PHILADELPHIA | THE LAUREL @ 1911 Walnut | 604 FT | 48 FLOORS

[Philly Fan]

Originally Posted by Knight Hospitaller

I'll drink to that.

Face it, dude, you'll drink to anything.

[Schmidt519]

With today’s new renderings released, it got my cerebral fluids in motion, what +500FT project will go from Proposed to Groundbreaking in Philadelphia next. Sorry for being wordy, but 1 sentence lead to another. As we are all well aware, there has been two historic ERA’s of tower construction in Philadelphia (85’ to 92’) to (14’ to TBD?). Let’s call the former era SIR CHARLES as his time in Philly coincided with this exact timeframe. CHARLES broke ground with Liberty One on May 1985 and lasted until 1992 with the completion of Commerce Square, SIR last approx 7 years and generated a skyline that I grew up with standing at 7 completed towers at a combined height of 2,532 FT. not too shabby.

The current era began on October 2014 with FMC ground breaking and if no new towers are developed, will end in the Q1 of 2018 with CITC (or W if progress stalls), which will be 3 years of +500 FT development in progress. Let’s call this era THE PROCESS. This era will deliver us 3 towers at 1,703 FT. I can only hope that another new project will break ground between now and Q1 18’. It appears our bets should be placed on SLS, 1911 Walnut, or 2100 Market in order to land another +500 FT tower. If we are lucky enough to move from proposed to ground breaking in the next 1 ½ years. We are 829 FT short of eclipsing CHARLES in total height. We will seemingly need 2 more towers to accomplish this. (also a PG/SG to boot)

SIR CHARLES put Philly on the map as a true vertical city. Although my hope is THE PROCESS ushers in not only increased height, but a functional shift in how Philly is perceived to attract residential, tourism, and business investment. As each of these towers are erected they too incubate the opportunity of Philly becoming a destination of choice. (maybe a ** SUPER STAR ** too)

My dream is that FMC was the impetus that created a 20 year construction boom in Philly. Our skyline will be transformed and it’s very exciting to think about. With the possibility of Schuylkill yards and 30th street development, it is not out of the realm of possibility to withstand an era of construction that could span a generation (20 yrs). Although will need several towers to span the gaps between the Yards and 30th Street projects. Waking up each morning knowing that there is another building under construction which will leave an indelible mark on the skyline is the coolest feeling for a skyscraper enthusiastic and it will be sad when I lose that. To conclude the analogy, I hope this ERA of PROCESS will bring us a championship which in the Skyscraper world is the sprouting of +500 FT for another 10 years.
I’d call that a success.

[Philly-Drew]

Originally Posted by Zoot

No need to call me names. I am entitled to my opinion....just like you are entitled to settle for mediocrity at a trophy location. We can't please everyone but at least we should strive for excellence.

I think it was probably the "height boners" comment. That could be understood in multiple ways. In one way, it too could be taken as name calling.

[Philly-Drew]

Originally Posted by allovertown

Wow! So strange that after nothing being posted here for months, there is finally some activity on this thread and when I check out the thread it's just people lamenting nothing is happening here. Then boom, half an hour later we get this.

Looks incredible. Preserved Warwick too? Build it now!

Any word on the path forward on this now? Have they effectively addressed neighbor concerns or are there still more battles to be fought before shovels hit the ground?

I agree. I like the renderings, a lot. This would be a great building at that site, especially if it is anything like 1706 in terms of luxury. Right now, I can't afford it , but maybe at some point down road I will ba able to !

[TechTalkGuy]

New Skyline

[Knight Hospitaller]

Originally Posted by Philly Fan

Face it, dude, you'll drink to anything.

Slàinte mhath!

[philatonian]

Hrm. It's definitely not a bad looking building. I'm on SkyscraperPage, so obviously I dig the height. It just doesn't have that wow factor this address could afford to design. Even in the skyline view it doesn't really stand it, it's just infill. Considering the rents they can charge there (and I have no doubt they could fill it), they could afford to design something more unique. Maybe they're going for subtlety. In that case they got it. But with the CITC, FMC, even the W, our new "tallests" are going against the grain of Philadelphia's conservatively traditional skyscrapers. I'd like to see more of that at this location.

[TechTalkGuy]

If I understand you correctly, you like standout designs like 425 Park Ave, Comcast Innovation and Technology Center, The FMC, but 1911 Walnut is not grabbing you.

I personally like it's height and location.
Not too tall to block the views behind it, yet tall enough to make William Penn proud.
For me, it's not just another filler.
It really does create that urban density and make the city more explorable and fun.

[philatonian]

Originally Posted by TechTalkGuy

If I understand you correctly, you like standout designs like 425 Park Ave, Comcast Innovation and Technology Center, The FMC, but 1911 Walnut is not grabbing you.

I personally like it's height and location.
Not too tall to block the views behind it, yet tall enough to make William Penn proud.
For me, it's not just another filler.
It really does create that urban density and make the city more explorable and fun.

Oh it definitely makes it more explorable and fun than the vacant lot that's been there as long as I can remember. I was honestly just playing a bit of devil's advocate.

The CITC, FMC, and 425 Park Avenue definitely do grab me more than this, but they're also office buildings. People love working in funky looking buildings but they're less keen on living in them. No one drops hundreds of millions of dollars on a skyscraper without doing a bit of market research that says just that.

I think it's a handsome building, I just think it's very in-line with where we expect Philadelphia's skyline to go. When I saw it, I thought "cool!" But I've seen other proposals (Mandeville Place and Bridgeman's View come to mind) where I've said, "Holy ****!" I think Philadelphia is right on the edge of being able to afford risky design.

[Cro Burnham]

Originally Posted by Zoot

No. Mandeville Place

I'd like the Waldorf Astoria, but it's not going to happen. Look, this is decent. You are really too picky about this site. We got the Warwick. Be happy.

[TechTalkGuy]

Originally Posted by Cro Burnham

I'd like the Waldorf Astoria, but it's not going to happen. Look, this is decent. You are really too picky about this site. We got the Warwick. Be happy.

HaHa!!

[Raymond LuxuryYacht]

Originally Posted by Schmidt519

With today’s new renderings released, it got my cerebral fluids in motion, what +500FT project will go from Proposed to Groundbreaking in Philadelphia next. Sorry for being wordy, but 1 sentence lead to another. As we are all well aware, there has been two historic ERA’s of tower construction in Philadelphia (85’ to 92’) to (14’ to TBD?). Let’s call the former era SIR CHARLES as his time in Philly coincided with this exact timeframe. CHARLES broke ground with Liberty One on May 1985 and lasted until 1992 with the completion of Commerce Square, SIR last approx 7 years and generated a skyline that I grew up with standing at 7 completed towers at a combined height of 2,532 FT. not too shabby.

The current era began on October 2014 with FMC ground breaking and if no new towers are developed, will end in the Q1 of 2018 with CITC (or W if progress stalls), which will be 3 years of +500 FT development in progress. Let’s call this era THE PROCESS. This era will deliver us 3 towers at 1,703 FT. I can only hope that another new project will break ground between now and Q1 18’. It appears our bets should be placed on SLS, 1911 Walnut, or 2100 Market in order to land another +500 FT tower. If we are lucky enough to move from proposed to ground breaking in the next 1 ½ years. We are 829 FT short of eclipsing CHARLES in total height. We will seemingly need 2 more towers to accomplish this. (also a PG/SG to boot)

SIR CHARLES put Philly on the map as a true vertical city. Although my hope is THE PROCESS ushers in not only increased height, but a functional shift in how Philly is perceived to attract residential, tourism, and business investment. As each of these towers are erected they too incubate the opportunity of Philly becoming a destination of choice. (maybe a ** SUPER STAR ** too)

My dream is that FMC was the impetus that created a 20 year construction boom in Philly. Our skyline will be transformed and it’s very exciting to think about. With the possibility of Schuylkill yards and 30th street development, it is not out of the realm of possibility to withstand an era of construction that could span a generation (20 yrs). Although will need several towers to span the gaps between the Yards and 30th Street projects. Waking up each morning knowing that there is another building under construction which will leave an indelible mark on the skyline is the coolest feeling for a skyscraper enthusiastic and it will be sad when I lose that. To conclude the analogy, I hope this ERA of PROCESS will bring us a championship which in the Skyscraper world is the sprouting of +500 FT for another 10 years.
I’d call that a success.

Your use of a sports reference to the first great era of building construction got me thinking. Using 2014 as the starting point, Chip Kelly with his unorthodox style could have certainly been a metaphor for the newest era in Philly construction. We saw how that turned out. Using the "Process" as a guide, I'd suggest Joel Embiid drafted in 2014 or Simmons this year. Tall guys with lots of promise is not a bad metaphor with all the tall building projects and certainly better than the Chipper.

[thisisforreal]

Originally Posted by thisisforreal

Scrolled through everything from page 18-55 and didn't see this one posted yet:



Really, this was just an excuse to remind us that nothing has happened in the past few months on this one...

Have a nice weekend everyone.

No way, I beat Summers with images of the redesign by pure chance? Ah, ha ha. I didn't even notice it was a redesign. I was focusing more on the shadows and how they'll never be in Rittenhouse Square.

[mmikeyphilly]

Originally Posted by thisisforreal

No way, I beat Summers with images of the redesign by pure chance? Ah, ha ha. I didn't even notice it was a redesign. I was focusing more on the shadows and how they'll never be in Rittenhouse Square.

Is this one ready to go? Did they pass the "Nimby" test? Height? Preservation of the 3 properties on Sansom? etc. etc. etc.

I like the "final" rendering? Is it really final? I'm sorry, I just seem to be full of questions!

[Larry King]

This proposal improved big time, now hurry up and give them permits before the cycle ends

[City Wide]

Originally Posted by philatonian

Hrm. It's definitely not a bad looking building. I'm on SkyscraperPage, so obviously I dig the height. It just doesn't have that wow factor this address could afford to design. Even in the skyline view it doesn't really stand it, it's just infill. Considering the rents they can charge there (and I have no doubt they could fill it), they could afford to design something more unique. Maybe they're going for subtlety. In that case they got it. But with the CITC, FMC, even the W, our new "tallests" are going against the grain of Philadelphia's conservatively traditional skyscrapers. I'd like to see more of that at this location.

I'm in the "its Ok, or its not too bad" camp, and saving the hotel on Samson is a solid step, but whats so special about this location? The actual square, the outdoor space and the general vib in the park is generally great, but there's really only 1 or 2 good towers on the streets surrounding the park. Whatever Rittenhouse Square has going for it is not dependent on great or even good architecture. Maybe its the mix of trees and people.

[boxbot]

SLC releases renders that show preservation of Warwick facade:



http://southernland.com/portfolio/1911-walnut/

[1487]

i recall months back one of the company reps was posting here with updates- hopefully he will return and explain where things stand right now. Are there additional community group meetings scheduled? Have they already reached agreement with the groups? Is the next step permitting and CDR?

[McBane]

I'm really glad to see some movement on this building. And while I'm happy to see the Warwick (or at least it's facade) has been preserved, I don't see the original renderings anymore so it's hard to say if this is better or not. If I recall, it's mostly similar but I remember in the original design, the Sansom Street facade being a bit more interesting but the Walnut Street facade being a bit less interesting. Is anyone able to post the originals? I went through the first few pages before giving up.

For sure though, the best thing about the redesign is that it serves as evidence that they've been working with the neighborhood which leads me to believe that this has a realistic chance of happening.

Overall, it's a good design. Very tasteful, the height is fabulous, and it will offer the Square a bit of a architectural diversity. That being said, it's not particularly jaw dropping, like say Mandeville Place or the Bridge. And for this location, I think that's a reasonable expectation. Personally though, I'm not disappointed, it's still a very nice tower.

From a viewpoint, this tower will look best from 76. After Spring Garden, it will be front and center: https://goo.gl/maps/xG6E4CptwiD2 Someone please correct me, but I believe it should rise in front of the left half of the Rittenhouse Hotel.

[1487]

I dont see all the images on the main site anymore. They were there friday, gone today.