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Mapping South Broad Street’s development projects

Lots of rentals, condos, hotels, and more are on the way

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South Broad Street is no longer just home to a cluster of theaters, gas stations, and dive bars. Today, there are multi-million dollar development projects in the works, ranging from high-rise hotels to luxury apartment buildings to condo towers.

As the Inquirer’s architecture critic Inga Saffron recently put it, the Avenue of the Arts has “now morphed into the Avenue of the Apartments.”

The residential development boom on South Broad comes nearly a decade after developer Carl Dranoff first brought the Symphony House, the pink condo tower, to South Broad. Dranoff, who has even more projects in the works for this strip, said of South Broad Street last year, “I think the story the next decade will be where South Philly meets Center City.”

Here are 10 projects currently under construction or in the pipeline, poised to bring continued transformation to South Broad. Did we miss a project? Hit the tipline or leave a comment!

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Cambria Hotel & Suites

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After breaking ground in June 2016, the 15-story Cambria Hotel at South Broad and Locust topped off at just under 200 feet in March 2017. When it opens in winter 2018, the DAS Architects-designed project will bring  223 hotel rooms to the block, as well as a fitness center, a business center, and a 3,000-square-foot rooftop bar, the first for Broad Street, according to developer Pearl Properties.

Fun fact: The site of the hotel used to be a parking garage. Before that? It was a natatorium, one of the most popular indoor swimming pools in Philadelphia during the mid-19th century.

The exterior of the Cambria Philadelphia building. The facade is grey with multiple windows and balconies and fire escapes. Photo by Melissa Romero

Merriam Theater

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The Merriam Theater has graced the Avenue of the Arts on South Broad Street since 1918. Now, the venue is about to embark on a massive renovation to create a better experience for theater-goers. There are no concrete plans set in stone, but the goal of the renovation is to keep the theater as its core, while taking advantage of the site’s air rights, too. That could include something like a 23-story tower.

The facade of the Merriam Theater on South Broad Street. Courtesy of Shutterstock.com

Atlantic Building

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After buying this 21-story office tower in 2014, local developer Post Brothers has been outfitting it with 160 rental units, 40 condos, and 13,000 square feet of retail. Rafael Viñoly Architects, which designed the nearby Kimmel Center, was tapped for the design. Construction is expected to finish up in fall 2018.

The exterior of the Atlantic in Philadelphia. The facade is white. Photo by Melissa Romero

 SLS International Hotel & Residences

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It’s been four years since developer Carl Dranoff announced plans to build the SLS Hotel at the corner of Broad and Spruce. Since then, Philadelphia International Records has been razed, leaving a dirt pit in its place. When this $230 million project eventually gets going—it’s waiting on a $19 million state grant—it will be the city’s tallest residential tower built from the ground up, bringing 45 stories with 90 condo units, 152 hotel rooms, and retail to the site.

The exterior of the SLS International Hotel and Residences in Philadelphia. The facade is red with glass. Rendering by KPF Architects and Cope Linder

337 S Broad St

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After receiving city and design approval, Carl Dranoff and Cecil Baker+Partners are teaming up to bring a 28-story condo tower to the corner of Broad and Pine, which is currently home to a Starbucks and a parking garage. The tower will feature 56 condos, a 92-car underground parking garage, and 2,900 square feet of ground-floor retail.

Rendering by Cecil Baker+Partners

500 S Broad St

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There are a lot of eyes on the midcentury modern Health Center No. 1 after the city issued an RFQ for the 55,880-square-foot building at the corner of Broad and Lombard streets earlier this year. It promptly received historic designation, which preserves its facade, but the city is looking for a proposal that brings active uses to the ground floor level, while the upper stories could be residential, hotel, or more commercial space. It’s zoned CMX-4 for commercial mixed-use.

A teal-colored midcentury modern health center. Photo by Melissa Romero

1001 S Broad St

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Future development of this big, vacant lot on the corner of Broad and Washington Avenue has been hotly contested over the years, with the latest plans calling for 1,000 apartments and 160,000-square-feet of retail. Developer Bart Blatstein is behind the proposed project, after buying the lot for $19,550,000 earlier this year.

Photo by Melissa Romero

Lincoln Square

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After the design proposal cleared the Civic Design Review in November 2016, construction crews quickly got to work over at the site of Lincoln Square, a 130-foot-tall mixed-use development that more than 350 apartments, a grocery store in the historic train shed on site, and retail including a Target and a Petsmart. The $100 million project was designed by BLT Architects and developed by Kimco Realty.

1111 S Broad St

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Next to the Rock School of Dance, plans are in store for 53 one- and two-bedroom units with a roof deck, 12 parking spaces, 15 bike spaces, and retail. The project received Civic Design Review approval in April 2016 and was just issued a new construction permit in October.

Rendering by Harman Deutsch Architecture

St. Rita Place and Cascia Center

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As the rest of South Broad gets developed and redeveloped with luxury condos and apartments, a parking lot next to St. Rita’s Church is poised for senior affordable housing. Plans are in the works to build a five-story apartment building designed by Cecil Baker + Partners, with 46 one-bedroom units, for income-qualified senior citizens. It’s a $17.3 million project that’s in the fundraising stages, though it does have zoning approval. Keep an eye out for the finished project in 2020.

Rendering by Cecil Baker + Partners

Cambria Hotel & Suites

After breaking ground in June 2016, the 15-story Cambria Hotel at South Broad and Locust topped off at just under 200 feet in March 2017. When it opens in winter 2018, the DAS Architects-designed project will bring  223 hotel rooms to the block, as well as a fitness center, a business center, and a 3,000-square-foot rooftop bar, the first for Broad Street, according to developer Pearl Properties.

Fun fact: The site of the hotel used to be a parking garage. Before that? It was a natatorium, one of the most popular indoor swimming pools in Philadelphia during the mid-19th century.

The exterior of the Cambria Philadelphia building. The facade is grey with multiple windows and balconies and fire escapes. Photo by Melissa Romero

Merriam Theater

The Merriam Theater has graced the Avenue of the Arts on South Broad Street since 1918. Now, the venue is about to embark on a massive renovation to create a better experience for theater-goers. There are no concrete plans set in stone, but the goal of the renovation is to keep the theater as its core, while taking advantage of the site’s air rights, too. That could include something like a 23-story tower.

The facade of the Merriam Theater on South Broad Street. Courtesy of Shutterstock.com

Atlantic Building

After buying this 21-story office tower in 2014, local developer Post Brothers has been outfitting it with 160 rental units, 40 condos, and 13,000 square feet of retail. Rafael Viñoly Architects, which designed the nearby Kimmel Center, was tapped for the design. Construction is expected to finish up in fall 2018.

The exterior of the Atlantic in Philadelphia. The facade is white. Photo by Melissa Romero

 SLS International Hotel & Residences

It’s been four years since developer Carl Dranoff announced plans to build the SLS Hotel at the corner of Broad and Spruce. Since then, Philadelphia International Records has been razed, leaving a dirt pit in its place. When this $230 million project eventually gets going—it’s waiting on a $19 million state grant—it will be the city’s tallest residential tower built from the ground up, bringing 45 stories with 90 condo units, 152 hotel rooms, and retail to the site.

The exterior of the SLS International Hotel and Residences in Philadelphia. The facade is red with glass. Rendering by KPF Architects and Cope Linder

337 S Broad St

After receiving city and design approval, Carl Dranoff and Cecil Baker+Partners are teaming up to bring a 28-story condo tower to the corner of Broad and Pine, which is currently home to a Starbucks and a parking garage. The tower will feature 56 condos, a 92-car underground parking garage, and 2,900 square feet of ground-floor retail.

Rendering by Cecil Baker+Partners

500 S Broad St

There are a lot of eyes on the midcentury modern Health Center No. 1 after the city issued an RFQ for the 55,880-square-foot building at the corner of Broad and Lombard streets earlier this year. It promptly received historic designation, which preserves its facade, but the city is looking for a proposal that brings active uses to the ground floor level, while the upper stories could be residential, hotel, or more commercial space. It’s zoned CMX-4 for commercial mixed-use.

A teal-colored midcentury modern health center. Photo by Melissa Romero

1001 S Broad St

Future development of this big, vacant lot on the corner of Broad and Washington Avenue has been hotly contested over the years, with the latest plans calling for 1,000 apartments and 160,000-square-feet of retail. Developer Bart Blatstein is behind the proposed project, after buying the lot for $19,550,000 earlier this year.

Photo by Melissa Romero

Lincoln Square

After the design proposal cleared the Civic Design Review in November 2016, construction crews quickly got to work over at the site of Lincoln Square, a 130-foot-tall mixed-use development that more than 350 apartments, a grocery store in the historic train shed on site, and retail including a Target and a Petsmart. The $100 million project was designed by BLT Architects and developed by Kimco Realty.

1111 S Broad St

Next to the Rock School of Dance, plans are in store for 53 one- and two-bedroom units with a roof deck, 12 parking spaces, 15 bike spaces, and retail. The project received Civic Design Review approval in April 2016 and was just issued a new construction permit in October.

Rendering by Harman Deutsch Architecture

St. Rita Place and Cascia Center

As the rest of South Broad gets developed and redeveloped with luxury condos and apartments, a parking lot next to St. Rita’s Church is poised for senior affordable housing. Plans are in the works to build a five-story apartment building designed by Cecil Baker + Partners, with 46 one-bedroom units, for income-qualified senior citizens. It’s a $17.3 million project that’s in the fundraising stages, though it does have zoning approval. Keep an eye out for the finished project in 2020.

Rendering by Cecil Baker + Partners