Hard Hat Tour: The Adams

The family-friendly fourth and last Presidential City tower to be renovated is ready to welcome tenants, starting at the top floor. The lobby is still in the process of becoming, but it will be completed soon.

By Sandy Smith· 5/23/2017, 1:18 p.m.

The wraps are still on the cabinets and appliances in this almost-finished apartment in the Adams. Most of the units on the 12th floor are move-in ready, though one isn’t yet because it’s being used for construction staging. | Photos: Sandy Smith

Post Brothers’ Presidential City Rejuvenation Derby has entered the home stretch. When it’s finished, the iconic four-building apartment complex erected in 1951-53 by prolific Philadelphia builder John McShain (aka “The Man Who Built Washington”) will present a totally 21st-century face to passers-by.

Three of the four towers — the Washington, Jefferson and Madison — have been completed, as has the complex’s all-new on-site resort, the Sora Pool Club, which made its debut with a splash last summer. The Adams, the family-friendly tower of the bunch, is well past the halfway mark to completion of its makeover, with its upper floors ready to receive tenants.

Until the reconstruction of its lobby is complete, those tenants will have to use a service entrance, and it was through that entrance that Post Brothers co-CEO Mike Pestronk and marketing director Elise Halter took me to check out how things were progressing and see what those tenants will get when they move in.

The units at the Adams have the same level of polish as those in the other Presidential City buildings, but they’re just a little more Eurostyle, a little lighter and brighter and a little more energy-efficient thanks to a most stylish addition to the mix of features.

But rather than tell you what makes these apartments a little more Presidential, we’ll show you.

The Adams Makeover at Presidential City

All but one of the 12th-floor apartments are close to move-in ready. This one-bedroom apartment is all ready to receive its tenant.

Glass-tile backsplashes, lacquered cabinets and contemporary chocolate-wood cabinets give these units' kitchens even more of a European feel.

These units will also be more comfortable for less energy thanks to these Big Ass fans — a design from the company's ultra-contemporary Haiku Home line. Both the fan and the built-in LED light are controlled by wall switches.

A view of the Schuylkill from the one-bedroom apartment.

Mike Pestronk (right) is looking good in the reflection of the mirrored-glass sliding closet doors. These are standard in every bedroom.

The apartment bathrooms also boast high-end style and fixtures, such as the dual vanities and backlit mirror on the right...

and the rain shower head with body sprays and wand in the stone-tile tub enclosure.

Of course, the toilets are low-flow water-saving models.

The washers and dryers are also high-efficiency units, and there are coat closets and mini-closets with shelves in all the units.

One 12th-floor apartment is being used for construction staging. The plywood door on the left leads to the construction lift.

When finished, this unit will be a two-bedroom apartment.

Master bedrooms in the two-bedroom units have dual closets.

Windows are only partly installed in this unit...

...because at least one of them serves as the debris chute.

Plumbing hookups are in place for one bathroom...

...while the other is further along.

One of the bedrooms in the staging unit, however, is well on the way to being finished.

There's dust on the floor of this two-bedroom unit, but all the rooms are complete. The spaces that had housed climate control equipment in the other three buildings contain windows here; the ceiling fans mean smaller climate control units can be used.