COMCAST CENTER - Philadelphia, PA

Comcast Center - JDJ Photo
The Comcast Center in Philadelphia is a building that has captured my imagination for several years now. On my latest visit to Philadelphia I had a few hours before I had to jump on the plane so I parked...........carefully I might as so as not to get towed to the impound yard by the PTA, and I walked all the way down the Benjamin Franklin Parkway from the vicinity of the Philadelphia Art Museum to this incredible building located at 17th Street and John F. Kennedy Blvd in Center City. It was a perfectly clear summer day and the streets, boulevards and walkways were full of Sunday afternoon recreationists. I broke out into a pretty good sweat by the time I reached the Comcast Center as it was a warm, humid summer day. I stood there in awe for a good little minute looking up at this beautifully glass plated skyscraper - the tallest building in Philadelphia and the tallest building in the United States outside of New York and Chicago. This building is interesting in the fact that it has a giant square hole seemingly punched out of the top of it giving it an unmistakable mark that is immediately identifiable from the suburbs. The building has 58 stories, over 1,200,000 square feet of office / rental space and it is 975 feet tall. It is a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design building that was planned to reduce water usage by 40 percent over similar buildings it's size and by being glass skinned it is able to reflect a lot of heat in the summertime but it allows large amounts of natural light and heat into the building during the winter time. The building is located one block away from JFK Plaza and the iconic "LOVE" statue, and is only a few more blocks of walking from there to the City Hall so an interesting walk to look at some architecture, statues, old churches and the fountain at Logan Square can be had if you are interested in stretching your legs. There are street cart food vendors around and many different restaurants in the area. This is a big, bustling, fast paced city so maintain situational awareness at all times and be safe if you go there. The Comcast Center is a truly remarkable feat of engineering and a pleasure to look at so if you are ever in Philly and you've already seen all the sites around Independence Mall, take a walk and checkout the Comcast center.

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