Plans for 200 Spring Garden in Philadelphia call for a 13-story, L-shaped building with 360 apartments, extensive amenities and 10,000 square feet of outdoor public green space, plus 5,400 square feet of corner retail space and a pedestrian-friendly, landscaped public plaza with original artwork curated by Mural Arts Philadelphia. — Rendering courtesy: Kushner Real Estate Group
By Joshua Burd
Construction is underway on a new apartment tower that marks Kushner Real Estate Group’s entrance to Philadelphia, with plans to connect two well-known neighborhoods in the city.
The Jersey City-based developer broke ground earlier this month at the site of 200 Spring Garden, joining partners with National Real Estate Advisors LLC and National Real Estate Development LLC. According to the firms, plans call for a 13-story, L-shaped building with 360 residential units, extensive amenities and 10,000 square feet of outdoor public green space, serving as a gateway to what they described as an emerging multiphase district between Philadelphia’s Northern Liberties and Old City sections.
The building will also include 5,400 square feet of corner retail space and a pedestrian-friendly, landscaped public plaza with original artwork curated by Mural Arts Philadelphia.
“The groundbreaking of 200 Spring Garden will serve as a milestone in the development along 2nd Street within the city of Philadelphia,” said Daniel Killinger, president of National Development. “200 Spring Garden is the first step in creating a new neighborhood that will bring together the history of Old City and the vibrancy of Northern Liberties. This development will set the tone for future transformation along the 2nd Street corridor.”
Designed by Handel Architects, the building will have articulated charcoal gray brick to evoke the warehouse-style buildings of Northern Liberties, according to a news release. It will also provide a new home for City Fitness Northern Liberties, which opened its doors at the corner of 2nd and Spring Garden in 2007 and will now have a luxe two-story fitness center with floor-to-ceiling windows, an outdoor amenity deck, a 75-foot lap pool and expansive views of the Center City skyline.
“200 Spring Garden will provide a new future for the corner of Spring Garden and 2nd Street,” said Kristine Kennedy, executive director at Northern Liberties Business Improvement District. “By creating a destination between Old City and Northern Liberties, the residential community will expand on the momentum of this area and start a new chapter filled with economic opportunity and community growth.”
The developers noted that 200 Spring Garden is the first phase of what will be a multi-phase, pedestrian-centric development on North 2nd Street between Callowhill and Spring Garden streets, the news release said. The project aims to create a new district that will bridge and add economic opportunity to the underdeveloped area between Philadelphia’s Old City and Northern Liberties neighborhoods.
“Old City and Northern Liberties are two of the most iconic neighborhoods within the city of Philadelphia, and yet the corridor between them is filled with untapped opportunity,” said Jonathan Kushner, president of KRE Group. “As our first foray into Philadelphia, I could not be more energized by the potential that lies ahead — as envisioned by our partners at National and National Development — starting with 200 Spring Garden. The multiphase transformation of 2nd Street will inject a new sense of vibrancy and economic vitality, and we could not be prouder to be part of making it a reality.”
