Bala
Cynwyd, PA — Already a vibrant community and special
historic district, the Northern Liberties section of Philadelphia
is now home to a special residential apartment building
that has been rehabilitated and restored from a bygone era.
Located at 710-720 N. Fifth Street at the southwest corner
of N. Fifth and Brown Streets, Liberties Lofts is the creation
of Marathon Design & Construction, LLC and consists
of 61 loft-style apartments and public storage space.
Known
historically as the G.A. Bisler Building, Marathon Design & Construction bought the building in 2002 and after
a considerable renovation, is now leasing space to the public.
Available are brand new loft apartments (studios, one, two
or three bedrooms) with 13' ceilings and large loft-style
windows. Tenants will enjoy off-street parking and a community
rooftop deck with wonderful sweeping views of Center City.
Liberties Lofts is also proud to be the first multi-unit
apartment building to be restored in the historic Northern
Liberties section.
Lead by builder and developer Peter Economou and registered
architect Plato Marinakos, Jr., the firm has already made
a mark in metropolitan Philadelphia, having realized projects
ranging from historic property conversions to the complete
construction of new houses and condominiums. "With
Liberties Lofts," says Marinakos, "we preserved
historically significant features of the building, utilized
the existing structure as live/work lofts which added to
the existing residential composition of the area."
The G.A. Bisler Building was designed and built in 1924
by the prominent Philadelphia firm of William Steele &
Sons, known for their perfection and promotion of fireproof,
reinforced concrete flat-slab construction. The building
is a four-story reinforced concrete box factory that features
patterned brick spandrel, horizontal bands of industrial
sash windows, and terra cotta ornament along the brick parapet—all
of which have been patiently restored. Originally constructed
as a box manufactory, the building was later owned by Whitman
Chocolates, General Mills, and most recently by Gershel
Bros., distributors of new and used store fixtures and showcases.
Marathon Design & Construction bought the building from
Gershel Bros. in late 2002.
The building has a trapezoidal footprint and the pervasive
concrete slab construction affords a floorplan with vast,
open interior featuring regular intervals of mushroomed
shaped columns and expanses of large steel windows. The
apartment units are accessed from a Z-shaped corridor on
every floor. A distinctive element of the building and evident
throughout are the exposed concrete floors and ceilings.
As Peter Economou points out, "this was a unique aspect
of the project because there are not too many concrete historic
loft apartment buildings in Philadelphia. They are mostly
post-and-beam construction, utilizing heavy timber."
In addition to the fireproof characteristics of the building
material, concrete also lends a modern appearance to the
individual apartments. Tenants have the liberty of maintaining
the minimal look of raw concrete or they can choose to have
carpet installed. In an effort to further retain the historic
characteristics of the building’s interior, Marinakos
and Economou left the piping and ductwork that hangs from
the ceiling intact and in plain view, evoking strong ties
to the building’s industrial past.
The building’s interior is aglow in natural light
and boasts an abundance of windows, all industrial in style,
with rolled steel sash containing internal awning-style
windows. Marathon restored the steel sash windows by reglazing
them and refurbishing all of the steel frames to their original
state.
Each Liberties Lofts unit boasts a number of amenities,
including: stainless steel kitchen appliances (with microwave);
ceramic tile kitchens and bathrooms; separate heat and A/C
units; and laundry and vending machines on each floor.
The original G.A. Bisler Building included three stair towers,
two freight elevators, and a passenger elevator. Two of
the three have been replaced by Marathon for use by the
tenants of Liberties Lofts. There is an L-shaped parking
area to the west of the building that has been re-striped
to accommodate 45 parking spaces and 3 handicapped spaces.
The lot is enclosed with a new 7' tall metal gate along
the northern, western boundaries.
Of course, a great appeal to Liberties Lofts is its prime
location. The building is located within the boundaries
and contributes to the Northern Liberties Historic District.
The Northern Liberties Historic District consists of the
core streets that comprised a separate township back in
the nineteenth century. It’s largely viewed as an
artisan community and today the district still maintains
the unique character of small-scale communities that it
possessed in its nascent days. The area is already substantially
residential in nature, and the presence of Liberties Lofts
greatly enforces this. Numerous restaurants and the vibrant
nightlife along Delaware Avenue and N. 2nd Street are only
a few blocks away, and public transportation can be found
nearby on Spring Garden Street. Residents will also find
that they are conveniently located to a number of Philadelphia’s
cultural attractions, including The Philadelphia Museum
of Art, Logan Square, The Franklin Institute, and Fairmount
Park.
Marinakos and Economou are quick to point out that Liberties
Lofts also enjoys a zoning status know as "live/work"
whereby tenants can establish a small business that operates
out of their apartment. Already a great layout and floorplan
for artists, various entrepreneurs can now also take advantage
of the unique "work" atmosphere—including
Internet and cable-ready hookup—that Liberties Lofts
provides.
The attraction to Liberties Lofts is certainly not limited
to the first four floors. On the rooftop, Marathon has created
a wonderful garden terrace complete with pavers and deck
chairs where tenants can take in panoramic views of Philadelphia.
Instead of individual patios, the rooftop was designed "so
that tenants could come together and enjoy the space as
a community" says Marinakos. In the basement of Liberties
Lofts there is a public storage center consisting of 115
units of various sizes. This is a separately run entity
that is available to Liberties Lofts tenants as well as
the general public.
Marketing has already commenced on Liberties Lofts and units
are going fast. Details on Liberties Lofts, including floorplans,
photos, and available units, can be found at www.libertieslofts.com.
For additional information, call 215-928-1000. If you are
looking for affordable, metropolitan, loft-style living
in a building listed with the National Register of Historic
Places, you’ll be happy to "kick your feet up"
in this recently renovated gem in the heart of Philadelphia’s
Northern Liberties section.
Marathon’s
fast-track construction and design, combined with cost-effective
control of labor and materials, has yielded a record of
success in development, design, and construction of residential
and commercial real estate in metropolitan Philadelphia.
Highlights of Marathon's capabilities include architectural
design, space planning, construction management, general
contracting, feasibility studies, development studies, engineering,
and cost estimating
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