The Bridge on Race, Ready for Its Closeup

Work is all but complete on the striking apartment building next to the Ben Franklin Bridge, and its proud developer is happy to show it off.

By Sandy Smith· 8/22/2017, 10:00 a.m.

These lounge chairs should prove very popular with couples on nice nights. They’re one of several attractive features found on the Bridge on Race’s fifth-floor community terrace. | Photos: Sandy Smith unless otherwise noted

When last we looked in on The Bridge on Race, the bold apartment building at the northwest corner of 2nd and Race streets, most of it was still a construction zone, but we could see the shape of things to come.

So we responded eagerly when the building’s developer, Jeffrey Brown, invited us back to check out the (all but) finished product.

The apartments at the Bridge are all move-in ready, and tenants have already moved in. The common amenities on the second floor are also ready for use, as is the showstopper: the fifth-floor rooftop terrace that’s open to all residents. The only unfinished element is the 19th-floor rooftop, which will have private terraces that building occupants can rent along with one community terrace facing the Delaware.

Brown pointed out many of the distinctive features of the amenity floors and the apartments as he showed off the finished product, but he took special pride in one feature neither residents nor visitors can see: the 15 affordable apartments located throughout the 146-unit building.

Like the builder of One Water Street, Brown took advantage of a provision in the city building code that granted a height bonus to multi-unit building developers who pledged to make 10 percent of their units affordable. Unlike that builder, Brown kept his promise, and he is pleased with the results.

“We have an incredibly diverse mix of people” living in the affordable units, he said. Many work in administrative support and service jobs. “And they’re getting a great bargain.” That’s because there’s no difference between the affordable and market-rate units in terms of appointments and fixtures. All the units have the same Eurostyle kitchens and GE stainless steel appliances. The bathrooms are likewise outfitted with the same slate tile, upgraded shower heads and low-flow toilets.

There’s lots of Wow! in this building, as the photos below should make clear.

The Bridge on Race, Inside and Out

The only part of the building that's not yet finished is the 19th-floor roof deck. This is the view from the community terrace.

Stone pavers are stacked for installation on the terraces.

In addition to the east-facing community terraces, the building roof deck will have several private terraces that residents may rent on a short- or long-term basis. The pole in this picture will support a roof trellis covering part of the deck, a feature all of the private decks will have.

From the roof, the tour proceeded to the two furnished model units on the 11th floor. This is the model studio apartment.

The studio has room enough to accommodate a full-size bed, a complete living-room area...

Stylish kitchens and other high-end amenities appeal to a sizable minority of apartment-hunters, according to the Village Green survey. That minority is smaller in Philadelphia than in other cities, however. | Photos: Sandy Smith

Brown is proud of the work the construction crews did. Photos from the construction hang in the model studio.

The studio unit's bathroom features tile walls and a frameless glass shower stall.

This is the living room of the model one-bedroom unit. Millésimé furnished it.

The one-bedroom apartment offers views to the north and the west (seen here).

The bedroom in the model apartment, with a view to the north.

The building's main community amenities are on the fifth floor, which is the top floor of the building's base. The fitness center is on the floor's northwest corner.

Gym patrons have views of the Ben Franklin Bridge to the north and west...

...and access to the main community terrace on the south.

The community room is in the northeast corner. It includes lounge seating at its north end...

dining and work tables in the center... | Photo courtesy The Bridge on Race

...a catering kitchen from Arclinea with Bosch appliances (but no range)...

...and more lounge seating at the south end. | Photo courtesy The Bridge on Race

The south end lounge space also has a gas fireplace...

...and an exit to the terrace.

The fifth-floor terrace is the main outdoor space that all residents can use.

It's attractively designed, landscaped and furnished by project architect GLUCK+ and offers great spots for viewing the bridge and riverfront. | Photo courtesy The Bridge on Race

An unusual feature is the mirrored ceiling over the portion that is under the tower. Residents and their guests can view the activity on the street below - and passers-by can also see the terrace above from the right angle.

The terrace includes a fire pit...

...and six "dining rooms" with grills that residents can reserve for entertaining or dining al fresco.

No propane tanks here - the grills have permanent gas lines connected.

The view to the east from the terrace's west end.

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The lights on the terrace, Brown said, create an enchating effect when they go on at night.

That's Cor-Ten steel around the planter beds. Give it time to rust.

A billboard looms in the view from one of the second-floor apartments...

...but while Brown isn't thrilled by this, he does regard the cloud display on the building-facing side as making the best of a bad situation.

Some of the second-floor apartments have private outdoor terraces of their own.

A few planter beds remain to be placed on this terrace.

The building boasts a high-tech package delivery system: parcels are deposited in these lockers and tenants use a code to retrieve them. This saves time and hassle for the concierge desk staff.