12-Story AQ Rittenhouse to Open Next Week With Jefferson Outpost, Charter School
A rendering of the project via Aquinas’ website.
Roughly 13 months after the project broke ground, AQ Rittenhouse will officially cut the ribbon and open its doors on Wednesday, May 13. The project from Aquinas Realty Partners transformed the blighted annex of the old YWCA at 2021 Chestnut into a 12-story, 110-unit mixed-use complex that will offer both luxury and market rate rentals.
BLT Architects designed the 115,000-square-foot building, which will also house a tricked-out rooftop deck with yoga center, grilling area, dog washing area and Wi-fi. Stampfl was the architect of record on the project.The adjacent Freire Charter School will also expand into the new building. Jefferson, fresh off of their merger with Abington Health, will be taking over the entire ground floor retail space, according to Jackie Balin of CBRE.
Calls made to Jefferson about the new facility were not immediately returned.
According to an earlier press release, Aquinas purchased the building from the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority in March 2013. They broke ground on the project in April 2014, much to the delight of Mayor Michael Nutter:
“Removing blight is vital to revitalizing Philadelphia,” said Mayor Michael A. Nutter. “…and replacing the dilapidated building that was here with housing, retail and a top notch charter school is a major step forward for this street, this neighborhood, and this City. This development means construction jobs and permanent jobs, and is another piece in the revitalization of Chestnut Street.”
Revitalization is a slight understatement. Not only will AQ Rittenhouse soon open its doors, but there’s a not-so-little project being planned down the street that includes the Boyd Theatre. A recent post to R/Philadelphia shows crews at the Boyd project starting to take down the roof of the building. There’s a pretty mesmerizing animated GIF that shows an aerial view of the demolition.
Get at us:
- Send all tips (including fancy Philly area houses like this and this) to property@phillymag.com
- Like Property on Facebook!
- Follow along on the Twitter machine @PropertyPhilly
- Get pin-happy on our fun Pinterest boards Phillyscape and Philly Home
