7/8/2022

New Apartment Building Adds to Redevelopment of Chestnut Street in West Philadelphia

West Philadelphia’s stretch of Chestnut Street has a mix of old townhouses and old apartment buildings, just west of the Penn and Drexel campuses. In recent years, new construction has come about, usually replacing small retail buildings that have also been located on Chestnut Street. Between 43rd and 44th Streets, on the north side of the block across from the noteworthy Netherlands Apartments, was a one-story strip mall that was recently demolished. A new apartment building is planned for that block, and is already under construction. This new apartment building is being developed by Alterra and designed by JKRP Architects.

This new building will span the entire block along Chestnut Street, from 43rd to 44th Streets, officially at 4301 Chestnut Street. It will be eight stories tall and will have 275 rental units. The units will be one bedroom units, one and a half bedroom units, and studios. There will be a setback in the middle of the Chestnut Street facade with a second floor green roof courtyard. The ground floor will have a 15,000 square foot grocery store and 15,000 square feet of additional retail space, including Kilimanjaro Restaurant, which was located in the former shopping center. The top of the building will have a large roof deck and a green roof. The facade will have masonry on the ground floor and corrugated paneling above with composite wood trim. The first floor will, also, have two canopy marquises and there will be new street trees and planters on the sidewalk. There will be 75 underground parking spaces and 99 bicycle parking spaces.

This new apartment building will have a major impact on Chestnut Street, but it isn’t the only large apartment building being built on Chestnut Street in Walnut Hill. Large apartment buildings are being built at 42nd and Chestnut, across 43rd from this one on Chestnut, and at 46th and Chestnut. These new residential buildings, along with many more being built, or planned, on Market, Walnut, Sansom, and Ludlow Streets are transforming the Walnut Hill neighborhood.

Written by Gabriel Gottlieb