Centre Square (building) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Centre Square I & Centre Square II |
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Centre Square at Market and 15th Streets
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| General information | |
| Status | Complete |
| Type | Office |
| Location | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Coordinates | 39°57′7″N 75°9′58″W / 39.95194°N 75.16611°W |
| Completed | 1973 |
| Cost | US$80 million |
| Owner | Nightingale Properties |
| Height | |
| Roof | 417 feet (127 m) / 490 feet (150 m) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 32 / 40 |
| Floor area | 1,800,000-square-foot (170,000 m2) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Vincent Kling & Associates |
| Developer | Andy Meiers |
Centre Square is a large office complex in Center City, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It has two tall concrete towers: Centre Square I (also called Centre Square East) is 417 feet (127 m) tall, and Centre Square II (Centre Square West) is 490 feet (150 m) tall. These towers are among the tallest buildings in Philadelphia.
The complex was designed in the 1960s by Vincent Kling & Associates and opened in 1973. Centre Square helped change where the main office buildings were located in Philadelphia, moving them from South Broad Street to West Market Street. A company called Willis Towers Watson has been a major tenant since 1975.
Centre Square is famous for the Clothespin sculpture by Claes Oldenburg. This artwork stands in the plaza right in front of the building. The developer, Jack Wolgin, loved contemporary art. He asked for three special artworks for the complex. These artworks helped Philadelphia become known for having great public art.
Contents
History of Centre Square
In the 1960s, a developer named Jack Wolgin started planning a two-tower building complex. It was going to be built in the West Market Street area of Philadelphia. Old buildings on the site were taken down in 1969 to make way for the new complex.
The project was very expensive, so the design was changed just before building started. It was first planned to be two steel towers, but they decided to use concrete instead. Unlike other projects in the city, the whole Centre Square complex was built all at once. It cost US$80 million and opened in 1973. The First Pennsylvania Bank was the first main tenant. Centre Square is known for moving Philadelphia's main office area to West Market Street.
The Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (MetLife) owned part of Centre Square from the beginning. In 1992, MetLife became the only owner. Later, in 2002, MetLife put the property up for sale. HRPT Properties Trust bought Centre Square for US$183.5 million. This company, now called Equity Commonwealth, started making improvements to the complex. They updated the elevators, air conditioning, and safety systems. They also cleaned the buildings and redesigned parts of the atrium and the plaza outside.
In 2017, a company from New York called Nightingale Properties bought the buildings. They paid $328 million, which was a record price for a multi-tenant building in Philadelphia at the time.
Architecture and Design
Centre Square has two tall concrete towers connected by an atrium. It covers 1,800,000-square-foot (170,000 m2) and is located on Market Street between 15th and 16th Streets in Center City. The complex is right across 15th Street from Philadelphia City Hall.
The buildings were designed by Vincent Kling & Associates. Centre Square is one of several buildings Kling designed around City Hall. These buildings, like the Municipal Services Building, are sometimes called "The Klingdom."
The east tower, Centre Square I, is the smaller one with 32 stories and is 417 feet (127 m) tall. The west tower, Centre Square II, has 40 stories and stands 490 feet (150 m) tall. It is located at the corner of Market and 16th Streets. These towers are the 24th and 15th tallest buildings in Philadelphia.
The two towers are connected by a four-story atrium. The atrium has a domed skylight at the top. The floors inside are connected by a special triangular elevator. During updates in 2008, the elevator's marble cover was changed to a tower with changing lights. The plaza in front of Centre Square, at Market and 15th Streets, has an entrance to Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority's (SEPTA) 15th Street Station.
Art at Centre Square
Centre Square is known for its many contemporary art pieces. Philadelphia has a "percent for art" program. This means that a small part of the money spent on building projects must be used for art. Jack Wolgin, the developer, loved art and asked for three special pieces to follow this rule.
The most famous artwork is Clothespin by Claes Oldenburg. It is a 45 feet (14 m) tall sculpture made of special steel. It sits on top of the subway entrance in the plaza. Centre Square is often called the "Clothespin Building" because of this famous sculpture. Wolgin wanted unique art, even when the first main tenant asked for a more traditional statue.
Another sculpture, Milord la Chamarre by Jean Dubuffet, was placed inside the atrium. In the mid-1980s, the inside of the building was updated, and Milord la Chamarre was moved outside to Market Street.
Eight banners by Alexander Calder were also made for Centre Square. These banners were between 18 feet (5.5 m) and 28 feet (8.5 m) long. They hung from the atrium ceiling and had colorful designs of suns, flowers, moons, and nights. These were the only banners Calder ever designed. They were taken down during renovations in the 1980s and were thought to be lost. However, they were found in a storage room in the early 2000s. Some of the banners were shown at the Free Library of Philadelphia in 2009.
Wolgin said he wanted the art to "enhance Philadelphia" and bring "joy and inspiration" to people. Mary Kilroy, who used to lead the Redevelopment Authority art program, said the art at Centre Square helped Philadelphia become known for promoting public art. A new glass mosaic mural is being added below the Clothespin at the underground entrance. This mural is made by Miriam Singer and Emilie Ledieu. It will show the different places people come from who pass through the plaza.
Tenants of Centre Square
Many different companies have had offices in Centre Square over the years. The law firm Saul Ewing has been a tenant since the building opened. They have offices on the 36th, 37th, and 38th floors of Centre Square II.
The cable company Comcast had its main office in Centre Square from 1991 to 2007. They moved there after a fire damaged their old headquarters. Comcast later moved to its new building, the Comcast Center.
In 1999, Lincoln National Corporation moved its headquarters to Centre Square. Even though they moved many employees to another town in 2007, their main office is still in the west tower. Another law firm, Conrad O’Brien, also has offices in the west tower.
For many years, the management consulting firm Willis Towers Watson was one of the biggest tenants. They had offices in the east tower since 1975. In 2019, Willis Towers Watson moved out of Centre Square to a different building.
See also
In Spanish: Centre Square para niños
