204 South 12th Street in Midtown Village, Center City Philadelphia

With the completion of the luxury high-rise, mixed-use residential building at 204 South 12th Street in Midtown Village, Center City, Philadelphia, apartment seekers received yet another new set of fantastic options for housing in Philly.

Rendering Courtesy of BLT Architects

Designed with modernist elements by BLT Architects (BLTa), before the firm's merger with internationally acclaimed Perkins Eastman in 2022, and Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners (RSHP), the final 31-story, 366-foot-high above-ground tower was placed in the heart of the Washington Square West Neighborhood. At a cost of approximately $111.7 million for the project from start to finish through management by Hunter Roberts Construction Group, this central position between commercial and other districts to the northwest and a slight distance from the center of Midtown Village to the southeast, provides residents and visitors easy access to area dining and entertainment establishments, healthcare centers and the Rittenhouse Row shopping district.

Bordered by South 12th Street, St. James Street and Chancellor Street to the east, south and north, respectively, the structure offers 414,206 square feet of new real estate to the area. It includes a 41,380-square-foot, three-level, below-grade garage with 68 parking spaces, automation, EV charging stations and ride-share vehicles; an overall above- and below-ground total of 96 parking spaces for cars and 130 for bicycles; 40,000 square feet of lobby and retail space across two floors; a third-floor mix of community- and social-focused amenities; an expanded rooftop terrace on the 30th floor with clear, breathtaking views; and 28 residential apartment and upper penthouse levels that house 378 studio, one-bedroom, one-bedroom with a den and two-bedroom units. Resident and business community amenities include a conference room, kitchenette, fitness center, game room, lounge, library, outdoor pool, sun deck and cinema, sauna and yoga room on the third floor, and a dining room, kitchen and lounge on the terrace level.

Initial planning involved building information modeling and virtual design and construction for a 448-foot above-ground tower. Hunter Roberts Construction Group and its subcontractors demolished several preexisting buildings and handled environmental remediation from 2020 to 2021 before the start of construction. Afterward, the designers decreased the building's planned height. D'Angelo Bros. Inc. (DBI) performed the early bulk excavation, underpinning, dewatering and utility connection. DBI removed 17,000 cubic yards of soil at a total depth of 35 feet below grade for the underground garage and 45 feet below grade for the elevator pit. It also installed 155 tiebacks, 280 cubic yards of underpinning, and 15,000 square feet of sheeting.

Hunter Roberts supplied extensive construction management, subcontractor and post-construction closeout services. The firm is well known for its construction offerings across a wide range of markets that include not only residential, retail and interior construction projects but also athletic, civil, cultural, educational, healthcare, historic redevelopment, hospitality, infrastructure, laboratory and life science ones. It has a portfolio of billions of dollars of booked and completed projects. The firm notes on its website that its mission is to improve cities through business expansion, childhood education and health and wellness.

The experience and professionalism of BLT Architects, Perkins Eastman, Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, and Hunter Roberts Construction Group shine through with the 204 South 12th Street tower installation. This addition to Philadelphia's skyline, with a height higher than the Lower North Philly Spring Garden Inquirer Building, offers a final result that immediately draws positive attention to the area. The tower's structural elements are similar to other HRCG-managed projects like the University of Pennsylvania business co-working and research Pennovation Center at 3401 Grays Ferry Avenue in Philadelphia and the 68-74 Trinity Place mixed-use luxury residential tower in New York City.

The 204 South 12th Street tower features a black-clad metal and white concrete column exterior and grid layout with an awe-inspiring ground-level lobby and full-height window panels throughout the grid. Sidewalks are bordered with gardens and trees to restore natural elements to the urban setting. As the tower rises into the air, high-quality glass on all sides gives the building an immediate modern and expansive feel and shimmers at a distance. Yet, these elements don't draw the most attention.

Instead of the architects using traditional red brick in the upper levels of the tower, the interior boasts bright red vertical lines of curtains contrasted with gray panels and the grid to create a striking new Philly landmark that emphasizes powerful, modernist elements from a distance. The interior contains brick, metal, stone and wood colors and materials. To create a feeling of expansiveness, the first-floor, 24-hour attended lobby offers tall, wide square archways and design features that border floor traffic zones with clean, long geometric layouts.

The residential units present panoramic views and open floor spaces accentuated with contrasting shades of light- and dark-colored floors, ceilings, walls and built-in bookshelves and other types of storage. Every space receives sustainable natural lighting through large floor-to-ceiling windows by day and a mix of various types of environmentally friendly light fixtures by night that include chandelier, undercabinet and recessed lighting. The apartments boast countless amenities that include not only large kitchen pantries and walk-in closets but also modern technological features that enhance security and comfort, like keyless entry and quiet, app-controlled smart air conditioning and thermostat systems.

The terrace on the rooftop provides diverse seating options for social gatherings and individual moments of contemplation or work needs framed by various types of greenery and tempered clear glass railings. With this upper-level amenity, residents and visitors can experience a relaxing, above-it-all atmosphere while they enjoy their surroundings. The Tower at 12th Street and Chancellor makes it possible for them to soak in with wonder the many different types of architecture found in Center City, holiday and other celebrations and associated fireworks and music, and the beauty of the sun as it rises and sets from the horizon across Philadelphia's frequently indescribable cityscape.