32-Story Apt Tower to Replace Former Boyd Theatre

A new 32-story tower is about to begin construction on the site of the former Boyd movie theatre at 19th & Chestnut Streets.  The new tower, which will have 250 apartments, 50,000 square feet of retail space, and 117 underground parking spaces, will be built where the large, ornate auditorium once stood.  

The grand 2,300-seat movie palace was demolished by developers Pearl Properties after they won approval from the City Historical Commission to raze theater after a long fight by preservationists to save it. 

The ornate lobby of the 1920’s movie theater will be restored and used as a retail space on Chestnut Street.

The development site includes 1900-1906 Chestnut, 1910 Chestnut, 1912 Chestnut, 110 South 19th and 112 South 19th Street.

The new tower, dubbed 19th + Chestnut, was designed by Cecil Baker Architects and will have 250 rental apartment units and retail spaces on 19th Street and Sansom Street, in addition to the retail space in the former Boyd Theatre lobby. 

There will, also, be retail at the corner of 19th and Chestnut in an attached project being built by Pearl, which will have a Target store and will preserve the historic Alexander Building on the corner. 

The tower will be clad in glass panels and it will be oriented lengthwise from north to south.  The project will have amenities for the residents, including a second floor terrace, a fitness center, a yoga room, a guest suite, and a lounge. All parking will be underground and accessible on 20th Street.

This project was approved by the City Planning Commission’s Civic Design Review committee late last year. 

The new tower is designed "as-of-right", so the project doesn’t need any zoning variances. That means construction can proceed as soon as the developer is ready.