By Antoinette Martin
Southern Land Company broke ground WEdnsday on a $110 million project that will transform a parking lot at 3601 Market St. in the Science Center into a 364-unit apartment tower.
It will be the first residential building in the University City Science Center’s 50-year-plus history.
The 28-story residential tower, slated for completion next year, will include 14,600 square feet of retail space on the ground floor. The high-end apartment complex will have a resort-style rooftop pool, yoga and fitness center and a game room. The building will also provide parking for 200 cars and 140 bicycles.
“3601 Market St. is a signature Southern Land project that we are excited to begin constructing,” said Tim Downey, CEO of the Nashville-based firm. “We take the opportunity to shape a neighborhood’s appearance and bolster its sustainability very seriously. The building will be a modern jewel for West Philadelphia.”
Southern Land has created similar mixed-use multi-family developments in Nashville and the Dallas-Ft. Worth area, including the first sustainable mixed-use community in the state of Texas. It has several others in various stages of development in North Carolina, Colorado, Texas and New York.
BLT Architects has designed the Philadephia project to extend the “neighborhood experience” along 36th Street. “We envisioned a modern building that would be both practical and appealing to the local community,” said principal Michael Prifti.
The Science Center is a long-established incubator for start-up companies and technologies. Its president & CEO Stephen S. Tang noted that, “The most successful innovation centers like Cambridge, MA., and San Francisco’s Mission Bay have woven into their communities places for people to live and play. “ He said, “3601 Market is a pivotal project for the Science Center as we transform our campus into a 24/7 innovation community.”
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