BY: COLIN LESTOURGEON PHILLYYIMBY.COM 7:30 AM ON FEBRUARY 14, 2022
Construction is making steady progress at 3.0 University Place, a major commercial develop situated at 4101-23 Market Street, on the fringe of University City, West Philadelphia. The building rise eight stories tall and yield 272,294 square feet of space, with the ground floor housing retail space. The upper floors will hold office and laboratory space. A green roof will be situated atop the building.
Rendering of 3.0 University Place. Credit: The Steward Partnership.
The building’s modern facade will be a pleasant addition to a stretch of Market Street that has been somewhat lacking in investment in recent times. The main upper floors will be clad in floor-to-ceiling glass, with strips of bright orange cladding providing the occasional interruption that allows the building to stand out. The podium of the structure will span a large footprint, while gray brick will create a welcoming street presence. Thanks to the curvature of the building’s street wall, the sidewalk will be quite wide, allowing for inclusion of outdoor seating space, street trees, and bike racks.
Since YIMBY’s last update last May, when site prep work was underway, much progress has been made. A tower crane appeared at the site several months ago, which got right to work on the building’s steel frame. Floors one through six seem to have received the majority of their steel framing already, while floors seven and eight are currently seeing framework put into place, rising to the building’s full height. While it is certainly not the tallest structure in University City, the building still offers a major height increase for the site, and makes a notable impact upon the street below.
The new development is a great improvement for the site. It is certainly pleasant to see new commercial development pushing farther west, as well as adding height along Market Street. The building’s attractive street presence and design will certainly help beautify this section of the major thoroughfare. The presence of the Market-Frankford Line just a short walk to the east means that the large amount of jobs house within the building will be within close transit proximity. Aerial rendering of 3.0 University Place. Credit: The Steward Partnership. YIMBY will continue to monitor progress on the building moving forward.