New 47-story building to be built across from Penn Park

Penn has signed a 20-year lease for four floors of office space in the building.

The soon-to-be sixth tallest building in Philadelphia is coming to University City.

Brandywine Realty announced on Thursday that they were developing the 47-story FMC Tower at Cira Centre South, on 30th and Walnut streets, across from Penn Park.

Penn has signed a 20-year lease for four floors of office space in the building. The tower’s primary tenant will be FMC Corporation, a specialty chemical company, who signed a 16 year, 253,000 square-foot lease. The building’s 830,000 square feet of space will include 575,000 square feet of offices and 10,000 square feet of retail. The rest of the space will be converted into 260 luxury apartment suites with concierge services.

The LEED Silver design of the building includes faceted glass and metal panels and an elevated green park. The tower’s amenities will include an aquatic center with a pool and deck, a spa and fitness center, a business conference center and a garage with 1,662 parking spaces. Construction is set to begin in the middle of 2014, and developers plan for a 2016 opening.

The project also includes a plan for Cira Green, set to open in the end of 2014. The elevated, one-acre space will be connected to FMC Tower at Centre City South via a sky bridge.

This isn’t the first time Penn has worked with Brandywine. Currently under construction is the $520 million building called evo at Cira Centre South on 30th and Chestnut streets, set to be a 850 bed upscale housing option targeted for graduate and professional students. The site on which the building is being constructed — which Brandywine began reviewing in 2007 — is currently leased by the University. The building is set to open in fall 2014 after a formal construction announcement in February 2013 and will be 33 stories high.

Brandywine Realty has been active in the area outside of its dealings with Penn. Brandywine also developed the original Cira Centre — located at 30th and Arch streets — which opened in 2006 as the first office tower in West Philadelphia. The 28 floor, 730,000 square foot building is connected to 30th Street Station.

Brandywine also spent $350 million to revitalize the 30th Street Post Office.

Source: The Daily Pennsylvanian