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49-420: Architecturally, the granite-clad towers feature setbacks on the north and south sides of the building and are topped with a pair of stone diamonds with cutout squares in the center. The towers were built as part an office-building boom Philadelphia was experiencing on West Market Street in the late 1980s. Designed by IM Pei & Partners (now called Pei Cobb Freed & Partners ), the towers were developed in

98-492: A stadium was again proposed for the site. Nothing ever came out of the plans. On May 8, 2002, Brandywine Realty Trust announced its intentions to build a glass office skyscraper next to 30th Street Station. Called the Cira Centre, the skyscraper would be designed by architect César Pelli . The plan also included replacing the rest of the parking deck with a landscaped entrance plaza and parking lot. The plan to develop

147-420: A steel frame structural system in the late 19th century eliminated the need for structural setbacks. The use of a frame building technology combined with conveniences such as elevators and motorized water pumps influenced the physical growth and density of buildings in large cities . Driven by the desire to maximize the usable floor area, some developers avoided the use of setbacks, creating in many instances

196-420: A 175,000 square feet (16,000 m), 625 car parking garage. The pale-gray granite-clad skyscrapers feature setbacks on the north and south sides of the building, with the bottom floors containing 33,000 square feet (3,100 m) and the upper floors 15,000 square feet (1,400 m). The floors feature a large amount of floor space, a design influenced by IBM's needs in the 1980s. The two towers are topped with

245-566: A building must have a pitched roof or be set back before rising to the permitted height. In many cities, building setbacks add value to the interior real estate adjacent to the setback by creating usable exterior spaces. These setback terraces are prized for the access they provide to fresh air, skyline views, and recreational uses such as gardening and outdoor dining. In addition, setbacks promote fire safety by spacing buildings and their protruding parts away from each other and allow for passage of firefighting apparatus between buildings. In

294-642: A building to house its corporate headquarters . On March 30, 1990, after being sought after by numerous developers in Philadelphia and its suburbs, Conrail announced that it would be leasing 27 floors of Two Commerce Square. With a lead tenant secured, construction of the identical tower commenced in July 1990. Two Commerce Square was completed in July 1992 and Conrail began moving in approximately 3,000 employees in September of that year. Two Commerce Square marked

343-515: A joint venture between Maguire Thomas Partners and IBM . IBM leased more than half of One Commerce Square for the company's Mid-Atlantic headquarters. Construction of the first phase, which included One Commerce Square, the plaza, and retail space, began in 1985 and was completed in 1987. The project's second phase, Two Commerce Square, did not begin until a lead tenant was secured for the building in 1990. Consolidated Rail Corporation (Conrail) agreed to be Two Commerce Square's lead tenant and make

392-492: A new city hall and, in the 1960s before Veterans Stadium was built, a sports stadium was proposed for the area. In 1970, Philadelphia considered holding a bicentennial exposition over the rail yards, and the area was also considered for the Pennsylvania Convention Center . In 1985 an office, hotel and shopping complex was proposed by real estate developer Gerald D. Hines , and in 1992 an idea for

441-462: A pair of standing stone diamonds with cutout squares in the center. The towers are separated by a 30,000 square feet (2,800 m) paved courtyard. Tables and chairs are arranged around a large pink granite circular fountain in the plaza's center. The plaza was designed by Laurie Olin of Hanna/Olin Ltd. Impressed by Commerce Square's plaza, Philadelphia's city planning commission included influences from

490-751: A range of fire safety and health hazards. Thus, the 38-story Equitable Building , constructed in New York in 1915, produced a huge shadow, said to "cast a noonday shadow four blocks long", which effectively deprived neighboring properties of sunlight. It resulted in the 1916 Zoning Resolution , which gave New York City's skyscrapers their typical setbacks and soaring designs. Today many jurisdictions rely on urban planning regulations, such as zoning ordinances , which use setbacks to make sure that streets and yards are provided more open space and adequate light and air. For example, in high density districts, such as Manhattan in New York , front walls of buildings at

539-436: A step-back may form a belvedere – and in residential use are considered the penthouse . If part of the roof, then they are a loft or attic / garret . Setbacks were used by people to increase the height of masonry structures by distributing gravity loads produced by building materials such as clay, stone, or brick. This was achieved by regularly reducing the footprint of each level located successively farther from

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588-490: A wall of LEDs on most of its facade that can change color to create various patterns and effects. The site of the Cira Centre used to be a parking deck that sat over rail tracks across Arch Street from 30th Street Station in West Philadelphia . Plans to develop the rail yards north and northwest of 30th Street Station had been around for decades. Among the proposed ideas for the rail yards included building

637-478: A wall of light using LEDs . The 26W RGB LED fixtures are hidden in shadow boxes behind the glass curtain wall and are obscured during the day by the building's reflective glass. The LED lights are able to change color to create different patterns and effects on the building's facade. Designs used on the building include a large "P" for the Philadelphia Phillies , the infamous bald eagle head logo for

686-410: Is 27,300 square feet (2,500 m ) and the floors feature 9 feet (2.7 m) ceilings and 360-degree panoramic views. Building amenities include fourteen high speed and two freight elevators, a health club, restaurants and retail space and a conference center. A pedestrian bridge designed by BLT Architects crosses Arch Street linking the Cira Centre with 30th Street Station . The bridge connects

735-405: Is beautifully demonstrated by his design for the lobby level, including the splendid garden, of Commerce Square at 20th and Market streets, which I think will prove to be one of the finest commercial projects to be built in this century." One Commerce Square's main tenant is IBM, which moved into the skyscraper when it opened in 1987. IBM initially occupied nearly half of One Commerce Square, but in

784-510: Is not to exceed 15 years. By 2006, about 60 percent of Cira Centre's tenants came from within Philadelphia. Having secured tenants for the Cira Centre, Brandywine Realty Trust could now proceed with construction of the skyscraper. Turner Construction was awarded $ 116 million contract to build the Cira Centre in February 2004 and construction began later that year. The building was topped off November 16, 2004. The topping off ceremony,

833-506: The Philadelphia Eagles , and images of falling snowflakes during the winter season. White 0.12W LED lights are also used in the lobby and building's elevators. In the lobby, the white LEDs are mounted on the 50 feet (15 m) tall wall that separates the lobby from the neighboring parking garage. The Philadelphia Inquirer 's architecture critic Inga Saffron called the Cira Centre "a gorgeous object". She praised how

882-523: The United States , setback requirements vary among municipalities . For example, the absence of sky exposure plane provisions in Chicago 's Zoning Code makes the Chicago skyline quite different from the skyline of New York where construction of tall buildings was guided by the zoning ordinance since 1916. The New York City Zoning Ordinance also provided another kind of setback guideline, one that

931-723: The University City neighborhood of Philadelphia . The US$ 180 million Cira Centre was designed by architect Cesar Pelli. BLT Architects coordinated the design team and designed Cira Centre's core and neighboring parking garage. The building was designed to be seen from all sides with the northwest and southeast corners removed giving the Cira Centre a different shape when viewed from different directions. The building's 731,852 square feet (68,000 m ) includes 690,000 square feet (64,000 m ) of office space and 37,000 square feet (3,400 m ) of conference, retail space and related amenities space. The average floor-plate size

980-463: The University of Pennsylvania and Brandywine Realty Trust announced their plans to build Cira Centre South . Located south of 30th Street Station and the Cira Centre, the new project is designed by the same architecture firm as the Cira Centre. Cira Centre South will include a 40–50 story office tower and a 25–30 story residential tower. The project also includes a parking garage and conversion of

1029-426: The street line may be limited to a specified height or number of stories. This height is also called base height. Above that height, the buildings are required to set back behind a theoretical inclined plane, called sky exposure plane , which cannot be penetrated by the building's exterior wall. For the same reason, setbacks may also be used in lower density districts to limit the height of perimeter walls above which

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1078-480: The $ 50 million parking garage began construction in 2003 and was opened in May 2004. The site where Cira Centre sits, was once designated a Keystone Opportunity Improvement Zone (KOZ). The KOZ was designed to encourage development in poor and blighted areas by exempting the tenants of the building from almost all state and local taxes. On December 24, 2003 Brandywine Realty Trust announced the first tenants to lease room in

1127-434: The 14th and 15th floors; Reliance Standard Life Insurance Co., which leases 130,000 square feet (12,000 m); and engineering firm McCormick Taylor, which occupies 60,000 square feet (5,600 m). In 2010, multimedia company Wolters Kluwer moved into 75,000 square feet (7,000 m) on the third and fourth floors, raising Two Commerce Square's occupancy to 91 percent. Setback (architecture) A setback , in

1176-623: The Cira Centre's lobby with the SEPTA regional rail section. The location right next to 30th Street Station allows direct access to the Northeast Corridor , SEPTA's regional rail , and Philadelphia International Airport . The lighting design was done by Cline Bettridge Bernstein Lighting Design. Cira Centre's architects did not want any light fixtures protruding from the building so Cline Bettridge Bernstein decided to create

1225-730: The Cira Centre. Brandywine Realty Trust signed leases with Dechert LLP , Woodcock Washburn LLP, and Attalus Capital. Dechert LLP and Woodcock Washburn LLP were moving from other city skyscrapers, the Bell Atlantic Tower and One Liberty Place respectively. Attalus Capital was moving its offices from Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania . Dechert and Woodcock Washburn moving to the Cira Centre fueled the KOZ controversy because Dechert and Woodcock Washburn were wealthy law firms and would no longer have to pay taxes for numerous years. On December 31, 2018, Cira Centre's KOZ designation had expired, since it

1274-537: The Consolidated Rail Corporation made 728,000 square feet (68,000 m) of the tower its corporate headquarters. Since being bought by Norfolk Southern and CSX Transportation, Conrail and CSX now share about 5,000 square feet (460 m) in the tower. Today Two Commerce Square has become a center of accounting and consulting firms, the largest of which is PricewaterhouseCoopers , which occupies 215,000 square feet (20,000 m). Occupying

1323-489: The U.S. Postal Service building on 30th and Market Streets into offices for the Internal Revenue Service . The parking garage and Post Office conversion was completed in 2010. Evo, the residential tower, was completed in 2014. The FMC tower was completed in 2016. The Cira Centre is a 29-story, 437-foot (133 m) silver glass curtain wall skyscraper. The skyscraper sits next to 30th Street Station in

1372-443: The architectural firm IM Pei & Partners (now called Pei Cobb Freed & Partners ) to design the complex. Using a design by a leading architectural firm as incentive, Maguire approached IBM , a company he had past associations with. By early November 1984, after negotiations with Maguire, IBM agreed to be a joint partner in the development. IBM also agreed to serve as the lead tenant for One Commerce Square, occupying about half

1421-558: The building as its headquarters for the Mid-Atlantic region . Commerce Square would be split between two buildings, One Commerce Square being built first, and the second tower, Two Commerce Square, being built later once a lead tenant was secured. Plans for Commerce Square were officially announced on November 16, 1984 at a press conference held by Maguire and IBM at the Bellevue-Stratford Hotel . The first phase of

1470-459: The building changes shape when viewing it from different angles, describing the building as a "shape-shifter". She also praised the glass façade, which she felt "helps marry the delicate modern tower with the weighty, neoclassical train station". Saffron was critical that when "viewed straight on from the south side, the Cira becomes just another staid corporate glass tower". She was also critical of how

1519-471: The building with many of rest of the tenants not moving in until early 2006. Cira Centre held its grand opening on December 1. The grand opening featured a musical group called String Theory whose performance in the Cira Centre's lobby included a large harp and 12 100 feet (30 m) long brass wires attached to the building. The Cira Centre was the first office skyscraper to be completed in Philadelphia since Two Commerce Square in 1992. On August 31, 2007,

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1568-470: The city. Though IBM had initially occupied nearly half of One Commerce Square, by 1993 it was using only one-fifth of the building. In 1996, Maguire Thomas Partners split up, leaving the ownership of Commerce Square to Thomas Properties Group Inc. alone. After the split, Thomas Properties renegotiated mortgage financing of the Commerce Square towers. Thomas Properties Group successfully renegotiated

1617-401: The company still had concerns about filling the space soon to be vacated by Conrail. In October 1996 Conrail was bought by Norfolk Southern Railway and CSX Transportation . The merger was concluded in May 1998 and the former Conrail offices and employees began to be moved out of the building. In the merger deal, CSX Transportation absorbed Conrail's 15-year lease. CSX was responsible for paying

1666-554: The complex in a new building code governing open space. Commerce Square was praised for its design of two towers surrounding a plaza. The Philadelphia Inquirer said "Its most positive aspect is that it avoids the developers' cliches of atriums and shopping malls and makes a real urban place. It expresses great confidence in Philadelphia, and even more important, in the whole idea of living in cities." Renowned Philadelphia urban planner Edmund N. Bacon praised Commerce Square and its plaza by saying "[Olin's] sensitivity for urban design

1715-492: The debt for Two Commerce Square with Bank of America , but was unable to renegotiate the debt with One Commerce Square's prime mortgage holder, Mitsubishi Trust and Banking Corporation . To break the deadlock, Philadelphia Plaza Associates filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection . Thomas Properties Group was then the parent company of Philadelphia Plaza Associates which owned Commerce Square. Philadelphia Plaza Associates emerged from bankruptcy reorganization early in 1998, but

1764-547: The decades since, consolidation has reduced the company's presence in the building. Other tenants in One Commerce Square include Ernst & Young LLP , Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young LLP, The Pew Charitable Trusts , Fiserv Securities Inc., Thorp Reed & Armstrong LLP, and Delaware Investments , which also leases office space in Two Commerce Square. When Two Commerce Square opened in 1992,

1813-534: The end of the skyscraper boom of the 1980s, being the last office skyscraper to be built in Philadelphia until the Cira Centre in 2005. After the office-building boom of the 1980s, the 1990s saw an office glut that resulted in numerous vacancies and reduced leasing rates throughout Center City. In 1993 IBM, struggling financially, was shrinking its workforce and consolidating its operations nationwide, and its plans included moving some of its local employees out of

1862-614: The finest commercial projects to be built in this century". Commerce Square was part of an office-building boom that took place in the late 1980s in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania . During the boom numerous skyscrapers were constructed in the West Market Street neighborhood of Center City . The US$ 300 million development of Commerce Square was led by Robert F. Maguire III, co-managing partner of Maguire Thomas Partners of Los Angeles. To get his project moving, Maguire engaged

1911-409: The first in Philadelphia since 1999, was attended by numerous dignitaries including Mayor John Street . The beam was raised shortly before 1:00 PM and was signed by workers and guests. The Cira Centre's glass facade was completely in place by the end of July 2005. The Cira Centre opened on October 31, 2005 with 93 percent of the building leased. Dechert was the first company to move employees into

1960-762: The ground. Setbacks also allowed the natural erosion to occur without compromising the structural integrity of the building. The most prominent example of a setback technique is the step pyramids of Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt , such as the Teppe Sialk ziggurat or the Pyramid of Djoser . For centuries, setbacks were a structural necessity for virtually all multi-level load-bearing masonry buildings and structures. As architects learned how to turn setbacks into an architectural feature, most setbacks were however less pronounced than in step pyramids and often skillfully masked by rich ornamentation . The introduction of

2009-429: The land around 30th Street Station was part of a nationwide effort by Amtrak , which owns the land and the train station, to earn revenue from its real estate holdings. Amtrak's effort also emphasizes projects that would increase ridership. Also part of the project was construction of a parking garage. The nine- story , 1,525 car garage is intended to alleviate a parking shortage at 30th Street Station. Planned since 1996,

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2058-841: The lease, but the 728,000 square feet (68,000 m) of space was subleased, offsetting the cost. Between 1999 and 2000, as Conrail offices were phased out of Two Commerce Square, Thomas Properties filled the newly vacated space with new tenants. Located on West Market Street in Center City Philadelphia , Commerce Square comprises twin 41- story 565 feet (172 m) office towers designed by Henry N. Cobb and Douglas Gardner of IM Pei & Partners. Commerce Square covers an entire block, between 20th and 21st Streets and Market Street and John F. Kennedy Boulevard . Commerce Square contains 2,200,000 square feet (200,000 m), which includes 1,850,000 square feet (170,000 m) of office space, 92,000 square feet (8,500 m) lobby, and

2107-606: The project included One Commerce Square, retail and restaurant space, a plaza , and an underground parking garage. Construction began with the first phase on June 10, 1985. One Commerce Square was topped off with a ceremony on June 6, 1986, and the skyscraper officially opened on October 23, 1987. In 1987 the Consolidated Rail Corporation (Conrail) indicated it wanted to consolidate its offices spread out across Philadelphia into one office building. In May 1988, Conrail solicited proposals from developers for

2156-414: The skyscraper its corporate headquarters after a two-year search for office space in the region. Two Commerce Square ended the skyscraper construction boom of the 1980s when it was completed in 1992. No other office skyscraper was built in Philadelphia until Brandywine Realty Trust (NYSE: BDN) built the Cira Centre in 2005. In the 1990s, Commerce Square's lead tenants reduced their presence dramatically in

2205-418: The specific sense of a step-back , is a step-like form of a wall or other building frontage, also termed a recession or recessed story. Importantly, one or more step-backs lowers the building's center of mass , making it more stable. A setback as a minimum one-bay indent across all stories is called a recessed bay or recess and is the more common exterior form of an alcove . Notable upper stories forming

2254-409: The tower since its 1992 opening, professional services firm Ernst & Young LLP leased 115,000 square feet (11,000 m) of the tower until relocating to One Commerce Square in early 2012. Other related firms include Delaware Investments which leases 125,000 square feet (12,000 m) and Grant Thornton LLP . Other tenants also fill the tower, these include Leaf Financial Corporation, which leases

2303-480: The towers. IBM moved some of its operations out of Philadelphia in the early 1990s, and Conrail was bought by Norfolk Southern Railway and CSX Transportation later in the decade. Almost all of Conrail's operations were moved out of Philadelphia by the 2000s. Commerce Square was praised mainly for its design of two towers surrounding a plaza. Renowned Philadelphia urban planner Edmund N. Bacon praised Commerce Square and its plaza by saying it "will prove to be one of

2352-414: Was built in 2004-05 on a platform over rail tracks. The building, a silver glass curtain wall skyscraper with 731,852 square feet (68,000 m ) of floor space, includes retail and restaurant space, a conference room, a nine-story parking garage and a pedestrian bridge that links the lobby with 30th Street Station. The building's lighting, designed by Cline Bettridge Bernstein Lighting Design, includes

2401-519: Was intended to increase the amount of public space in the city. This was achieved by increasing the minimum setback at street level, creating in each instance an open space, often referred to as plaza , in front of the building. Cira Centre The Cira Centre is a 29- story , 437-foot (133 m) office high-rise in the University City neighborhood of West Philadelphia , directly connected to Amtrak 's 30th Street Station . Developed by Brandywine Realty Trust and designed by César Pelli , it

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