The historic Robert Morris Building at 17th and Arch that's been converted into a rental building (The Arch) is now open for pre-leasing. The building has a vaunted pedigree: It was built as a hotel in 1914, named for a Founding Father and is historically certified and admired as a classic example of early 20th-century Gothic architecture. But it was vacant for so many years, it seemed the Wawa nearby had more fans. Those who did admire its appearance were grateful to finally see construction teams going at it last year—though carefully, so the historic details would be preserved.
Over at Philaphilia, GroJLart wrote a profane (of course) recent history of the building: "In late 2007, San Fransisco-based Kimpton Hotels saw the facade of the building and said, 'Hell motherfucking yeah!! Let's make some dough!' and planned on doing a total renovation into a four-star hotel ..." It didn't work out. Instead, a joint venture between 806 Capital and Federal Capital Partners ultimately made it happen. Scully Company now has the job of marketing the property.
Here are some things to know about the apartments themselves, beyond your regular dishwasher/garbage disposal/microwave stuff:
No trips to the laundromat: Washer and dryer in unit
Flooring plus or minus, depending on your point of view: hardwood floors in common living areas but wall-to-wall in bedrooms
As for the listed amenities:
· 24 hour emergency maintenance
· Clubroom
· Concierge services
· controlled access
· Elevator (um, yes. It is a high-rise.)
· Fitness center
· On site property management
· Storage facilities
· Front desk/lobby attendant
· Digital Media Theater
· Convenient to Rittenhouse Square and Museum District
· Distinctively finished Penthouse Level
· Cats allowed
· We welcome dogs under 30 pounds
We know that, aside from the prejudice against Great Danes, those are a lot of really good amenities, the location is phenomenal, and the building is beautiful. We'll be going for a walk-through soon and have photos of the actual units rather than renderings, but we're confident that the apartments look pretty good. But all of this will not come cheap. We're talking, per month:
Studio (514-550 sq ft): $1,475
Large studio (550 sq ft): $1,589
One bedroom (457-461 sq ft): $1,241
One bedroom "executive" (491-531 sq ft): $1,270
One bedroom "deluxe" (624-650 sq ft): $1,560
Two bedroom, one bath (732-847 sq ft): $1,837
Two bedroom, two bath (769-952 sq ft): $2,001
The prices aren't out of line with Center City rents; they're just pricey for the square footage. But again, nothing new. Seems like the deals are better at the higher end.
· The Arch