Part of a condominium boom occurring in the city, the Murano was announced in 2005 and was developed jointly by Thomas Properties Group and P&A Associates.

Located in the Logan Square neighborhood of Center City, in a part that first saw residential development in 2002, the building struggled to fill its units during the late-2000s recession.

[9] In 2009, Thomas Properties Group was looking to quickly fill up the tower to help pay for condo fees and maintenance costs.

[11] The curved facade features floor-to-ceiling blue windows separated at intervals by bands of white concrete.

The developers planned to put ground level retail in the parking garage but say they were dissuaded by residents who feared the shops would attract the homeless.

[3] Philadelphia Inquirer architecture critic Inga Saffron praised how the concrete bands break up the glass and "serve as a bridge, linking the Murano visually to its older neighbors".

Saffron believed shops in the parking garage would have helped create a connection between West Market Street and the Logan Square neighborhood.