More of Philadelphia Within Reach
At The Laurel, beautifully serviced living on Rittenhouse Square is now available to just 10 more owners.
There is much to love about life on Philadelphia’s Main Line. Yet for some longtime suburban residents, there comes a point when the prospect of having more within reach becomes more appealing than simply having more.
It can mean exchanging some of the responsibilities that accompany a substantial home for a residence where the details of daily life are handled by others. Not simply to make life easier, but to make more of it possible.
Dinner at Vernick on a Tuesday because the mood strikes. The Philadelphia Orchestra without the drive home afterward. The Ball on the Square practically outside the front door. A private appointment at Joan Shepp. Equinox downstairs. Friends gathering for cocktails overlooking Rittenhouse Square before walking to dinner.
At The Laurel, serviced living and an extraordinary address directly on Rittenhouse Square come together in a compelling proposition: less time devoted to tending to a home and more freedom to take part in everything around it.
A Different Kind of Home
That freedom begins with residences worthy of the lives their owners have already created.
Designed by internationally acclaimed architecture and interior design firm Solomon Cordwell Buenz, The Laurel rises 599 feet above Rittenhouse Square, making it Philadelphia’s tallest residential tower. Its condominium residences occupy floors 27 through 48, with only one, two, or four residences per floor, providing privacy, expansive living spaces and extraordinary perspectives across Rittenhouse Square and the Center City skyline.
Estate Residences range from approximately 3,600 to 4,650 square feet, with multiple balconies and expansive park or city views. At the pinnacle, full-floor penthouses offer approximately 9,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor living, 360-degree views and the opportunity to create completely customized homes.
A visit to The Laurel’s Residence 4401 makes those dimensions considerably more tangible. High above Rittenhouse Square, floor-to-ceiling glass brings the skyline into generously scaled living spaces designed to accommodate both intimate daily life and gracious entertaining. Christine, founder and senior designer of Surrounding Interiors, approached the model by allowing its architecture, natural light, and extraordinary views to lead the experience. Collected and custom furnishings define the spaces without overwhelming them, while tactile materials and subtle contrasts bring warmth to the contemporary architecture.
The result provides more than decorating inspiration. It demonstrates what condominium living at The Laurel can actually look and feel like.
For longtime Main Line homeowners, that distinction matters. Moving to Center City need not mean leaving behind the space, individuality, privacy, or sophistication of a substantial private home. At The Laurel, those qualities can simply be reimagined high above Rittenhouse Square.
The Luxury of Being Looked After
Developer Southern Land Company conceived The Laurel as considerably more than a collection of residences. An entire floor is reserved for the private life of owners, complemented by personal service that changes what living in Center City can feel like.
The 26th-floor residents’ club includes an indoor pool and spa, fitness, Pilates, and cycling spaces, yoga studio, sauna and steam rooms, golf simulator, meeting room, and guest suite. Its clubroom, bar, catering kitchen, and terrace overlooking Rittenhouse Square provide an elegant extension of home for entertaining.
But perhaps the greater luxury is having people at the ready to make things happen.
Many of the responsibilities associated with a substantial residence become services provided by someone else. A 24-hour concierge, doorman, valet, and chauffeured in-town car are part of everyday life at The Laurel. The concierge can secure dinner reservations and sought-after tickets, coordinate services at home, assist visiting guests, or help orchestrate an evening with friends. When owners travel, the residential team can continue looking after their homes.
The point isn’t simply having less to take care of. It is having more time to take part.
Rittenhouse Square, Just Downstairs
Few addresses offer more compelling possibilities for doing exactly that.
Dear Daphni, restaurateur Michael Schulson’s sophisticated Mediterranean restaurant, is at street level at The Laurel. Within the surrounding blocks, dining choices include Parc, Barclay Prime, Vernick Food & Drink, My Loup, and Stephen Starr’s Borromini.
Equinox Rittenhouse, the luxury fitness brand’s first Philadelphia location, occupies approximately 37,000 square feet within The Laurel’s retail level. Across three floors are a 75-foot saltwater lap pool, spa, hot and cold plunges, and dedicated studios for Pilates, yoga, cycling, barre, and group fitness.
Fashion is equally close at hand. Boyds, the Philadelphia institution for designer fashion, is nearby. Joan Shepp has opened a two-story boutique next door, where Laurel residents enjoy special privileges and opportunities for private shopping and personal styling.
These are no longer destinations that require a trip from the suburbs into Center City. They are part of the Rittenhouse Square neighborhood Laurel residents call home.
A Place in the Life of the City
That proximity takes on another dimension in Philadelphia’s cultural and social life.
The Ball on the Square, the Philadelphia Orchestra, an evening at the Kimmel Center, a gallery opening, or another anticipated occasion can become part of a calendar that begins outside the front door. Laurel residents are already part of that social fabric, notably well represented at the Ball on the Square alongside community leaders.
Some invitations are even closer. Laurel residents have enjoyed exclusive champagne socials at neighboring Joan Shepp, along with designer meet-and-greets, trunk shows, and other special events.
Residents can also create occasions of their own. Friends might gather in the 26th-floor club or step onto its terrace overlooking the Square before heading out for dinner. The concierge can help with arrangements. The valet can welcome guests. The house car can be waiting when an evening leads elsewhere in Center City.
It creates an enviable relationship with Philadelphia: less a matter of periodically coming downtown for its cultural, culinary, and social life than simply stepping outside and becoming part of it.
A Rare Address Becomes Rarer
There is one aspect of The Laurel that cannot be recreated: its location.
The Laurel occupies the last developable parcel directly on Rittenhouse Square. Southern Land Company entrusted the singular site to SCB to create a distinctly contemporary addition to one of Philadelphia’s most distinguished neighborhoods.
Today, the promise of life there has become reality. More than 80 percent of owners are already in residence, and just 10 residences remain, including two extraordinary full-floor penthouses.
For those contemplating a move from the Main Line, The Laurel presents an intriguing possibility. It is less about leaving one exceptional way of living behind than discovering another—one where home is beautifully looked after and considerably more of Center City Philadelphia is within reach.
Unlike most lifestyle decisions, this particular possibility cannot simply be deferred indefinitely. The Laurel is the final new residential tower possible directly on Rittenhouse Square, and the remaining opportunities to call it home are becoming increasingly rare.
Perhaps the best way to understand the difference is to experience it.
Private appointments are available to tour the decorated model and the remaining residences at The Laurel. New Luxury Tower Residences from the $2 millions. To explore life directly on Rittenhouse Square, visit TheLaurelRittenhouse.com.
Photo courtesy of Southern Land Company
Published (and copyrighted) in Suburban Life, October 2026
Published (and copyrighted) in Suburban Life, October 2026
