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 There were a number of ways we could have phased in the Phase-In -- start with big hopes like Mandeville Place or Bridgeman's View Tower, start with completed works like The St James or Cira Centre, start with obscure never-weres like 17th & Vine or Center City Tower -- but given recent media coverage of our web site coverage, all of it seemed like it would undercut our pig de resistance, Comcast Center. On the chance that this is the first time you've visited Philly Skyline, or you haven't seen any news in the past month, or you've been to Center City but haven't noticed anything new or imposing . . . well, there's a new kid in building town. It's called Comcast Center, taking its name from the cable television/internet/phone provider for which you see the commercials starring Cal Ripken, Mr T and animatronic turtles. And it was a long time coming. Liberty Property Trust, whose predecessor broke Philly's long standing gentleman's agreement to not build taller than William Penn atop City Hall in the 1980s with One Liberty Place, announced way back in late 2000 that they intended on adding a new tower called One Pennsylvania Plaza to the skyline at a property it purchased stretching from 17th & JFK to 17th & Arch. Architect Robert A.M. Stern's proposal for the site evolved from an octagonal glass tower with lots of setbacks to a 1000+ ft glass tower (which New York's as yet unbuilt Freedom Tower closely resembles) to a gorgeous 750' tower of the same stone adorning the Art Museum to a modified version of the same to the 975' all glass tower with a 120' winter garden being built as we speak. To get from One PA Plaza to Comcast Center, there were negotiations with a lead tenant (Comcast) and negotiations with the state to determine whether the site qualified for the Keystone Opportunity Zone tax break. It did not, but Governor Ed Rendell did award a state grant worth over $40M to kick start the project, a fair deal considering it embraces its place directly above Suburban Station by creating an entirely new go-to terminal for that station which had previously only been a cluster of underground passages and provides services in that same new corridor. Comcast Center not only gives Philadelphia a new tallest building after twenty years, it also meets LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification standards, the tallest building in the country to do so. (The new Bank of America Tower in New York is thirty feet shorter but has a 255 foot spire which makes its "official" height 1200'.) There has been debate whether Comcast Center is 57 stories or 58, as the media has continually reported. While all of the official literature states 57 floors, 58 is accurate, insofar as there are 58 floor plates, 56 of which are occupiable by offices and such. The 44th floor will feature a private gourmet cafeteria, while the 1st floor will house a new restaurant called Table 31 by Georges Perrier and Chris Scarduzio. Several retail tenants will occupy a new food court in the underground concourse leading to Septa's train platforms, which serve all seven regional rail lines and both the El and Subway. Ladies and gentlemen of Philly Skyline, The Skinny, on this landmark tower. So there you have it, the first of many many Phase-In entries for Skinny 3.0. Thank you for coming along for the ride, and check back soon for more. For other Philly Skyline coverage of Comcast Center, please also see: |
