January 12, 2015
Beyond My Ken/Creative Commons
Owners of the Curtis Center, Keystone Property Group and Mack-Cali Realty Corp., are planning on the additions creating an all-night more walkable, vibrant atmosphere to the 600-block strip of Walnut St.
Following its $125 million purchase in June, plans have finally come together in a mixed-use redevelopment project.
Owners of the Curtis Center, Keystone Property Group and Mack-Cali Realty Corp., are planning on the additions creating an all-night more walkable, vibrant atmosphere to the 600-block strip of Walnut St. The redevelopment is a big change from the building's current state — which is mostly made up of offices.
The Sixth and Walnut Street corner will be allocated to a restaurant — and the building's developers say they're already in talks with a few local restauranteurs, according to Philly.com.
“We thought this is the corner to start where the energy can begin for the building,” said Jacob Cooper of MSC Retail, the broker for the property. “The restaurant can not only be an amenity for the entire building, but a destination that can pull residents and tourists and people from around the area.”
Aside from the planned spa, coffee shop, gym and bar, there will be other available retail space on the 30,000 square foot first level.
The first phase of the redevelopment project will be creating 55 luxury apartments — primarily on the Sixth Street side of the building. Office space will remain on the Seventh Street side of the building.
Inside the building, the atrium is getting gutted. The fountain and trees will be taken out and replaced with a bar. But one of the other defining features, the 100,000-piece mosaic named The Dream Garden, will stay in the lobby.
The Curtis Center's updates will be the first since 1980.
For more on the redevelopment project, click here.
