In the past couple of years, the city has added a couple of skyline-changing commercial office buildings: the Cira Centre and the Comcast Center. Both buildings added a significant amount of commercial space to the city, including office space for several law firms at Cira.
Now, the initial steps have been taken towards the development of the tallest building in the country, right here at 18th and Arch. The American Commerce Center would rise up 1,500 feet, significantly dwarfing the 945 foot One Liberty Place (which had been the tallest building in the city), the 975 foot Comcast Center, as well as the rest of the “skyscrapers” in the area.
Whether that’s a good thing remains to be scene. As can be expected, there is some neighboring opposition to the proposed construction. I think the city is still trying to get used to the revamped skyline, and the addition of the tallest building in the country in the near future may be a little too much. And is there really enough office space demand? But, if nothing else, the added commercial space could help address the other issue of brand new condo buildings in the city. After all, the people are going to need to live somewhere.
Tags: American Commerce Center, Cira Centre, Comcast Center, One Liberty Place, skyscrapers
June 20, 2008 at 6:26 pm |
I think another skyscraper would be fine, but adding a building that’s so much higher than anything else is a mistake aesthetically. From the right distance, the city skyline is going to look like an old-school Atari joystick.
Then again, Philadelphia builders don’t exactly have a history of trying to make their buildings fit in with their surroundings. Maybe “eclectic to the point of wrongness” is the new “pleasant to look at.”