Hamilton Court renovations underway with 5 restaurants on board

In a move that’s sure to activate a long-listless street in University City, five pretty big-time name restaurants have signed leases with Post Brothers to set up shop at the historic Hamilton Court.

The developer, which has invested $250 million in the neighborhood over the past few years, announced yesterday that Bon Chon, Steve’s Prince of Steaks, Halal Guys, Tea Do, and I-CE NY have signed leases for more than 14,000 square feet of retail space on the ground level of Hamilton Court.

The news comes about five months after Post Brothers announced its plans to renovate the historic Hamilton Court, which was originally a swanky hotel-turned-apartment building. It’s listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

But for years, the streetscape along this 39th and Chestnut has been relatively inactive. Michael Pestronk, co-founder of Post Brothers, says they specifically chose to sign on these five restaurants in order to bring some life to the student-friendly neighborhood.

In a statement, he said, “They will bring the public back into Hamilton Court, which was long known as one of the city’s most trafficked public venues, but has been a private building for decades.”

The goal is for the restaurant tenants to move in by the end of summer 2017, before all of the college students arrive.

Meanwhile, apartment renovations are currently underway. Post Brothers says the 1- to 5-bedroom(!) apartments have already been updated, although many of the original details remain: Inlaid wooden floors, ornate fireplaces(!), original beams, and exposed brick walls.

They’re also in the process of converting a walled-off parking lot into an outdoor space with bocce courts, fire pits, and lounge areas. All that coupled with the 10,000-square-foot amenity facility that’s being built on the property, which will feature a fitness center, roof terrace with a pool, and yoga room.

The apartment renovations and new structure will finish up in a second phase, about two years from now.

• Flashy renderings revealed for Hamilton Court renovations [Curbed Philly]
• Here are the 7 properties that Post Brothers bought in University City [Curbed Philly]