Nation’s Tallest Sustainable Skyscraper Rises 975 Feet into the Clouds
Amidst loud cheers and applause from more than 500 spectators, Liberty Property Trust CEO Bill Hankowsky and Senior Vice President John Gattuso, Comcast CEO Brian Roberts, Comcast Founder Ralph Roberts, and design architect Robert A.M. Stern officially opened the newest, tallest and greenest member of the Philadelphia skyline – Comcast Center – at a reception this evening.
The 58 floor, glass-encased tower rises 975 feet into the air. It surpasses One Liberty Place, developed by Liberty’s predecessor company, Rouse & Associates, as the city’s (and in fact, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s) tallest building. A high performance green building, it has been designed to achieve LEED certification from the US Green Building Council.
Comcast Center features 1.25 million square feet of Class A office, restaurant and retail space; a dramatic eight-story winter garden that includes a major art installation by sculptor Jonathan Borofsky, a half acre public plaza with a seasonal café and unique fountain installation, and “The Comcast Experience,” a ground-breaking hi-definition video wall standing 83.3’ wide by 25.4’ high, showcasing a one-of-a kind intersection of media, technology and public art.
“Comcast Center, like Liberty Place, is not just a building, but a great urban project that has transformed both the skyline and the streetscape of an entire city block,” said Hankowsky. “It breaks new ground on several fronts – it creates a dynamic new experience for commuters entering their city, it provides a stimulating, efficient home that allows the state’s largest corporation and most prominent corporate citizen to continue to grow and contribute to the city’s financial vitality, and it serves as a beacon of sustainability in a world striving for responsible environmental stewardship.”
Comcast Corporation leases more than 90% of the building. The “vertical campus” for the nation’s leading provider of entertainment, information and communications products and services, will house more than 2,900 Comcast workers in a dozen departments, including the company’s corporate headquarters, Comcast Interactive Capital (the company’s venture capital arm), Comcast Interactive Media (the company’s Internet businesses), and all of the headquarters functions for the company’s Programming Division. Comcast University, the company’s highly regarded training and development program, is also in residence.
“This is a defining moment in Comcast’s history,” said Roberts, who dedicated the evening to his father, Comcast founder, Ralph Roberts. “Our vision was to create a world class, exciting home and classy, state-of-the-art space for Comcast employees in the City of Philadelphia. We have been committed to this great city for over 40 years and this fantastic green building with great views in every direction and on every floor is the result of our vision.”
Other tenants in the complex include The Judge Group and Citizen’s Bank, which will occupy 50,000 square feet of office space and operate a retail bank branch on the Plaza level. That ground level area also features a Godiva Chocolatier retail location and Table 31 Steakhouse Bistro, the newest restaurant from Philadelphia icons George Perrier and Chris Scarduzio.
Comcast Center was designed by Robert A.M. Stern Architects, New York, led by the firm's founder and senior partner Robert A.M. Stern. Celebrating the opening of Comcast Center, Stern said, “We have realized the dream of a great building that will house a great company and that will be a meeting place for all Philadelphia as we move forward into the 21st Century.”
Kendall Heaton Associates of Houston, Texas, served as architect-of-record for the building. Atelier Ten of London and New York was the environmental design consultant.
An Investment in the Future of Philadelphia
The project included approximately $850 million of private investment. According to a study prepared by Econsult, construction of the project generated nearly $1.26 billion in one-time economic activity, supporting over 5,400 jobs and almost $210 million in earnings within the City of Philadelphia. Statewide, over $2 billion in one-time total expenditures occurred, supporting over 17,000 jobs and over $650 million in earnings. Additionally, over $12 million in tax revenues were generated for the City of Philadelphia and over $44 million in tax revenues were generated for the Commonwealth during the construction stage alone.
Each year after full occupancy, Econsult estimates that Comcast Center will generate almost $1.16 billion in total expenditures supporting over 6,500 jobs and almost $460 million in earnings within the City of Philadelphia. In the Commonwealth, it is estimated almost $1.65 billion in total expenditures supporting over 9,000 jobs and almost $600 million in earnings each year.
Additionally, according to Econsult, Comcast alone – headquarters and operations combined – generates total annual expenditures of $3.3 billion, 26,500 direct and indirect jobs, and earnings of $1.2 billion in the 11-county Philadelphia region. This enormous economic impact has doubled since 2004, while personal and corporate tax revenues to state and local governments increased by 88 percent in the same period to $240 million.
