Your perspective on 401 Race St. probably depends on how long you've been in Philadelphia. Those who can remember back to the 1950s might remember when this building was home to the Whitman's Chocolate factory. We don't go back that far, but we do remember buying some suits there in the late 1990s from Pincus Brothers-Maxwell. And for people who only remember the last decade, you may not have ever given the property much thought, as it's been, to our knowledge, quietly waiting for its next chapter.

401 Race St., view from 4th Street

View at 5th & Race

About five years ago, ARC Properties came forward with a plan to demolish the old factory and replace it with a large and modern hotel building with a Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar and Grill on the first floor. This project ultimately fell through, perhaps because of neighbor opposition to the restaurant/club, or maybe because hotel deals can sometimes be delicate and this one just didn't work out. It's a darn shame, because JKRP Architects designed a really lovely building.

The plan from a few years ago

Earlier this year, Priderock Capital Partners came forward with a totally new concept for this property, meeting twice with the community and presenting to Civic Design Review in June. Like the canceled hotel project, this also calls for the demolition of the existing building, but instead of tourists it will cater to residents. The project will rise four stories and include 216 apartments and no retail. There will be 40 surface parking spots and another 144 parking spots underground. The massing of the building will cover the entire block, though there will be two interior courtyards for resident use. Check out these drawings from Barton Partners.

Project site plan

Project rendering from 4th Street

Project rendering from 5th Street

According to Plan Philly, the project was lambasted at CDR. One board member described the project as "broken down architecture," while another called it "sort of sad." But CDR is only advisory and the project was ultimately supported by the Planning Commission. In late August, the ZBA gave their approval, requiring some minor architectural changes.

Point: Hooray, this prominent property is getting redeveloped, bringing hundreds of new units to Old City. Wonderful, there's a ton of parking with the proposal, so a tight parking situation in the neighborhood won't be exacerbated. Also, it's great that this understated building won't detract attention from the Ben Franklin Bridge or the US Mint next door, or Independence Mall.

Counterpoint: GAAAAARGH! This stumpy four-story building is the best we can do at 5th & Race? We wouldn't celebrate a building like this on Washington Avenue, let alone as one of the first things people see when the cross the bridge to enter Philadelphia. We could've had a wonderful modern hotel here and instead we're getting this? People on CDR board appropriately called this project on the carpet but the law renders their feedback largely toothless, so all we're getting are some minor changes from the drawings above? As we said previously, GAAAAARGH!