PHILADELPHIA | Highrise Development Thread X

[JohnIII]

Wow, I remember those days with fondness; Liberty One was so dynamic and stood out so much because it was so much taller than the other buildings but also every other building in downtown had flat roofs and Liberty One didn't.

Before Liberty One, the downtown skyline looked very flat, all the buildings had flat roofs; and most of them were grey or brown colour with the only exceptions that I remember being the Society Hill Towers and the One Reading Center which was changed to Aramark and now something else. Liberty One and the Blue Cross Tower were built about the same time and the fact that they were glass stood out but Liberty One with the chevrons of light and even in the day time was really dynamic.

The feeling that Liberty One gave as a young adult was that Philadelphia was changing, finally becoming a modern city; not a city that was mostly defined by an image that was crafted in the 1940s and 1950s and in the here and now. It was a feeling that good things could happen in Philadelphia and we as a city didn't have to be and shouldn't be overlooked; that is what Liberty One kind of reflected in some sense when it was built and the lighting at night which was very cutting edge emphasized that.

Before Liberty One it also should be remembered that the building was not only much taller than everything else and had its unique pattern but also that downtown Philadelphia had very litter external lighting on the buildings at night before 1986; New York City was dynamic but we were still in the dark ages so to speak up to that point. The only night lighting we had that stands out in my mind at the time was the blue lighting up the side of Reading One which was modern but on a much smaller scare and was on the side of the building so if you were on 11th street or to the south or east of downtown you may have not seen it; the PSFS Building which was dynamic but had been there since the 1930s and had no real equals. Wow, I'm trying to remember back now; you had the PNC Building, the YMCA Building which I remember due to the work my mother did and City Hall. City Hall was only Art Museum were the only buildings with any real noteworthy sense of light in downtown especially City Hall because the older generation treated it almost like it was a golden temple; its a beautiful building but it was held in such esteem that nothing in downtown had any real light as far as the skyline went and then all of a sudden Liberty One came and really was the start of a renaissance; ending the dark ages for downtown both literally and figurative.

[William Van Alen]

Originally Posted by mcgrath618

It's nice to see the renaissance that New York is having with Art Deco. The entire UES is being dotted with new builds that look like they're prewar. IMO what makes American cities feel alive and vibrant compared to places like Singapore is the use of traditional materials and massings.

Agreed. Love those types of new builds. Rose Hill (30 E 29th) and the Fitzroy by Roman and Williams are good examples as well. On that topic, my favorite new skyscraper is the Brooklyn Tower. It's not perfect (the crown could have been better executed), but its massing and vertical accents are classic art deco. It looks distinctly American in a very good way and is a defining piece of Brooklyn's otherwise boring skyline.

[TK2001]

Philadelphia skyline by Philly SkyGuy, on Flickr
The view from the Penn Mutual observation deck, possibly taken between 1982-1985
Philadelphia skyline 1988 by Philly SkyGuy, on Flickr
Same view
Philadelphia skyline by Philly SkyGuy, on Flickr
January 25, 1986, you can see One Commerce Square rising. One Liberty would pop into this view five months later
Both images were found on Old Images of Philadelphia on Facebook
One Liberty Place by Philly SkyGuy, on Flickr
10/05/1987. I literally found this last night

[TK2001]

Thank you for that wonderful look back, that's something I need to hear.

"Before Liberty One it also should be remembered that the building was not only much taller than everything else and had its unique pattern but also that downtown Philadelphia had very litter external lighting on the buildings at night before 1986."
"Liberty One and the Blue Cross Tower were built about the same time and the fact that they were class stood out but Liberty One with the chevrons of light and even in the day time was really dynamic"
One Liberty Place 1988 by Philly SkyGuy, on Flickr
One Liberty Place 1988 by Philly SkyGuy, on Flickr
One Liberty Place 1988 by Philly SkyGuy, on Flickr
One Liberty Place 1988 by Philly SkyGuy, on Flickr
Like I said I need to hear stories about this time, I was never around during it, it's an absolutely fantastic that this time period really enhanced where we are today, and uncovering history that's not really talked about anymore. That's my purpose of my research, to expose the citizens, the world, and generations to come. Sure compared to all of the billions of years of history this IS nothing and just scrapes the barrel of time, but I find it very inspiring. I'm honestly sorry if these historical posts are to frequent to some perspectives, but I have to share what I find and I don't know anyone else doing this. I have had photographers share their photos from the past and I'm ABSOLUTELY greatful to them. I can't tell you how much money I spent just for this historical research I've been doing since 2018, but it's absolutely worth it.

One Liberty Place is truly amazing (no shots fired at Two Liberty Place, I love it too). That tower itself has inspired me to be where I'm at now and the hopeful future. Helmut Jahn himself called the tower a stadkrone, meaning city crown, and even though it's been passed in height today I still see it as that! Jahn specifically designed the tower to feature the most stone on the base to represent the old Philadelphia (along with the bay windows), then the midsection transfers to this wonderful pattern as it simultaneously opens up and stays clustered in key areas, then the crown transfers to full glass to show off the beauty of the new and the reflections of the sky. But what always catches my eye is the "arrows" on the four sides.

The tower has always represented the good change, for the city of Philadelphia and to humanity. To me, the design itself and the time period it was built in, the tower is saying to rise up and be unique, while respecting what came before. The sharp top of the tower reminds me of how sharp we should keep our minds, while the lighting symbolizes how we should always look up. Even though it's just a skyscraper, it's helped me in troubling times. It's my favorite skyscraper in the world...universe.

I greatly thank the people who share their stories and photographs. I greatly thank Helmut Jahn and his firm, Willard Rouse and his team, Mayor Wilson Goode and the city members who voted yes to the project back in 1984, and the contractors and hundreds of workers who built this wonderful skyscraper. Thank you

[TK2001]

Another little snippet of history: the people who opposed One Liberty Place thought the people who supported One Liberty Place were like a cult. They called them "Rousetafarians". This name is also first seen in a publication from December 4, 1987...two days after the crown was lit up.

Get me a Doc and a DeLorean, I'd love to go back to this time

[JohnIII]

Originally Posted by TK2001

Philadelphia skyline by Philly SkyGuy, on Flickr
The view from the Penn Mutual observation deck, possibly taken between 1982-1985
Philadelphia skyline 1988 by Philly SkyGuy, on Flickr
Same view
Philadelphia skyline by Philly SkyGuy, on Flickr
January 25, 1986, you can see One Commerce Square rising. One Liberty would pop into this view five months later
Both images were found on Old Images of Philadelphia on Facebook
One Liberty Place by Philly SkyGuy, on Flickr
10/05/1987. I literally found this last night

From what I remember this first photo or top photo had to be before 1984; I remember I went out for dinner for an occasion once in November 1984 and the tower was complete by then or at least on the outside it was.

Considering the top photo doesn't even show the tower being built it was probably taken before the second half of 1983 at the latest.

[R5Ryder]

Was the spire completely replaced at some point? Or is the part that currently surrounds it an "add-on"? To me, the spire looks a little taller and less integrated with the building than it did when it first opened.

[TK2001]

Added on. As you can see in the image below, the lower set of the broadcasting equipment is installed

The first set of broadcasting equipment was placed onto the spire not long after Two Commerce Square topped out (July 25, 1991).
Philadelphia by USA Lover, on Flickr
^
Right before the second set of equipment. The second set was installed in late 2002, it doesn't show up in photos from September 2002 but is seen in photos from January 2003. Flickr and stock sites helped with this. Also the 1,257 foot Roxborough antenna was built at this time, so they had to extend the equipment. Back in '87, Liberty Place blocked frequencies, that's one of the reasons why the Roxborough tower farm was built

[thoughtcriminal]

The Roxborough Antenna Farm has been there since 1947.
And one building would not "block frequencies" to the extent that you would have to build an antenna farm like that.

[TK2001]

I know I read somewhere in an old article that One Liberty Place did interrupt frequencies when built. I should always research again before posting, but info can get lost and twisted after six years of research

[PhillyRising]

Originally Posted by TK2001

One Liberty Place by Philly SkyGuy, on Flickr

You get a nice skyline view from the intersection of 363 and Germantown Pike in Fairview Village.

There are a few spots on the highest end of Trooper Road north of Germantown Pike that you also get amazing views of the skyline between some of the houses along there.

You can get a good view also along Potshop Road in Worcester.

I still shake my head at people who say they prefer the pre Liberty Place boring skyline because they thought William Penn should have remained the highest point of it.

I wanted big tall buildings and going to college in Western PA during the mid 80's when this was all planned...i was envious of the Pittsburgh skyline with it's taller buildings. Pittsburgh had the tallest building in PA from 1932 until Liberty 2 opened as the Gulf Building in PGH was taller than City Hall and it was superceded by the US Steel Building. Phildelphia made up a lot of ground.

[PHLtoNYC]

Looks like Gotham Organization (based out of NYC) has Philadelphia on their radar for another major development.

Schuylkill Yards residential development lists penthouses starting at $10,000 per month
https://www.bizjournals.com/philadel...g&ai=#cxrecs_s

Avira, a 326-unit residential community located above office space at 3025 John F. Kennedy Blvd., was built by a team of Philadelphia-based Brandywine Realty Trust (NYSE: BDN) and New York developer Gotham Organization. The apartments below the penthouses began leasing in June 2023 and are about 71% occupied, according to Gotham.

David Picket, CEO of Gotham Organizations, said the developer began surveying markets outside of New York several years ago and thought Philadelphia could be opportunistic given its location, demographics and growing neighborhoods. When the chance to partner with Brandywine came along, it was something he couldn't turn down. The University City submarket is one where Picket expects to see "rapid growth."

He noted that leasing at Avira has largely met or exceeded expectations in the new Philadelphia market. With the remaining projects in Schuylkill Yards accounted for, Picket said that Gotham is a "free agent" in Philadelphia if it were to seek another development opportunity in the city.