Photos: 1st phase of East Market tops off

Construction workers placed the final beam at the top of the 17-story tower at East Market this morning, marking a major topping off milestone two years after breaking ground.

Dozens of Tutor Perini and Berlin Steel workers and designers involved with the project signed a white steel beam adorned with an American flag and a Christmas tree. They then watched as it was hoisted above and placed on top of the residential tower.

The L-shaped building, called the Ludlow, will feature 322 modern residential units, retail, and restaurants. Eventually, it will be joined by another 22-story residential tower next door, also designed by BLT Architects.

Meanwhile, next door is 1100 Ludlow, the warehouse-like office building that was designed by Morris Adjmi Architects. In addition to office space, it will include the Design Center, Design Within Reach, and Mom’s Organic Market.

The first phase broke ground in October 2014, and posed a difficult challenge for the structural engineers at the Harman Group. “In addition to navigating a challenging urban site, we had to find innovative ways to stack residential, retail and parking layouts across both the podium system and tower system so that it was not only functional, but also beautiful and cost effective,” said senior project engineer Chris Gottschall in a statement.

Vertical construction on the first phase didn’t begin until February 2015. With the topping off complete, Ludlow and 1100 Ludlow should open in late spring 2017.

• East Market’s 2nd residential tower sails through design review [Curbed Philly]
• A second residential tower at East Market heads to Civic Design Review [Curbed Philly]
• Inside the $600 million East Market mixed-use development [Curbed Philly]