In Logan Square, construction on the 227-unit Granary Apartments at 20th & Callowhill, is nearing completion. So far, sixty tenants have moved in with more coming soon. The building was developed by Pearl Properties and designed by DAS Architects to be a blend of old and new, industrial and modern, and is scheduled to be completed by early October.

From the west

From the east

“I think the inspiration for the project was really the Granary itself,” said David Schultz, who owns DAS along with his wife. He does the architecture, while she focuses on interior design. Their team is a mix of architects and interior designers, and their history is more in hospitality, at places like Le Bec Fin (sad to see you go). Schultz described the company as a blend of those two things. Their vision for the Granary was to use elements like reclaimed industrial parts from the building, like steel and the concrete columns while creating a modern feel. One example of that is the spiral staircase in the lobby. The units are a mix of one- and two-bedrooms, ranging from $1850 to $2350 a month. The building includes amenities like a music room, a roof deck and a club room. It also features 20K sqft of ground floor retail space. Local chef all star Marc Vetri of Vetri in Midtown will open Pizzeria Vetri  this Friday, according to uwishunu. Phase II of the project will mean renovations to the historic Granary building, though a timeline for that part of the project has yet to be set.

Awesome staircase

A kitchen from one of the units

If it’s finished by the projected October 1 date, that would make for about a 17-month construction project from the time of groundbreaking. In Logan Square, various new mega-unit projects are underway, like the 293-unit Brandywine project at 1919 Market. There’s also two new buildings going up at 19th & Arch. And plans for the 20-plus story Edgewater II at 23rd & Summer. Let us also consider the Whole Food relocation to 22nd and Pennsylvania and it seems clear that it is safe to say that it’s raining large-scale mixed-use development in Logan Square. This must mean that the Center City business corridor, or the Philadelphia-area job market is strong enough to support the folks who will occupy these 1,000-plus new units that will come online during the next few years. Good news, right Philadelphia?

–Lou Mancinelli