Residences At The Ritz (Philadelphia)

Infobox Skyscraper
building_name = The Residences At The Ritz-Carlton


caption =
location = 1414 South Penn Square, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
status = Construction
use = Residential
roof = 518 ft (158 m)
top_floor =
floor_count = 48
groundbreaking = June 2006
est_completion = 2008
opening =
floor_area = 580,000 ft²
elevator_count =
cost = $275 million
architect = Handel Architects, LLP
engineer =
contractor = L.F. Driscoll
site-cast concrete contractor = B. Pietrini & Sons
mechanical contractor =
developer = The Arden Group
owner =

The Residences At The Ritz-Carlton (or Residences At The Ritz) is a skyscraper currently under construction in Center City Philadelphia. The building, part of the Residences At The Ritz brand, will stand as the tallest residential building in Pennsylvania when it is completed. It is rising on the former site of One Meridian Plaza, a 38-story office building which was rendered uninhabitable by a fire that broke out on February 23, 1991, gutting eight floors of the building and killing three Philadelphia fire fighters (this was the worst highrise fire in U.S. history before 9/11).

Design and construction

The building, designed by Handel Architects, is designed as a glass envelope with a 'crystal spire' rising from just above ground level to the roofline. The building is a composite structure, made of both steel members and reinforced concrete similar to Philadelphia's Mellon Bank Center. The project also includes a private landscpaed garden for residents of the tower and retail amenities on the ground level.

Residences At The Ritz has undergone changes from its original design. The first version of the building would have been built to a height of 740 feet (225 meters) and 58 stories, eclipsing all but a handful of the city's tallest buildings and becoming one of the tallest residential buildings in the United States. That version was shortened after the resolution of a land dispute with the owners of an adjacent plot. A new 485 foot (147 meter), 44-story version was announced and remained as the primary design until shortly before groundbreaking when the building's profile was increased to its current specifications. It will best the city's current largest residential building, The St. James, by 20 feet (6 meters)

Upon completion the building will house some of the most expensive residential units in Philadelphia, with a penthouse fetching nearly $12 million.

This building is rising on the former site of Philadelphia's first supertall skyscraper proposal, Center City Tower.

The Mahoney/Spencer Feud

The site upon which Residences At The Ritz rises is adjacent to another plot of land just to its south. Residences At The Ritz was planned for the northern parcel while Tim Mahoney, another Philadelphia-area real estate developer, planned to build 1441 Chestnut, another luxury residence, on the southern parcel after obtaining it in 2000.

Disputes over property lines for the parcels and sightlines for potential residents of the towers caused the two groups to engage in lawsuits for more than two years. After reaching a compromise, both buildings were greenlit for construction however 1441 Chestnut, which has a more diverse program than Residences At The Ritz, has yet to begin. The site currently collects revenue as a parking facility.

See also

* List of tallest buildings in Philadelphia
* List of tallest buildings by U.S. state
* List of tallest buildings in the United States
* List of tallest buildings in the world

References

* [http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=107801/ SkyscraperPage - The Residences At The Ritz-Carlton]
* [http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=residencesatstreetritzcarlton-philadelphia-pa-usa/ Emporis - The Residences At The Ritz-Carlton]
* [http://www.phillyskyline.com/bldgs/residencesattheritz/ PhillySkyline - The Residences At The Ritz-Carlton]