American Commerce Center was an ugly design (CITC is better) and was not derailed by parochial and short sighted thinking (though such thinking does exist in Philly). 2010 was the height of the recession and there were no foreseeable anchor tenants. Or other sizable tenants. Developers and investors don't pursue 1500 foot tall spec office buildings. For the most part, this holds true even in New York where the economics and tenant viability are far different. It's exactly why there's been such a long delay on 2 WTC. To further the point, you have it backwards. This is the real world. Not the Field of Dreams. They won't come just because you build it. New York does not get corporate headquarters for the likes of TD Bank, GSK (in fact headquartered in the Philly Navy Yard), or GE BECAUSE it builds a tower like this. New York CAN build towers like this because it is an established international power city and lands those kind of tenants. When Philly gets another sizable anchor tenant to commit, it will build another supertall. Philly is working on changes to the tax code and corporate culture to become more attractive to business and is doing better than ever on that front. When we achieve these goals, more tall buildings will follow.
One Vanderbilt is looking good! Looking forward to seeing it rise.
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Originally Posted by wanderer34
If only Philadelphia had built the American Commerce Center back in 2010 as opposed to the monstrosity known as the Comcast Information and Technology Center, we would've had the second largest building in America.
This is one of the things I love about NYC: the fact that NYC can continue to evolve as a world class city while Philadelphia continues to stagnate due to its very parochial and short sighted thinking. If One Vanderbilt was proposed somewhere in Center City, NIMBYs would all of a sudden come out the woodworks to either oppose the tower or to have it shortened.
I wouldn't be surprised if San Francisco, Miami, Boston, or even Atlanta or Houston propose a tower taller than the one that Philly is currently constructing. And to think that the ACC wouldn't not just been the tallest in America, but Philly could've had a TD Bank, GSK, or GE as its headquarters!
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