650 Fairmount
2023 / Philadelphia PA
RESTORING FABRIC
This project is situated across two full city blocks at the border of the West Poplar and Northern Liberties neighborhoods in Philadelphia. Existing low-density garden-style apartment buildings had replaced a much denser fabric of historic low-rise brick rowhouses and walk-ups in the 1960s, and this project looked to restore the original urban density. Two podium buildings containing 300 units and 100 units of low-rise walk-ups straddle a mid-block street re-opened to the public after being gated within the 60s superblock.
MID RISE
Mid-rise mixed-use construction is concentrated on the eastern portion of the site, connected to the nearby 6th Street and Spring Garden commercial corridors. A 200-unit U-shaped building at the northeast corner of the site situates five stories of wood frame residential units over a ground floor commercial plinth with parking below a landscaped pool and amenity deck. An L-shaped building at the southeast corner contains 100 units of affordable senior housing above a lobby and ground-floor parking garage.
LOW RISE
Low-rise buildings occupy the western half of the site, offering a mix of walk-up single-family, duplex and triplex units designed to appeal to a diverse range of tenants. The low-rise buildings are oriented to provide pedestrian access from east to west, bring public and civic green space through the block, and preserve an existing church building with active community programming.
Construction is underway and completion is anticipated in 2024.
