Phase 2 City Hall North Apron Renovation

Ardurra partnered with the City of Philadelphia to revitalize the iconic City Hall North Apron, a National Historic Landmark, by addressing critical infrastructure needs while preserving its historic character. The project focused on enhanced safety, accessibility, and resilience for the thousands of people who visit the civic enterprise daily. The scope was tasked with replacing the existing North Apron, improving accessibility to meet ADA standards, and upgrading vital underground utilities in a way that honored the legacy of the historic site. A key challenge was integrating modern accessibility without compromising the building's integrity. The team developed an innovative solution to reset the original granite steps and carve two ADA-compliant ramps directly into them, seamlessly blending old and new elements while also engineering a new drainage system to prevent flooding and icy conditions, ensuring year-round safety for pedestrians. The project secured City Hall's future by replacing a 150-foot corroded water main, a critical component of its secondary water supply. Through careful collaboration with multiple city agencies and PennDOT, Ardurra successfully delivered a solution that improves the landmark's function and beauty, ensuring it remains a safe and accessible hub for the community for decades to come.

Key Highlights:

• Preserved a National Historic Landmark by seamlessly integrating modern ADA-compliant ramps into the original granite steps, enhancing accessibility for all visitors while maintaining the building's historic integrity.

• Improved public safety by designing and installing an advanced drainage system that eliminates flooding hazards and prevents slippery winter conditions in a high-traffic public space.

• Enhanced municipal resilience by replacing a 150-foot corroded water main to secure a reliable secondary water supply for Philadelphia's most important civic building.

• Minimized community disruption through strategic collaboration with multiple city agencies and PennDOT, ensuring construction had minimal impact on government operations, pedestrians, and vehicular traffic.

Ardurra successfully rehabilitated the Philadelphia City Hall North Apron, delivering a solution that modernizes critical infrastructure and accessibility while fully honoring the landmark's historic significance. The project directly benefits the thousands of residents, workers, and visitors who use the civic space daily, providing a safer and more accessible environment for generations to come. This flagship project reinforces Ardurra's capability to deliver complex historic rehabilitation work in dense, high-profile urban environments.