Construction Complete at 4240 Chestnut Street in Spruce Hill, West Philadelphia

Philadelphia YIMBY’s recent site visit took a close look at the recently completed, seven-story, 128-unit mixed-use building at 4240 Chestnut Street in Spruce Hill, West Philadelphia. Designed by DAS Architects, the structure is located on the south side of the block between South 42nd and South 43rd streets. The project will span 141,928 square feet, of which nearly 40,000 square feet will be used as office. Apartment sizes will likely average at just below 800 square feet each. Permits list Intercultural Family Services as the owner, Morris Clarke as the design professional, and HC Pody Company as the contractor.

4240 Chestnut Street. Photo by Jamie Meller

4240 Chestnut Street replaces a parking lot and a vacant grassy parcel, filling an unsightly gap in the streetscape with a high-density building. The only downside to the proposal was that it blocks a blue-green-toned floral mural that was painted on the side of the adjacent prewar rowhouse to the east which was painted around fall 2009. Otherwise, the building will be a fine addition to the centrally-located, transit-adjacent (the 40th Street Station on the Market-Frankford Line sits a few blocks to the east) neighborhood.

4240 Chestnut Street. Photo by Jamie Meller

The final product relatively closely matches the original project renderings, yet adds an extra touch of color compared to the originally presented composition. Although the palette is rather basic and unornamented, the building brightens the streetscape mood with the colorful panels, bright red brick at the ground level, and asymettrical apertures in various sizes on the second floor and at the stories above. A two-story entrance module makes for a prominent visual centerpiece. Although separated from the sidewalk with a raised railing, expansive floor-to-ceiling storefront windows create a sense of transparency at the ground level. In all, 4240 Chestnut Street makes for an attractive, high-density, mixed-use addition to the rapidly developing neighborhood.

Rendering of 4240 Chestnut Street. Credit: DAS Architects.