Commerce Square facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Commerce Square |
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Commerce Square in February 2014
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| General information | |
| Status | Complete |
| Type | Office |
| Location | 2001-2005 W. Market Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 39°57′15″N 75°10′27″W / 39.9541°N 75.1741°W |
| Construction started | 1985 / 1990 |
| Completed | Renovated in 2013 |
| Opening | 1987 / 1992 |
| Cost | $ 331.8 million |
| Owner | Brandywine Realty Trust (NYSE : BDN) |
| Management | Brandywine Realty Trust (NYSE : BDN) |
| Height | |
| Roof | 565 feet (172 m) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 41 |
| Floor area | 2,200,000 square feet (200,000 m2) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | IM Pei & Partners |
| Developer | Maguire Thomas Partners IBM |
| Engineer | CBM Engineers Inc. |
| Main contractor | Turner Construction |
Commerce Square is a large office building complex in Center City, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It has two tall towers, called One and Two Commerce Square. Both towers are 41 stories high and stand 565 feet (172 m) tall.
These two identical towers surround a paved outdoor area, like a big plaza. They are covered in granite stone. The buildings have special "setbacks" on their sides, which means parts of the building step back as they go up. The very top of each tower has a unique stone diamond shape with a square cut out in the middle.
Commerce Square was built during a time when many new office buildings were going up in Philadelphia in the late 1980s. The famous architects IM Pei & Partners designed the towers. They were built by a team-up between Maguire Thomas Partners and IBM. IBM even rented more than half of One Commerce Square for their main office in the Mid-Atlantic region.
The first tower, One Commerce Square, and the plaza were built between 1985 and 1987. The second tower, Two Commerce Square, started later in 1990. This was after another big company, Conrail, decided to make it their main office. Two Commerce Square was finished in 1992. It was the last tall office building built in Philadelphia for many years, until 2005.
Over time, the main companies in Commerce Square changed. IBM used less space, and Conrail was bought by other companies. This meant many offices moved out of Philadelphia. However, Commerce Square was still praised for its design. A famous city planner, Edmund N. Bacon, said its plaza was one of the best commercial projects of its time.
Contents
Building History
How Commerce Square Started
Commerce Square was part of a big building boom in Philadelphia during the late 1980s. Many skyscrapers were built in the West Market Street area of Center City. Robert F. Maguire III led the development of Commerce Square, which cost about $300 million.
To start the project, Maguire hired the well-known architects IM Pei & Partners to design the complex. He then talked to IBM, a company he had worked with before. In late 1984, IBM agreed to be a partner in the project. They also agreed to be the main tenant for One Commerce Square, using about half of the building for their regional headquarters.
Building the Towers
The plan was to build Commerce Square in two parts. One Commerce Square would be built first. The second tower, Two Commerce Square, would be built later once a main tenant was found. The project was officially announced in November 1984.
The first phase included One Commerce Square, shops, restaurants, a plaza, and an underground parking garage. Construction began in June 1985. One Commerce Square was topped off, meaning its highest point was reached, in June 1986. The skyscraper officially opened in October 1987.
Two Commerce Square and Changes
In 1987, Consolidated Rail Corporation (Conrail) wanted to bring all its offices in Philadelphia into one building. After looking for a new headquarters for two years, Conrail decided to lease 27 floors of Two Commerce Square in March 1990.
With Conrail as the main tenant, construction of the second tower began in July 1990. Two Commerce Square was completed in July 1992. Conrail started moving about 3,000 employees into the building in September of that year. This tower marked the end of the skyscraper building boom of the 1980s. No other office skyscraper was built in Philadelphia until the Cira Centre in 2005.
After the building boom, the 1990s saw many empty offices in Center City. In 1993, IBM faced financial challenges and started to use less space in One Commerce Square. By 1993, they were using only one-fifth of the building. Later, the ownership of Commerce Square changed. The original owners, Maguire Thomas Partners, split up.
In 1996, Conrail was bought by Norfolk Southern Railway and CSX Transportation. This meant that Conrail's offices and employees began to move out of Two Commerce Square by 1998. Even though CSX Transportation had to pay for Conrail's lease, they rented out the empty space to other companies. Between 1999 and 2000, as Conrail moved out, new tenants filled the space in Two Commerce Square.
Building Design
Commerce Square is located on West Market Street in Center City Philadelphia. It has two 41-story office towers, each 565 feet (172 m) tall. These towers were designed by Henry N. Cobb and Douglas Gardner.
The complex covers an entire city block, between 20th and 21st Streets and Market Street and John F. Kennedy Boulevard. Commerce Square has a total of 2,200,000 square feet (200,000 m2) of space. This includes 1,850,000 square feet (170,000 m2) of office space, a large lobby, and a parking garage for 625 cars.
The buildings are covered in light gray granite. They have special setbacks on their north and south sides. The lower floors are larger, while the upper floors are smaller. This design was influenced by IBM's needs in the 1980s for lots of open floor space. The two towers are topped with unique stone diamonds that have square cutouts in the center.
The Plaza
The two towers are separated by a 30,000 square feet (2,800 m2) paved courtyard, or plaza. This plaza has tables and chairs. In the middle of the plaza, there is a large circular fountain made of pink granite. The plaza was designed by Laurie Olin. The city planning commission in Philadelphia was so impressed by Commerce Square's plaza that they used ideas from it in new building rules for open spaces.
Who Works There?
One Commerce Square Tenants
IBM was the main company in One Commerce Square when it opened in 1987. They first used almost half of the building. Over the years, IBM has reduced its presence there.
Other companies that have offices in One Commerce Square include Ernst & Young LLP, Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young LLP, The Pew Charitable Trusts, and Delaware Investments.
Two Commerce Square Tenants
When Two Commerce Square opened in 1992, the Consolidated Rail Corporation (Conrail) used 728,000 square feet (68,000 m2) of the tower for its main offices. After Conrail was bought by Norfolk Southern and CSX Transportation, they now share a smaller space in the tower.
Today, Two Commerce Square is home to many accounting and consulting firms. The largest of these is PricewaterhouseCoopers, which uses 215,000 square feet (20,000 m2) of space. Ernst & Young LLP also had offices there for a long time before moving to One Commerce Square in 2012.
Other companies in Two Commerce Square include Delaware Investments, Grant Thornton LLP, Leaf Financial Corporation, Reliance Standard Life Insurance Co., and McCormick Taylor. In 2010, the multimedia company Wolters Kluwer moved into the tower, making it 91 percent full.
See also
In Spanish: Commerce Square para niños
