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The W Philadelphia and Element Philadelphia

Buildings and structures completed in 2020Buildings and structures in PhiladelphiaCenter City, PhiladelphiaSkyscraper hotels in PhiladelphiaW Hotels
W.Element Philly
W.Element Philly

The W Philadelphia and Element Philadelphia is a 51-story skyscraper in the Center City neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The building contains two hotels, the Element Philadelphia, a brand by Westin Hotels, and the W Philadelphia, a brand of W Hotels, both of which are subsidiaries of Marriot International. At 617 ft (188 m), it is the 9th-tallest building in Philadelphia, and 12th-tallest building in Pennsylvania, as well as the tallest hotel in Philadelphia. The building is built on the site of demolished One Meridian Plaza, which was heavily damaged after a fire in 1991, and later demolished in 1999. The building is located right next to Philadelphia City Hall, which puts it at the heart of Center City, with very convenient access to the various SEPTA lines and various Philadelphia landmarks.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article The W Philadelphia and Element Philadelphia (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

The W Philadelphia and Element Philadelphia
Chestnut Street, Philadelphia Center City

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Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 39.9511 ° E -75.1653 °
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Address

W Hotel & Element by Westin Philadelphia

Chestnut Street 1441
19104 Philadelphia, Center City
Pennsylvania, United States
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W.Element Philly
W.Element Philly
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Nearby Places

The Residences at The Ritz-Carlton (Philadelphia)
The Residences at The Ritz-Carlton (Philadelphia)

The Residences at The Ritz-Carlton is a luxury residential skyscraper in Center City in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At 518 feet (158 m), the 48-story skyscraper is the twelfth-tallest building in Philadelphia, and the tallest residential tower in the city. The building was erected on the former site of One Meridian Plaza which was seriously damaged by a deadly fire in 1991. One Meridian Plaza was demolished in 1999 and the property was sold by E/R Partners to the Arden Group the next year. Development of the site by the Arden Group, which owns the adjacent Ritz-Carlton Philadelphia, was delayed for years as a result of a feud with rival developer Mariner Commercial Properties. Mariner owned the property 1441 Chestnut Street, which sits south of the Residences at The Ritz-Carlton site and intends to build its own residential tower. The feud began after Arden Group's lead partner Craig Spencer blocked approval of 1441 Chestnut Street because he felt the tower's design would be detrimental to the planned Residences at The Ritz-Carlton tower. This led to several years of dispute between the developers trying to block construction of each other's towers. After several redesigns, the feud was declared over, and construction on the Residences at The Ritz-Carlton began on May 2, 2006. The blue glass skyscraper opened to residents in January 2009. The Residences at The Ritz-Carlton features 270 condominiums and penthouses, which range in price from US$550,000 to US$14 million. The high-rise also features an underground parking garage, a fitness center, a pool, and a private garden and public plaza called Girard Park.

One Meridian Plaza

One Meridian Plaza, formerly known as the Fidelity Mutual Life Building, Three Girard Plaza and Three Mellon Bank Center, was a 38-story high-rise office building in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The 492-foot (150-meter) tower was designed by Vincent Kling & Associates and completed in 1972. On February 23, 1991, a twelve-alarm fire began on the 22nd floor and raged out of control for nineteen hours. Philadelphia firefighters fought the blaze but struggled due to a lack of power in the skyscraper and insufficient water pressure from the building's standpipes. Three firefighters died in the fire after becoming disoriented by heavy smoke. Firefighting efforts inside the building were eventually abandoned, due to fears the structure would collapse. The fire was only brought under control once it reached the 30th floor, which was one of the few floors that had automatic sprinklers installed. Ten sprinklers held back the fire until it started burning itself out and was finally brought under control. The blaze seriously damaged One Meridian Plaza, destroying eight floors and damaging neighboring buildings in the Center City district. An investigation of the fire, led by the Office of the Fire Marshal of the City of Philadelphia with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) national investigative response team, determined the blaze started after linseed oil–soaked rags ignited. For eight years after the fire, One Meridian Plaza sat vacant and damaged. The building was caught in litigation between its owners and the insurance company over how much the insurers would pay the owners and how repairs or demolition would proceed. Businesses near the empty high-rise closed or moved, and the city brought the owners to court to resolve the building's fate. After lawsuits were settled, the building was declared a total loss and was demolished in 1999. The lot was later used for the Residences at the Ritz-Carlton, which was completed ten years later.