Philly’s largest condo building just underwent major renovations. Here’s how condos in their 60s are keeping up with newer ones.

Philadelphia’s largest condo building has gotten a facelift.

The lobby of the Philadelphian is shiny and new, with smart lights, modern furniture, and a new security desk at the entrance. Out front, stone pavers have replaced concrete at the porte cochere, and a waterfall feature has replaced a weak fountain. A revamped commercial plaza in the back flows more seamlessly into the Fairmount neighborhood.

And the Philadelphian now has a room specifically to handle the almost 100,000 packages its nearly 1,200 residents will receive this year — a space that wasn’t necessary when the building was completed in 1963.

The Philadelphian’s $18 million renovation, which began two years ago and is just about complete, was guided by the need to replace concrete that allowed leaks into the underground garage but also a deeper consideration: “What do we want to be for the next 60 years?” said general manager Marc Levinson.

CBP Architects, founded by Cecil Baker, “kept the flavor of the Philadelphian, but they made it more modern,” Levinson said. It’s hard to please everyone living in the building’s 753 residential units, but many residents say they like the changes. Others miss the old lobby’s character and antique pieces.

“There are some people who liked the old charm of how it was designed 60 years ago,” Levinson said.

The construction of the Philadelphian, located just off the Benjamin Franklin Parkway and across from the Philadelphia Museum of Art, was part of a building boom of contemporary and modern condos in the 1960s. “But modern after 60 or so years changes,” said Allan Domb of Allan Domb Real Estate, who has been selling condos in the city since the early 1980s.

High-rise condos pepper the greater Center City area. New luxury buildings have popped up over the last few years to join ones built several decades or even a century ago. So how do older buildings compete with newer ones to attract and keep residents?

Managers and residents of older buildings say there’s less competition than one might think. Buyers have different needs and budgets. And for some, it just comes down to personal preference.

Real estate agent Mark Wade said demand for condos in greater Center City is back to what he saw before the pandemic, and there currently aren’t a lot of condos for sale. So buyers may look at segments of the market they hadn’t previously considered. That could mean older buildings.

More than a building’s age, affordability is top of mind for condo buyers, said Wade, an agent with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Fox & Roach Realtors who owns and operates CenterCityCondos.com. New construction in premium areas of greater Center City “does sell very well, but it’s just not for the masses,” he said.

In addition to price, a building’s location and surroundings are critical. A lot of the new construction “doesn’t have the great locations that the older buildings have,” Domb said. “The newer construction is just a few blocks off the best locations.”

The city’s condo owners want to be close to restaurants, recreational options, and cultural institutions. Buildings such as the Philadelphian and Hopkinson House on Washington Square, completed in 1963, have medical and professional offices, grocers, restaurants, and other commercial tenants that serve residents’ needs.

Besides location, Domb noted three other important considerations for condo buyers: a property’s financial stability, the square footage of units, and the views.

Owners at the Philadelphian did not have to pay extra for the condo’s renovations because of the money the building keeps in reserves.

Resident Patti Boyer likes being in the museum district right off the Parkway. From her 11th-floor condo, she can see the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s famous steps and “all the way over to West Philly.” She enjoys being near — but not in — Center City.

And the Philadelphian is known for generously sized units. “You get more for your money” than in other buildings, Boyer said.

These are some of the reasons that brought her back to the building in 2018. She had moved out in the early 1990s when she was in her early 40s, but she returned after her husband died and she remarried years later.

She likes the renovations at the Philadelphian. “It’s becoming 21st century now with secure doors and a beautiful lobby,” she said.

Buying a condo can be attractive to empty nesters or retirees, young professionals looking for a starter home, or anyone who likes apartment living but wants to own.

Many of the city’s high-rise condos have a lot of the same amenities, such as staffed front desks, fitness centers, and pools. Some, such as the Philadelphian and the nearby 2601 Parkway Condominiums, which opened in 1939, offer private buses that shuttle residents across the city.

Philadelphia’s condo owners aren’t easily lured away from their buildings by slightly different amenities or new construction. Residents “are kind of in love with the condo that they live in,” said Brett Scioli, general manager at Society Hill Towers, which turned 60 this year.

“I have many, many residents who have been here in excess of 40 years,” since the apartments turned into condos, Scioli said. Residents who lived there as young adults and left the city to raise families in the suburbs wind up coming back. “A good percentage of people who own here started as renters. And they love it, and they stay.”

That’s also the case at Hopkinson House, said general manager Gary van Niekerk. And the Philadelphian has residents who have stayed since the early 1960s.

As with single-family homes, some condo buyers want new construction while others are drawn to the history and character of older homes.

From lobby design to overall architecture, condos built during different times have a different look and feel. Newly constructed buildings have more contemporary designs, while buildings constructed in the 1920s have “more old-world charm,” Domb said.

In his experience, condo buildings built in the 1920s are more respectful of the time in which they were built and tend not to change much. He’s seen more buildings that were built in the 1960s adjust elements such as lobbies and furniture.

In prewar condos built before World War II, residents can find solid wood doors, decorative ceiling molding, more details in the finishes, and unique units, Wade said. Age is the draw for residents. Notable prewar condos include 1830 Rittenhouse Square and 1900 Rittenhouse Square.

But older buildings weren’t built with the infrastructure needed for modern living, so they have to play catch up.

Hopkinson House is always looking at what other condos are offering, van Niekerk said, but “because this building is older, there is kind of a limit in what you can do.”

“In a building of this age, the infrastructure is kind of what it is,” he said. “So it makes it difficult to change.”

A fitness center would be nice, he said, but Hopkinson House doesn’t have the space. So leadership has looked to add value in other ways. For example, the building recently added charging stations for electric vehicles and started offering free composting. It may use some of its commercial space to add a fitness center in the future.

Owners at the Philadelphian cited a strong sense of community as one of their top reasons for living there — an element that doesn’t depend on the age of the building. But the lobby renovation “was absolutely needed” because buildings need to stay current, Wade said.

Like the Philadelphian, Hopkinson House is “well funded” and has the money to plan and complete capital projects without constantly asking owners for extra money, van Niekerk said. And that’s attractive to buyers.

Hopkinson House’s management takes on projects “that will help keep the building current in today’s market,” he said. Future plans include renovating and modernizing the pool deck on the 32nd floor.

And Washington Square is a draw for residents. “We have a location that is very, very hard to beat within the city,” van Niekerk said.

Scioli at Society Hill Towers said his property’s “parklike setting” on roughly 5½ acres attracts residents, too.

He said a lot of residents also choose to live there because the iconic buildings were designed by famed architect I.M. Pei. They like the Towers’ architecture and the windows that surround the exterior of the buildings. He said the community attracts a lot of engineers, architects, and tradespeople.

“People who look at the Towers, a lot of them have had the Towers in mind for a long time,” he said. Someone who is interested in the property probably isn’t also considering a newly built condo.

“I don’t see the character in the new buildings I’ve visited,” Scioli said. “The newer buildings are a little more sterile.”