The St. James is a luxury residential skyscraper in Washington Square West, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States.

Only a back portion of the Philadelphia Savings Fund Society building was demolished, the rest being incorporated as retail and office space.

Its amenities include a 60 feet (18 m) swimming pool, a private courtyard, and a nine-story parking garage that makes up the base of the building.

The site of The St. James was formerly occupied by a group of historic 19th-century buildings that lined Walnut Street in the Washington Square West neighborhood in Center City, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

[5] Rappaport, who made a fortune by buying, improving, and then selling run-down properties, announced in 1989 that he planned to turn the building into his own personal headquarters and add a glass-enclosed ballroom on its top.

The new plan, which was approved by the Philadelphia Historical Commission, included renovating the PSFS headquarters and converting it into restaurant and office space.

Investors were skeptical about the success potential for luxury residential apartments outside the Rittenhouse Square neighborhood in Center City.

As part of his financial package, Dranoff would use “tax increment financing” (TIF) approved by the Philadelphia City Council.

[10] In March 1999, Chicago-based developer the Barton Group announced its plan to build a 37-story, 322-unit luxury residential tower.

Around the same time, the Barton Group ended its intentions with the site and sold its interest in the property to P&A Associates and Boston Financial.

[7][12] P&A Associates received final approval from the city zoning board and the historical commission in August 1999, but continued to seek more financing, which it was able to secure from Corus Bank of Chicago in September 2001.

[13] Philadelphia had not seen any residential high-rise development since the 1980s, and The St. James was one of the first to begin construction in the city, preceded only by the 16-story Residences at the Dockside, which broke ground in 2000.

[19] In 2022, the building, now 95% leased even with the precarious effects of the Covid lockdown, was put up for sale and expected to retrieve in excess of $200 million.

In December, Clarion announced it had sold the St. James to an undisclosed buyer for $220 million (over $700,000/unit), one of the largest apartment building sales in Philadelphia history.

[22] The US$80 million, Chicago-style high-rise was designed by Solomon Cordwell Buenz & Associates Inc. with assistance by architectural firm Bower Lewis Thrower.

The building features a four-pipe heating and air-conditioning system, and every unit, except for the studio apartments, has a private balcony.

[16] Along Walnut Street, The St. James incorporated the front facades of the York Row houses, while the rest of the buildings were demolished.