1911 Walnut: Developer Negotiating With Rittenhouse Plaza for More Space

Southern Land Company would use the added space for two restaurant tenants.

1911 Walnut | Rendering: Solomon Cordwell Buenz

1911 Walnut | Rendering: Solomon Cordwell Buenz

More information about 1911 Walnut was made known yesterday during a presentation to the Philadelphia City Planning Commission. Oddly enough, it had to do with adding more space.

The proposed 50-story tower, easily the tallest on Rittenhouse Square, would accommodate 342 rental apartments, 64 luxury condo units, and a whole slew of retail on Walnut Street, 20th Street and Sansom Street. The Inquirer reports that developer Southern Land Company is negotiating with the owners of the Rittenhouse Plaza at 1901 Walnut Street to buy an adjacent three story annex for even more retail, probably for two restaurant spaces.

1911 Walnut, Walnut Street side

1911 Walnut, Walnut Street side

Renderings released in early December show a glass tower that rises high above Rittenhouse Square. The project is designed by Solomon Cordwell Buenz out of Chicago.

Dustin Downey, Southern’s director of mutlifamily development, told Property in December that the plan was to build over and under Moravian Street. He said that the street currently functions “like an alley,”and the goal  would be to widen it to 15 feet to give delivery trucks enough space to back in and out. It would create what amounts to a tunnel that services the back of house functions for the site.

The plans would require approval from City Council, and Downey said that they were “willing to work with neighbors for a perpetual maintenance agreement as a shared driveway.”

The first two floors of the massive site would be set aside as retail space, and the Inquirer also reports that Southern “is in talks with a New York-based fitness center operator to lease the third floor.”

An amenity level is planned for the fourth floor, with floors five through 33 sectioned off for the 342 apartments. A 34th floor amenity space would separate the apartments from the condos, which would be reserved for floors 35 through 50.