Ahead of an official Civic Design Review meeting next month, Toll Brothers has revealed its new design plans for a 135,000-square-foot condo tower on Jewelers Row after nearly a year of tweaks and revisions.
The new designs, which call for a 24-story tower with 85
condo units, has changed significantly since the developer’s original
iteration, shrinking in size from 338 feet to 308 feet. The amount of
retail has nearly doubled since last year’s original plans.
The plan still calls for the demolition of four buildings on Jewelers Row—702-710 Sansom Street—and another on S. 7th Street.
“I think that based on the great feedback we’ve gotten
from a lot of people here we’re creating something that everybody can be
proud of and happy with,” Toll Brothers’ David Von Spreckelsen said in
an interview with Curbed Philly ahead of a Tuesday night zoning meeting
with the Washington Square West Civic Association.
Here’s how the new design proposal compares to the original:
Toll Brothers Jewelers Row Tower
Legend | 2017 version | 2018 version |
---|---|---|
Height (ft.) | 338 | 308 |
Stories | 29 | 24 |
# of condo units | 109 | 85 |
Retail (sq. ft.) | 2,600 | 4,500 |
The new permit for the building is also no longer under
unity of use, according to Von Spreckelsen. Instead, it’s being
developed pursuant to lot consolidation, which resulted in the shorter
tower with less floor area. In addition, the tower no longer spans the
alley way to the south of Jewelers Row.
The updates come nearly a year after the original
renderings were revealed in 2017. Since 2016, however, the proposal has
come under fire from the historic preservation community and residents
who are against the demolition of a series of buildings on Jewelers Row
that would make way for the tower.
One of the most significant cosmetic changes includes the
removal of the two-faced facades. Originally, the design called for a
masonry facade along Sansom Street that rose to the top of the building,
while the Washington Square-facing facade was clad in glass.
“What led to it was feedback we got from the constituents
who wanted the building to read as one, not having two separate
personalities,” said Von Spreckelsen. “So we went with the glass so that
it can sort of [...] disappear into the sky and be as un-obstructive as
possible but also be elegant and stately.”
In addition, the retail square footage has expanded to
4,500 square feet, which will potentially allow for at least three
retail tenants to set up shop on the ground floor. Von Spreckelsen said
Toll Brothers received positive feedback from Jewelers Row tenants who
have seen the most recent iterations of the retail space.
“They were encouraged by the addition of retail space,” he said, “and the fact that it would be modern retail space.”
The well-attended Washington Square West Civic
Association zoning meeting Tuesday night was meant to specifically
address the design of the proposed tower. Some attendees again expressed
their desire to have the facades of the current structures be preserved
instead of entirely demolished.
The designers SLCE Architects and developer reiterated
that they had considered it, but have “gone in another direction,”
adding that the facades have been changed over the years that they found
no way to “truly unify” the development with varying exteriors.
Architect Jim Davidson said the high-performance glass
facade and setbacks are meant to make the building stand out less and
have a more “delicate footprint.”
Davidson said, “It’s very much treated as a background building.”
The design proposal will be presented to the advisory Civic Design Review committee on February 6, 2018.