PHILADELPHIA | The Residences at the Ritz-Carlton | 518 FT / 158 M | 48 FLOORS
 

The Residences at the Ritz-Carlton

Official Website: Residences at the Ritz-Carlton.

Location: 1414 South Penn Square, Philadelphia, PA 19103
Usage: Condominium with 580,000 sf of residential space with ground-level retail.
Height: 518' (157.9 meters) Floors: 48
Architects: Handel Architects LLP
Developer: The Arden Group, Inc.
President and CEO: Craig A. Spencer
Estimated Cost: $275,000,000
Units: 280 units, from $500,000 to $12,000,000 for a 10,000 sf penthouse.
Completion: 2008
Amenities/Features:
• Billiards room
• Fitness center
• Swimming pool & spa
• Catering pantry
• Private garden

The One Meridian Plaza Fire
The plot of land where the Resindence at the Ritz-Carlton is to be built was once home to the 1972 One Meridian Plaza (Vincent Kling & Associates), a 38-floor skyscraper that suffered a severe fire on February 23, 1991. The fire started on the 22nd floor and raged for 18 hours, gutting eight floors and causing an estimated $100 million in direct property loss. It was later described by Philadelphia officials as "the most significant fire [of the last] century". Three Philadelphia firefighters lost their lives battling the blaze.

Meridian's owners and its insurers spent the next nine years haggling over compensation, letting the charred hulk of One Meridian Plaza stand out like a big, ugly, sore thumb. A settlement was finally reached in 1999.

The Spencer-Mahoney Feud
October 1999: Liberty Property Trust of Malvern tried to buy the site. Craig A. Spencer files a lawsuit to block the $13.5 million deal, asserting that the owner was reneging on a deal with his frim, the Arden Group. Liberty later backs off.
May 2000: Spencer's Arden Group buys the 22,000 sf site for $13.2 million and drops its lawsuit. Developer Tim Mahoney, of Ardmore, buts the adjacent site at the northeast croner of 15th and Chestnut Streets from Berwind Property Group. Buildings on the site are subsequently demolished.
January 2, 2003: The Spencer-Mahoney feud flares into the open before the City Zonind Board of Adjustment. The board approves Mahoney's proposed condo tower, and Spencer appeals that decision in the Common Pleas Court. He subsequently wins zoning approval for an even taller condo tower, and Mahoney retaliates by seeking to kill that approval in court.
May 2004: Spencer and Mahoney call a truce and say they will back each other's tower.
January 2005: Mahoney goes back before the zoning board with a revised proposal to replace the one that Common Pleas Court rejected. Spencer opposes the new plan, too.
July 2005: A new shorter version of Residences at the Ritz-Carlton with a public plaza was announced.
May 2, 2006: Official groundbreaking ceremony is held.
May 31, 2006: Tim Mahoney's Mariner company puts 1441 Chestnut on the market.

Renderings & Views

Renderings courtesy of Handel Architects LLP.
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e3...ous/435576.jpghttp://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e3...us/ResRitz.jpg

Model based on older design. Photo courtesy of volguus zildrohar.
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e3.../ResRitzVZ.jpg

Aerial view showing future site. Photo courtesy of Metro.
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e3...zMetroView.jpg

Recent photo looking north showing removal of underground garage roof where the buildings foundation will sit.
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e3...ResRitzNew.jpg

A good looking building. It's simple in shape but has a lot of nice styling queues which will make it stand out. Where will it be situation in context with the rest of downtown? Will it be stuck behind taller buildings or will it be visiable from a distance/

48 Floors?
 

Didn't the number of floors get upped to 48 after the settlement with Mahoney?

This will be the jewel of Center City until (hoping) Mandeville becomes a reality.

I can't post this image from work but maybe someone else can?? It's from Jcorn on phillyblog and shows the work that has already been done on the parking lot as of 6/4/06

http://static.flickr.com/74/16029440...8a6aef.jpg?v=0

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e3...c9228a6aef.jpg

Sweet!

I really like this building. It's sleek, classic modernism, it's never going to look dated. and this is comng from someone who thinks most postwar architecture is crap. If 1441 is built, I think think they'll be the best-looking pair of postwar apartment towers in the city.

what do the floorplates look like? it looks like the left corner is slanted.

What a beautiful tower...I cannot wait to watch this one rise

It will be right next to city hall, where the parking lot is in this picture:

Thanks for that, aesop :) Just to clarify for bayrider, this tower will rise on just the lighter 1/2 of that parking area. The darker parking lot is where the proposed 670', 58 story "1441 Chestnut" condo/hotel tower would be smeeshed next to this one.

^^^ yes RayZ, see description in first post.

This is going to look great when it's rising and when it's complete. Now, all we have to do is get 1441 Chestnut back on track and this square would represent the best of Philly.

By the way, I'll have a cheesesteak with. At Geno's. (It's not like you could order in any other language other than English anyway so I fail to see what all the crying is over.)

I really like the design of that tower.

thats what the fuss is over ? your kidding right. jesus christ.

The RATR is a great looking building. it will fill that gap nicely. i cant wait until december when i get back into town for the holidays-we will have at least 5 major high rises well underway at that time !!

If you look across 15th street from the parking lot you can see two buildings that seem to take up about as much space N-S as RATR and 1441 Chestnut will take up. All I can say is...damn, they're gonna be skinny.

That's a pretty decent-looking tower. I want one for Seattle! :)

Awesome job on the intro page :tup:

It's amazing how few One Meridian Plaza photos there are floating around.
http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/833...anplaza3ed.jpg

hey william, can you do a rendering with RTAR and Comcast in the skyline.

:previous: I'll try, if I find a photo that will allow it :)

yay for this thread! now just wait three years for it to be finished.