The Curtis Center was built in 1910 to house the headquarters of the The Curtis Publishing Company, founded in 1891, whose publications included the Ladies' Home Journal and The Saturday Evening Post. Designed by Edgar Viguers Seeler in the Beaux Arts Style, the full-block building is set to experience major changes - bought last year by Keystone Property Group and Mack-Cali Realty Corporation for $125 million. The 12-story building will now house luxury apartments in addition to offices, retail space, and a large space on the ground floor on the Sixth Street corner that will be offered for lease as a restaurant. The 100,000-piece Tiffany Studios mosaic, The Dream Garden, will remain in the lobby.
"We want to create a vibrant pedestrian experience … a 24-hour destination," said Jennifer Cooperman, development director for Keystone, mirroring comments made by Jeff DeVuono, Brandywine Realty Trust's Executive Vice President and Senior Managing Director as he waxed optimistic for the future of University City late last year.
In December's Center City District-sponsored panel on linking Center City and University City, DeVuono briefed the audience on the details of the FMC Tower at Cira Center South in University City and "relayed Brandywine's hope that the cumulative impact of theirs' and others' investments will bring about a "24-hour situation" livening up what is currently an institutional dead zone at night."
You sleep when you're dead, right? Besides, we can think of worse things keeping us up at night.
· Curtis Center will be a central hub for Washington Square [Philly.com]
· A tale of two cities no more? Developing the Schuylkill [Curbed Philly]
· Keep Dungy away from Chip [Jawnville]