New Lincoln Square Renderings Revealed

Last March we learned that yet another mixed-use development named Lincoln Square was in the works for South Broad and Washington, directly across the street from Bart Blatstein's proposed mega-project.

But the location is the only thing the two projects have in common. Unlike Blatstein's proposed 32-story tower and 1,800,000-square-foot development at 1001 S. Broad Street, the Lincoln Square project plans for an 9-story apartment building and retail on the ground floor.

Another glaring difference: Residents are actually in support of Lincoln Square.

The developers, Alterra and MIS Capital, met earlier this week with residents for an informational session on their proposed project and revealed new renderings. According to reports, it went over pretty well.

MIS Capital sent Curbed Philly the preliminary renderings, which reveal a new color scheme for the apartment building, which will include 356 units. Also in the proposal is a roof terrace with views of the skyline and three levels of parking (one underground).

Another rendering features the historic train shed, which served as a major hub for the Philadelphia-Wilmington-Baltimore Railroad line and a funeral stop of President Abraham Lincoln after his assassination. The plan is to repurpose it for retail.

Of course, this is all subject to change. Though he wouldn't go into specifics, Steve Gendler of MIS Capital says, "These are still very preliminary and lack critical details that we are already working on."

As the design stands now, Philadelphia Inquirer's architecture critic Inga Saffron suspects that Lincoln Square won't run into much criticism from the city or residents. In her latest column, she writes, "The mixed-use development on the west side of Broad and Washington isn't perfect, but it is likely to sail through the planning reviews."

She, too, compares Lincoln Square to Blatstein's, pointing out that the former will be wrapped with ground-floor shops, while the latter's proposed European retail village will be on the fourth level. The first three levels will be dedicated to a parking garage that dictates the layout and "is a disaster in the making."

Still, Blatstein, whose project is about two years in the making, has already concluded the design review process and will go to the zoning board later this month, where Saffron suspects it will likely get the green light to forge ahead, despite the critiques.

The Lincoln Square development is still in the beginning stages of the planning process and expects to go to the Civic Design Review later this year.

• $100M Lincoln Square Development Proposed for South Broad [Curbed Philly]
• Community shows support for Lincoln Square development [Passyunk Post]
• Green light likely for Blatstein's hated Broad Street high-rise [PI]
• Bart Blatstein's South Philly Projects [Curbed Philly]