Vesper will execute extensive capital improvements to fully renovate the common areas including the main lobby, elevator lobbies and mechanical upgrades. The building will get a new glass façade, with the street-level portion featuring a two-story glass retail showcase. This portion is planned to be designed in a way to take the viewers to an era, when Walnut was a major shopping district in the city. The black granite that now wraps the outside of the building will be replaced with large glass windows. The building’s mechanical systems including new electrical work, will be replaced. Most of the office space will be revamped as well.
Bohlin Cywinski Jackson of Wilkes-Barre and Wulff Architects of Philadelphia are the architects on the project. The cost of the renovation is around $8 million.
The 39,305 square feet building was once a recording and broadcast studio occupied by Westinghouse Broadcasting, NBC, and later CBS affiliate, KYW-TV. The building also housed the popular bistro Brasserie Perrier.
The building boasts many unique features including a spacious lower level with 15 feet ceilings that was used to tape TV classics like ‘The Mike Douglas Show,’ which aired from 1964 to 1980. 1619 Walnut Street is listed on the National Register of Historic Buildings and consists of many of that era’s original features including lobby finishes and original details on the façade.
