The beauty of Philadelphia most
certainly lies within its unique architecture. Once you start your
condo search, you’ll find that many of the most coveted loft
condos, for example, are housed in historical buildings that have since
been renovated. With so many historical buildings in the area,
Philadelphia provides buyers with a huge assortment of living
arrangements from which to choose.
The architectural history of the
city dates back to Colonial times, and, like Philadelphia, PA loft
condominiums of today, includes a wide range of styles. Dating back to
the earliest structures, homes were constructed with logs. Brick
structures soon became popular around 1700. By the 18th century, the
Philadelphia cityscape was largely dominated by Georgian architecture,
including the famed Independence Hall.
Throughout the first decades of the
19th century, Federal architecture and Greek Revival architecture were
dominant in the city. By the second half of the 19th century, Victorian
architecture was the most prevalent. Construction on the Second
Empire-style Philadelphia City Hall commenced in 1871. Even with the
construction of steel and concrete skyscrapers in the 1910s, ‘20s
and ‘30s, the 548-foot City Hall remained the tallest building in
Philadelphia until 1987. At that time, One Liberty Place was
constructed. The One Liberty Place Building is presently the second
tallest building and skyscraper in the entire city and the Commonwealth
of Pennsylvania, surpassed only by the Comcast Center (built in 2007).
The building features 61 floors and is the 17th tallest in the nation
at 945 feet tall – only two feet shorter than the Key Tower in
Cleveland, Ohio.
After the One Liberty Place building
was completed, a slightly smaller sister building called Two Liberty
Place was built within the same complex in 1990. The third tallest
skyscraper in Philadelphia and the 33rd tallest in the nation, Two
Liberty Place stretches up to 58 floors. Although the building
primarily consists of offices, it also includes Philadelphia Luxury Lofts
and an enclosed upscale shopping mall known as The Shops at Liberty
Place. The top 20 floors of the building are the location of highly
desirable, recently renovated Philly loft condos. The Residences at Two
Liberty Place have been constructed in ultimate style and elegance, and
these beautiful Philadelphia condominiums
are surely the talk of the town. As the project continues, it will give
the City of Philadelphia its highest and most expensive residences to
date, as well as creating the city’s tallest mixed-use building,
until the completion of the proposed Bridgman’s View Tower. This
proposed project will also include an array of beautiful Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania lofts for sale.
Apart from Philly loft condos, for a
significant portion of the city’s history, the typical
Philadelphia home has been what is known as the “row
house.” First introduced to the United States via Philadelphia in
the early 1800s, row houses that can be found elsewhere in the nation
are often referred to as “Philadelphia rows.” The row
houses in Philadelphia come in a large variety – from
Victorian-style homes in North Philadelphia to twin row houses in West
Philadelphia. Although there are many newer homes and Philadelphia, PA
loft condominiums scattered throughout the city, the majority of
Philadelphia’s housing is from the early 20th century or older.
Philadelphia’s Society Hill neighborhood boasts the largest
concentration of 18th century architecture in the United States. It has
since been rehabilitated and gentrified.
