Apartments Will Rise in Place of Former Parking Garage on North Broad
A tall, thin former parking garage at 142 North Broad Street, which is currently owned by Convention Center Parking, is slated to be renovated and converted into a new apartment building. The current garage dates back to the 1920s and is sandwiched between the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts’ Fisher Building and another parking garage owned by Parkway Corporation, across from the Pennsylvania Convention Center’s North Broad entrance. This development is being designed by Michael Ytterberg of Bower Lewis Thrower Architects.
The new development will add four additional floors to the building, to make it a ten story building, the same height as the Fisher Building. The top four floors will have large glass windows and balconies. The entire building will have 101 rental apartment units. Approximately 75 of those units will be studio apartments and 25 will be one-bedroom apartment units. All the units will be fairly large, however. The first floor will have a retail space with a modern façade, much like the upper floors. The terra cotta on the historic façade will be restored and large factory-style glass windows, with metal panels in the middle, will be added to replace the existing dilapidated windows.
The developers hope to begin construction early next year. They recently received a zoning variance from the Zoning Board of Adjustment for the dimensions of the expanded building. The Logan Square Neighbors Association had voiced non-opposition to the project at the Zoning Board hearing. This is just one of several new developments along North Broad Street, which are changing the character of this long overlooked stretch of the Avenue of the Arts. Across the street, next to the expanded Pennsylvania Convention Center, is the 101 North Broad building, which is being renovated into an Aloft Hotel. The former Philadelphia Inquirer/Daily News Building is also slated to be converted into a hotel by developer Bart Blatstein. Next to, and across the street, to the Inquirer Building, two apartment buildings are under construction at Broad and Callowhill Streets. Further up Broad Street, the former Divine Lorraine Hotel is being renovated into apartments and just to the south the former Ridge Avenue Shelter, which fronts on Broad Street, and a building at 655 North Broad are being renovated into office space and apartments, respectively. The renovation of 142 North Broad will be another stylish addition to the building boom and the revitalized corridor.
By, Gabriel Gottlieb
