PHILADELPHIA | W Hotel & Element by Westin | 617 FT | 51 FLOORS

[thisisforreal]

We're swapping out windows at work. I got some video showing an unfiltered look at the site today:

Click here for the video

And for those who don't like motion sickness, a regular old photo:

[boxbot]

Was by the site today and there is a good deal of progress - more than I noted in the pictures. I'd say the entire site is at least 10 feet below grade at this point.

[domodeez]

Views from above:

[1487]

slow going...

[MikeNigh]

Should rent dirt bikes on the site to pay for the extra cost of digging.

[domodeez]

Crew is reinforcing the southern end of the site (along Chestnut St) with concrete. Looks like that's a conduit, though for what I'm not sure. Maybe someone on here with a bit more knowledge of construction and/or the site can chime in.

[1487]

i was over there today. They have removed all of the sidewalk on the north side of the block and are working on both side of an existing foundation wall from a prevous building. I could see pipes and other metal bits that had been pulled out of the soil and some concrete was poured into some sort of cavity on the eastern end of the site near the sidewalk. They were working very deliberately with the back hoe- still not clear what is going on but they dont seem to be trying to remove the old wall which is slightly below grade. I'm definitely wondering why they had to demo the sidewalk.

[blenfest]

Originally Posted by 1487

i was over there today. They have removed all of the sidewalk on the north side of the block and are working on both side of an existing foundation wall from a prevous building. I could see pipes and other metal bits that had been pulled out of the soil and some concrete was poured into some sort of cavity on the eastern end of the site near the sidewalk. They were working very deliberately with the back hoe- still not clear what is going on but they dont seem to be trying to remove the old wall which is slightly below grade. I'm definitely wondering why they had to demo the sidewalk.

Not sure about the sidewalk demolition but there is a steam pipe that has to be worked around running under the sidewalk that should have been in the street. There is unfortunately a ton of things in the ground that have to be demolished beyond anyone's wildest nightmares. We thought there were town-homes on the West side of the site and now are realizing that a larger building was there and have had to pull out three inch thick steel plate, numerous railroad tracks, etc. On the East side there wasn't supposed to be interior walls and basement floors and sub basement floors.

[1487]

Originally Posted by blenfest

Not sure about the sidewalk demolition but there is a steam pipe that has to be worked around running under the sidewalk that should have been in the street. There is unfortunately a ton of things in the ground that have to be demolished beyond anyone's wildest nightmares. We thought there were town-homes on the West side of the site and now are realizing that a larger building was there and have had to pull out three inch thick steel plate, numerous railroad tracks, etc. On the East side there wasn't supposed to be interior walls and basement floors and sub basement floors.

Interesting. I guess there really isn't any way to know what sort of old foundations you will find in advance. They can scan for utilities and take soil samples to get an idea of what sort of conditions exist below grade- but I've not heard of a way to map out underground masonry construction without digging. How much is this affecting Tutor Perrini's schedule for constucting the new foundation? I'm sure they had similar issues at the East Market site.

[blorkishdork]

1487, they do have ways to figure out what is below ground using ground penetration radar. Penetration radar determines densities of the soil and from there it can create a picture of what is below grade. I've used the results to determine where the deteriorated parts of a concrete bridge deck are (with varying degrees of success). This can be very expensive and even then you will never fully know what is under the surface until you break ground, but it will give you a very good idea what you may encounter.

[loves development]

A simple check of historical pictures and old maps would have given some indication and ideas of what is below ground.

The Morris Buildings basement and sub-basement was backfilled with the demo material when the building was demolished several years ago.

[domodeez]

From this afternoon..

[Philly Fan]

Originally Posted by domodeez

From this afternoon.

Looks like an archaeological dig!

[blenfest]

Originally Posted by loves development

A simple check of historical pictures and old maps would have given some indication and ideas of what is below ground.

The Morris Buildings basement and sub-basement was backfilled with the demo material when the building was demolished several years ago.

Thanks for the tip. There isn't any detailed information that has been found. I'm told it's not for lack of looking. There isn't any detailed information on the Girard building for instance and it's not that old. If you can find out what is supposed to be underground let me know.

We tore down the Morris building. The demo was supposed to include all interior walls and basement and sub basement floors and no piece from the demo per the Agreement and as far as I know per the city ordinance was to be larger than 4" X 4".

[simms3_redux]

What's that thing protruding under the dirt in the middle of the site?

[boxbot]

Originally Posted by blenfest

Thanks for the tip. There isn't any detailed information that has been found. I'm told it's not for lack of looking. There isn't any detailed information on the Girard building for instance and it's not that old. If you can find out what is supposed to be underground let me know.

We tore down the Morris building. The demo was supposed to include all interior walls and basement and sub basement floors and no piece from the demo per the Agreement and as far as I know per the city ordinance was to be larger than 4" X 4".

Hooray! Breach of contract. Let me know if I can help your legal team sue the demo company for what must be costing your a fortune in delay.

[summersm343]

Originally Posted by simms3_redux

What's that thing protruding under the dirt in the middle of the site?

Old foundations from buildings that used to be on the site that were destroyed and subsequently demolished from the old One Meridian Plaza fire.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Meridian_Plaza

[jsbrook]

I enjoy that people are posting skeptical posts about the progress of this construction without any real insight. Because it is continuously inspiring Brook to jump in and provide inside information and explanation! Can't beat that.

[Aaamazarite]

Originally Posted by blenfest

Thanks for the tip. There isn't any detailed information that has been found. I'm told it's not for lack of looking. There isn't any detailed information on the Girard building for instance and it's not that old. If you can find out what is supposed to be underground let me know.

We tore down the Morris building. The demo was supposed to include all interior walls and basement and sub basement floors and no piece from the demo per the Agreement and as far as I know per the city ordinance was to be larger than 4" X 4".

Here's a 1998 survey of the lot before the Morris Bldg went down, for what its worth

[GarCastle]

Is that an Indian burial bone I see in the hole?

That would suck LOL.

Cheers,
G.