's official address is 150 S. 30th Street and the owner is listed as the Trust of James Sutton.

Some more new jobs in the city:

Big architectural firm plants roots in Philadelphia:

http://www.bizjournals.com/philadelp...-roots-in.html

Anyone know if they have any Philly projects in the pipeline?

I read about this earlier today, this is definitely a major pick up for the city, even if its only 40 people. I havent heard of any projects they have been awarded, but someone I know who understands the business said its very possible they already have work going on down here. He said he was surprised they would open satellite office here considering how close we are to NYC.

So I'm pretty sure the assessment information is inaccurate. Every property pays some tax, even if it is vacant. And the $1 sale price is just a placeholder. You'll often see that in records when the property was transferred to another family member.

It looks like there is a crane up around 8th and arch. Does anyone know what they are building there?

810 Arch - must be this:

https://projecthome.org/locations/co...10-arch-street

https://projecthome.org/sites/projec...?itok=KhHJDv4P

This gets a pass b/c it's not a luxury building in the least bit. But man, this thing is ugly! Those Drivit panels look hideously cheap, even in that cartoonish rendering. The real thing will be scary bad. But again, since it's not a luxury building, I can look the other way here and just be glad another surface lot in Chinatown bites the dust.

Drexel's leveling all the buildings on the UC High site.

One of those is the (was the, by now) actually rather handsome Drew School. I was hoping they'd keep it, it looked like it would've made for good lofts. Le sigh.

Unless I miss my guess, the ones along Pearl actually front Wood. There is a strong preference for the front of the house to face south in East Asian cultures, and the site placement seems to reflect this.

As for the garages along 11th, can't win 'em all.

Fence is up around area where new bridge to Perelman will run from HUP. Out there digging as this is posted.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.n...4447bfc1213b53

Thanks. Hate that building. I don't see very many buildings being demolished in Philly with our abundance of open lots and several story parking lots (someone had suggested 1515 Market being razed for a supertall awhile ago. Very unlikely) But I could see that being a prime target for a skyscraper if the stars aligned. Next to FMC, right by 30th street and in the burgeoning University City area. Could be a perfect place for a big company headquarters (Chemours are you hearing me?....). Not sure what the Trust of James Sutton is though...Maybe if Brandywine owned the land. We can (pipe) dream. Sigh.

I don't think Center City and the surrounding neighborhoods really have very many townhouses. But a number of projects completed in last several years and number of others are under construction or in the pipeline. The demand is there. I think we are a ways away from them impeding development. There are still so many prime spots to build highrises.

This is really cool. One of many signs of Philly's current and accelerating boom.

They made it clear they were taking down everything to build a huge development that encompassed most of the 14 acre site. The crazy thing is they were proposing a school as part of the development- but they are tearing down 2 existing schools on the site. Then again, Im not clear that Drexel has firmly commited to the school- I think it was mentioned as a future phase of the project.

410 Society Hill update

http://philly.curbed.com/archives/20...ket-condos.php

Someone that works nearby said there are drill rigs on the site behind the Divine Lorraine today. I havent seen or heard much about whats going on there lately. It seemed pretty dead the last time I drove by.

Demo has begun on this building in preparation for Drexel's new Study hotel at 33xChestnut:

http://i.imgur.com/mXo8Uia.jpg?1

Hub 3939 (40xChestnut), from today at 4pm:

http://i.imgur.com/17PUZyo.jpg?1

College House at Hill Field, Penn's new dorm on the 3300 block of Chestnut, from today at 4pm:


Looking north, close to 34th St.:
http://i.imgur.com/w8EHFRG.jpg?1


Looking north again, into the middle of the dorm:
http://i.imgur.com/wejTBfn.jpg?1


Looking southeast along Chestnut Street frontage:
http://i.imgur.com/vwiRJEv.jpg?1

Huh, interesting.
I wonder why they're putting this one up in that weird back-to-front way?

I've been wondering the same thing! Perhaps it has something to do with mobile crane access on a very tight, narrow site? The only way to fit the crane was to build from back to front?

Article on 8th and Filbert PPA Parking Garage makeover
http://www.bizjournals.com/philadelp...le-center.html

Well, I'm glad they understand what a horrible piece of crap this is.