Earlier today we passed by 1919 Market St., and quickly realized that it's been too long since we last provided an update on this project. Remember, this parcel was last home to the Penn Center Inn, a building that was demolished in 1990 in anticipation of a twin to the IBX Tower next door. Several other projects came down the pike for this parcel over the years but it remained vacant until PHS opened their first pop-up garden here in 2011.
This made for a pleasant summer for the northeast corner of 20th & Market, but large development was always in store for this site and it was just a question of who would do it and when it would finally happen. That question was answered by Brandywine Realty Trust when they broke ground a little over a year ago. And since our last visit in October of 2014, there's been some impressive progress. Back then, site work was taking place behind a fence and passersby had no idea what was happening on the other side. Today, it's pretty darn clear.
In case you don't remember, the project was designed by Barton Partners and plans call for calling for 321 luxury rental apartments. The project will also include parking for 215 cars over five stories, and some of the parking spots will be available to the public. Most of the building's commercial space will be filled by a CVS and office space for Independence Blue Cross. When all's said and done, the building will look like this:
It's amazing that it's taken twenty-five years for redevelopment at this property, but the project seems appropriate, the drawings look nice, and we'd bet those units will rent very quickly. Construction is moving quickly and we won't have to wait long for reality to catch up to the renderings. A reversal from the norm, we'd say the building looks better in person than it does in the renderings, but we'll have to wait until it's all done to pass final judgement. We're excited to see the finished product, surely sometime in 2016.