Ave of the Arts building going Apartments.

Avenue of the Arts

Avenue of JKR Partners aka Chestnut Street

We are continuing our hot streak on the 1300 block of Chestnut Street and working our way up North on Broad. If you didn't already know, we've done the schematic plans for the Juniper Hotel, we've fit out Dick Blick, we've done the Lucky Strike, we've done the Olive Garden, and we've done the Capital Grille. Now we are going fit out the rest of the Avenue of the Arts building with 220 upscale apartments at 176k SF of space via a gut renovation, adding a state-of-art fitness center and roof deck, with units ready in 2016.The building was originally built in 1897 as office space and was most recently used as student housing for the University of the Arts.  We're in there surveying as we speak!

Southstar Lofts Sneak Peek

zach and Dave check out the mocked up corridor

talk about natural light

Broad Street view

Today was pretty frigid, but we managed to field a group of 10 people to tour our new Southstar Lofts project which is under construction at the corner of Broad and South Streets.  The 85 unit apartment building is about three quarters of the way done.  We were able to view the construction at various levels of completion since each floor is a little bit more done than the next.  see all the pictures from the tour here.

JKR announces two new hires

Elisa and Jeff

Last week we added two new designers to our already burgeoning design department.  Elisa Lanzutti is a world traveler, and has worked in Italy and the United Kingdom before taking her talents to the States.  She is working on some tenant fit out work at the former St. Agnes Hospital on Broad Street and a new retail project in the Great Northeast.  Jeff Pelcheck comes from another small firm in the area focusing mostly on institutional work and healthcare projects.  A recent Temple University grad, Jeff is working on a large scale residential project in Connecticut. We're looking forward to them joining our team and sharing their talents!

More good news for Broad Street Walgreens

Our flagship Walgreens continues to get rave reviews! Check out the full story in today's Philadelphia Inquirer.

N.Broad Street looking up

nice welcoming stair

pretty sweet courtyard if you ask me

love that brick pattern

with views like this, there's some incentive to take a few years to graduate.

You gotta give credit where credit is due.  MGA Partners did a bang up job on their new Morgan Hall complex at Temple University.  North Broad Street has been on the up and up for the last few years, but this project will put it over the top.  This project will finally put people on the street, Broad Street in particular and really put Temple back on the map as not just another commuter school.  It looks like they pulled out all the stops with great materials, great views, great landscaping, and pretty good urbanism.  Check out the photos here and here by Bradley Maule.

Welcome to Walgreens?

Blake here:  On the last day of July in 2013 Philadelphia opened the doors to a new breed of Walgreens, and the first of its kind in the state of Pennsylvania.  Located at the corner of Broad and Chestnut Streets welcome to Walgreens on steroids.  I mean when was the last time you got fro yo at a Walgreens?  Or used a digital interface to see how a certain makeup would look on your gorgeousness before you made the purchase, ladies?  Well you can here.

Then - as Borders

Previously this was a place to feed the mind as Borders.  Now you can feed it all with food, cosmetics, reading materials, and medication within the newly renovated 3-story space.  And to add to the Philadelphia experience inside you'll find areas dedicated to local favorites such as the Crayola, Philadelphia Water Ice, Hershey's, Center City Pretzel, and Just Born companies.  Check it out for yourself, this is no ordinary Walgreens.

Southstar Update

Elevator shaft going up

looking East: steel going in

Things are moving along at our Southstar Lofts construction site at the corner of Broad and South Streets in the city.  After a few weeks of digging and hundreds and hundreds of truckloads of dirt, we're finally seeing this baby peeking it's head out of the ground. Steel arrived Friday and a lot of it is already in place.  Block walls at the eastern end of the site have broken the surface, and the elevator shaft is up to the second floor.  Five more floors to go!

Southstar Lofts featured in the daily Metro Paper

Southstar in the daily Metro

Southstar Lofts, the 85 unit apartment building we designed at the corners of Broad and South Streets is still just a hole in the ground, but it's been generating some excitement along the Avenue of the Arts.  It recently received a pretty nice little endorsement in the daily Metro Paper.  South Street is heating up, and we're glad to be a part of it.

Southstar Lofts Construction Update

inside the soon to be parking garage

lagging up, grade beam along the northern Rodman St side.

Looking South to South Street

 

 

Foundation wall getting poured along Rodman Street side.

Finally, real construction has started.  Although it may not be much to look at just yet, we're pretty excited about the hole!With the lagging erected, we're almost completely dug out and foundation walls coming soon. 

Southstar Lofts Groundbreaking

The Southstar Crew:Paul Horning from Clemens;Jerry, Broh, Izzo, Carl Dranoff of Dranoff Properties; Zach, and Josh Weingram also from Dranoff

Ain't nothing more delicious than a Southstar Lofts Tuna Salad.

The Phanatic giving Carl a big wet one.

It's been a while since we had some big news with our Southstar Lofts project, but yesterday was our official groundbreaking held at the Suzanne Roberts Theater.  The Dranoff team held a knockout event, complete with all the important politicians and movers and shakers, even the Phillie Phanatic was there.  Clemens Construction has already been hard at work at the site a few blocks away.  We're almost done digging.  Check back for more updates.

Walgreens without Borders

Remember this? The dvds were in the center, and off to the left were the architecture books. The chandeliers are staying.

Demolition underway.  The old color scheme is out.

Free advertising on Broad Street.

It's always sad when a bookstore closes, but it's more sad if a building in a prominent location sits empty. Before you say, "Aw man, not another Walgreens!" this isn't just any old Walgreens.  This is like a luxury drugstore for famous people. I mean, when was the last time you went to a drugstore and thought, "I'm just going to pick up some Q-tips and maybe get some sushi and a carrot smoothie for lunch while I'm there."  It's kinda like a bricks and mortar Craigslist.  It's got everything. This is another Sam and Dave undertaking, transforming this former Borders Books on the corner of Broad and Chestnut in the city into a flagship Walgreens like they have in NYC and Chicago.  Should be pretty awesome when it's done.