This crystalline glass tower, among the most modern in Philadelphia, is located across from the southern edge of Independence National Historical Park, often described as the most historic square mile in America, just to the east of Washington Square. While overlooking the birthplace of democracy, 500 Walnut forms a gateway between the oldest part of Philadelphia, full of museums, historic sites and other tourist attractions, and the high-end residential neighborhood of Society Hill as pioneered by Edmund Bacon.

Directly overlooking Independence Mall, 500 Walnut is designed to elegantly and unobtrusively harmonize with Old City Philadelphia – without mimicking it. Cecil Baker + Partners’ intervention across from this pivotal historic site is uncomplicated. A contemporary design with gravitas responds to the scale and rhythms of neighboring contemporary architecture while respecting the eminence of Independence Hall, the venerable site of the birthplace of our nation. The National Park Service had a voice in the early stages of the design process, seeking to maintain open sky framing the cupola of Independence Hall when viewed from the Liberty Bell. Because of this, history's cleaver slices the northern end of 500 Walnut revealing a 26-story glassy prismatic skin facing Independence National Historical Park. An echoing inflection at the corner of 5th and Walnut Streets suggests a gateway to the residential Society Hill neighborhood.

The most impactful context for understanding the building’s form is the view from Liberty Bell, housed in a glass pavilion just one block away. Cecil Baker + Partners worked with the National Park Service to craft a building form respectful of the view shed from the Liberty Bell to Independence Hall tower (where the bell once hung), preserving open sky in the background. Respect for this sight line resulted in the angled and stepped glass façade that is the key feature of the building envelope.

This slim condominium tower is unobtrusive to Philadelphia tourists gazing up at Independence Hall from the Liberty Bell. Further, the neutral glass of the park-facing façade reflects the sky, ensuring the building’s harmony with both its historic surroundings and the adjacent Romaldo Giurgola-designed iconic Penn Mutual tower.