Studio Hillier
  • ABOUT
    • People
    • History
    • Awards
  • WORK
    • Featured Projects
    • On The Boards
    • Archive
  • IDEAS
    • Research
    • Publications
    • Videos
  • NEWS
  • CONTACT
    • REUNION

Ritz Carlton Philadelphia Philadelphia, PA
Commercial
2000
The historic Girard Trust buildings were originally designed by the prominent New York firm of McKim Mead & White for the Girard Trust Company, one of the leading financial institutions in the Philadelphia area. The dome building was built in 1908 and the adjacent 30-story office tower was erected in 1931. The dome was modeled after the Pantheon in Rome, and was intended to be the most impressive retail banking facility in the city. Girard Trust was acquired in the 1980s by Mellon Bank, which separated the two buildings into a retail bank and an office tower. Following a fire at the adjacent Meridian Building, the tower sat empty for several years until The Arden Group recognized its potential as a premier hotel property.

The rehabilitation of the Girard Trust buildings achieved Certified Rehabilitation status by meeting the requirements of the Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office and the National Park Service’s Rehabilitation Investment Tax Credit Program.

With the exterior restoration complete, the buildings’ sparkling white Georgia marble has emerged from decades of encrusted soot and exhaust. The two historic structures, anchoring Philadelphia’s Avenue of the Arts at the geographic heart of Center City Philadelphia, have become symbols of the city’s remarkable downtown renaissance.

The Ritz-Carlton hotel consists of 330 guestrooms, three restaurants, and a 500-seat Grand Ballroom located in the former Safe Deposit area. The magnificent main floor marble rotunda was restored as the main entrance and focal point of the hotel’s public spaces. Former large banking halls on the second and third floors are now meeting rooms, while the 29th floor boardroom has become the Club Lounge.

Awards:

American Institute of Architects, Chapter Awards Ritz-Carlton, Philadelphia – 2001, 2000


Read More Ritz Carlton
Philadelphia Philadelphia, PA
2000 Ritz Carlton
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, PA
Commercial
2000
The historic Girard Trust buildings were originally designed by the prominent New York firm of McKim Mead & White for the Girard Trust Company, one of the leading financial institutions in the Philadelphia area. The dome building was built in 1908 and the adjacent 30-story office tower was erected in 1931. The dome was modeled after the Pantheon in Rome, and was intended to be the most impressive retail banking facility in the city. Girard Trust was acquired in the 1980s by Mellon Bank, which separated the two buildings into a retail bank and an office tower. Following a fire at the adjacent Meridian Building, the tower sat empty for several years until The Arden Group recognized its potential as a premier hotel property.

The rehabilitation of the Girard Trust buildings achieved Certified Rehabilitation status by meeting the requirements of the Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office and the National Park Service’s Rehabilitation Investment Tax Credit Program.

With the exterior restoration complete, the buildings’ sparkling white Georgia marble has emerged from decades of encrusted soot and exhaust. The two historic structures, anchoring Philadelphia’s Avenue of the Arts at the geographic heart of Center City Philadelphia, have become symbols of the city’s remarkable downtown renaissance.

The Ritz-Carlton hotel consists of 330 guestrooms, three restaurants, and a 500-seat Grand Ballroom located in the former Safe Deposit area. The magnificent main floor marble rotunda was restored as the main entrance and focal point of the hotel’s public spaces. Former large banking halls on the second and third floors are now meeting rooms, while the 29th floor boardroom has become the Club Lounge.

Awards: