Before Cira Centre, the last major office construction in Center City was the headquarters of pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline, designed by longtime Philly architecture firm Ballinger. While it didn't alter the skyline, it aided it by serving as a gateway to it from the north view, while also recognizing the Expressway below with a curving glass wall. Zenos Frudakis' sculpture "Freedom" is a familiar site to regular commuters and passersby. On the other side of the Expressway, however, the 1600 block awaits its fate in the form of that old Philadelphia tradition, the surface parking lot. A handsome 50 story tower was unveiled in 2002 as a possible expansion of Glaxo, but it seems unlikely to happen. Because, perhaps in part, of a different, larger scale project by Cubellis. The mixed-use 40 story tower would have condos and apartments on top, and a brand new Whole Foods. For more on both projects (including images), please visit The Skinny.

1700 Vine Street