Company Culture
Coworking

Here’s your 2019 guide to Philly’s coworking spaces

Looking for office space in the new year? Check out this quick snapshot of all your options.

A glimpse at MakeOffices' 1635 Market space. (Courtesy photo)

This editorial article is a part of Technical.ly's Office Trends month.

Editor's note: Pipeline Philly's entry has been updated. (12/11, 10:38 a.m.) WeWork's entry has been updated. (12/12, 9:47 a.m.)
Find your comprehensive 2020 guide to Philadelphia’s coworking spaces here.
The global shift in workplace dynamics in the digital age is undeniable.

With remote work on a consistent upward trend, and companies both small and large looking for ways to make their workflows more collaborative, the flexibility trend is also impacting the physical realm: Professional services and investment management company JLL projects that up to 30 percent of the U.S. office market will be comprised of flexible workplace by 2030.

In Philly, though some coworking hubs like Callowhill’s storied Venturef0rth space have closed over the past year, national and global brands, like MakeOffices and WeWork, have expanded their local presence. Locally owned options, like Kismet Cowork with locations in Chestnut Hill and Spring Arts, have also popped up. All told, there’s around 700,000 square feet of flexible office space inventory in Philly, according to JLL’s numbers.

(Find all our coverage of coworking here, and last year’s guide to Philly coworking here.)

As we look ahead to 2019, here’s a guide for those of you looking to pick a new hub in 2019. Sorted alphabetically, find below a quick look at companies’ amenities, pricing and a few anchor tenants. We arranged them by small (fewer than 10,000 square feet), medium (between 10,000 and 20,000 square feet) and large (more than 20,000 square feet.) Prices are monthly unless otherwise noted.

###

1776

Multiple locations

Born in 2017 from a merger between Philly’s Benjamin’s Desk and the D.C.-based incubator 1776, this company has a total of eight coworking hubs under various management models, featuring access to private offices and desks, as well as regular entrepreneur-focused event programming for members. Its Center City location, a couple of blocks away from Rittenhouse Square, soft launched at the end of 2016.

Notable amenities: Beer on tap, frequent events. 

Size: Medium (11,700 square feet.)

Price: $399/reserved desk, $1,399/office.

Anchor tenants: Keriton, Tassl, Municibid.

Other locations: 1776 operates eight locations in various capacities across Philly, Crystal City, Va., Wilmington, Del. and an upcoming space inside the Cherry Hill Mall in Cherry Hill, N.J. (Full disclosure: Technical.ly is a tenant of 1776’s 601 Walnut St. location.)

A coworking space with open floor plan (Courtesy photo)

1776’s Center City spot at 1608 Walnut St. (Courtesy photo)

Bok

1901 S. 9th St. in South Philadelphia

After Bok Technical High School closed in 2013, developer Lindsay Scannapieco converted the building into a massive makerspace. It features artist studios and other small businesses. Klip Collective featured an art installation as a tribute to the school at Bok (that was met with some controversy).

Notable amenities: Dog friendly, on-site rooftop bar (Le Bok Fin), access to a freight elevator for large format works.

Size: Large (80,000) square feet.

Price: $325/small studio bay, $450/private studio, $400/300 ft. room, $950/750 ft. room.

Anchor tenants: Fringe Salon, Revival Letterpress, Project PLAY School.

Cambridge Innovation Center

3675 Market St. in University City

Inside a 14-story building in West Philadelphia, the Cambridge, Mass.-based operation runs an 80,000-square-feet coworking spot that sits near to the city’s academic heart. Also in the building are the headquarters of the University City Science Center, Venture Cafe and wet lab operator BioLabs.

Size: Large (127,000 square feet, 80,000 square feet at launch.)

Price: At its Boston location, it charges $375 per person per month, $1200 for private offices.

Anchor tenants: Backstage Capital, Coded by Kids.

Other locations: Boston, Cambridge, Mass., Miami, St. Louis.

CIC Philadelphia.

City CoHo

2401 Walnut St. in Center City

Just a couple of blocks from 30th Street Station, City CoHo is a home to environmentally focused companies. The building features reclaimed barn wood desks, a green roof and a 17,500 gallon rainwater cistern. The space opened in 2014 following a $10.5 million makeover of the building in 2011. 

Size: Large (25,000 square feet).

Price: $400/reserved desk, $1,200/office.

Anchor tenants: Sustainable Business NetworkAnexinet, Recycle Bank, Context Travel.

Other locations: The same team behind City CoHo opened a 7,000 square feet hub in Mt. Airy called Mt. Airy Nexus.

CultureWorks

1315 Walnut St. in Center City

Founded by Thaddeus Squire in 2012, the space is an artist and focused hub hat provides coworking as well as access to flexible staffing, advisory services and classes. The space is home to CultureTrust of Greater Philadelphia, which acts as a fiscal sponsor for nonprofit, cultural and/or social impact efforts like Philly Game Mechanics and YallaPunk.

Size: Small.

Price: $350/7 days a week.

Anchor tenants: CultureTrust of Great Philadelphia, Philly Game Mechanics, YallaPunk, Bread and Roses Community Fund.

Globe Dye Works

4500 Worth St. in Frankford

The massive Globe Dye Works, whose tagline is “where art meets industry” opened in 2009 as an industrial makerspace with artist studios and offices for small businesses. Tenants can customize their space like installing plumbing and utilities. Because of this investment, tenants usually rent for a year or more, cofounder Peter Kelly told Technical.ly. Globe Dye Works is funded by a combination of a small group of partners, equity and construction financing from a bank. It also received a $17,000 city grant in 2013.

Notable amenities: Customizable space.

Size: Large (12 interconnected buildings, 150,000 square feet)

Price: Starts at $3,000 for a 500 square foot studio 

Anchor tenants: Petrichor Press, Brett Thomas Photography.

Globe Dye Works space for rent. (via Globe Dye Works on Facebook)

Globe Dye Works space for rent. (via Globe Dye Works on Facebook)

HeadRoom

230 Sugartown Rd. in Wayne

HeadRoom’s second location in Wayne opened in October 2015. Catered toward business professionals, the decor and furniture are relatively minimalist and functional. 

Size: Small (3,000 sq. ft.)

Price: $350/50 hours (additional renting by the hour)

Anchor tenants: PowerMatch.

Other locations: 24 Veterans Square in Media

A meeting in Headroom in Wayne, PA. (via Headroom on Facebook)

A meeting in HeadRoom in Wayne. (via Headroom on Facebook)

Industrious Philadelphia

230 S. Broad St. in Center City

Industrious opened its Philly office in May 2015. It initially planned to open two Philly locations, but the second one has yet to pan out. The Brooklyn-based company’s flagship is located in Chicago. It is backed by Riverwood Capital, and raised a massive $80-million round in February. All told, it has taken on $142 million in venture capital.

Notable amenities: Relaxation rooms.

Size: Large (two floors, 20,774 square feet)

Price: $400/desk, starting at $750/private office 

Anchor tenants: The Philadelphia Citizen, Bloom Planning, Yellowdig.

Other locations: Other U.S. cities including Chicago, Los Angeles, Atlanta and Nashville.

Indy Hall

399 Market St. in Old City

Launched in 2007 and founded by Alex Hillman and Geoff DiMasi, Indy Hall is the OG of the Philly coworking scene. It has seen two previous locations including Strawberry Street off Market and 20 N. 3rd St., before settling at its current location in August. Indy Hall is home to many independent entrepreneurs and one Girl Scout Troop #9573.

Notable amenities: Field trips, free/discounted events.

Size: Small.

Price: Online membership, with access to the space’s community online, start at $20 a month, with five-day-a-week memberships at $300.

Anchor tenants: Code for Philly, IOpipe Director of Engineering Pam Selle, dev shop Untitled Folder, GitHub Education General Manager Vanessa Gennarelli

Innovation Center @ 3401

3401 Market St. in University City

The Innovation Center @ 3041, launched in 2014, is an incubator from Drexel University and the University Science Center. It aims to be the “Innovation District’s” entrepreneurial center, and has been the first hub of many startups from the Dreamit accelerator and the Drexel ecosystem. Since 2016, 52 member companies have raised over $50 million in funding.

Size: Medium (17,500 sq. ft.)

Price: Declined to comment.

Notable amenities: Frequent member events.

Anchor tenants: DreamIt Ventures, VitalTrax, Lithero.

At the Innovation Center @3401.(via the Innovation Center on Facebook)

At the Innovation Center @3401. (via the Innovation Center on Facebook)

King’s Hall

14 Kings Hwy West in Haddonfield, N.J.

King’s Hall was founded by husband-and-wife duo Sean and Devon Perry in December 2014. The three buildings that make up the space include a renovated center-hall colonial house and a former funeral home.

Size: Medium (three buildings, 10,000 sq. ft.)

Price: $99/non-dedicated desk, $299/dedicated desk

Anchor tenants: Formerly home to Linode, Community Foundation of South Jersey.

South Jersey Entrepreneurs in Technology meeting at King's Hall February 2015. (via King's Hall on Facebook)

South Jersey Entrepreneurs in Technology meeting at King’s Hall February 2015. (via King’s Hall on Facebook)

KISMET

12 W. Willow Grove Ave. in Chestnut Hill 

In 2017, founder Christopher Plant built out his initial vision for the space with a sleek 6,000-square-feet hub in a Chestnut Hill building, launching the first Kismet Cowork space. Plant, who is also a real estate agent, has since expanded the network to a second location in the Spring Arts section of Callowhill (also at 6,000 square feet) and an upcoming hub in Manayunk.

Size: Small (6,000 square feet.)

Price: $350 for a floating desk, $800 for a private office.

Notable amenities: Frequent event programming for members.

Other locations: Spring Arts: 448 N. 10th St, plus an upcoming hub in Manayunk at 4230 Main St.

Inside Kismet.

Inside Kismet.

MakeOffices

1635 Market in Center City

D.C.-based MakeOffices, has one of the biggest coworking hubs in Center City at 57,000 square feet. It also has a second hub, its first Philly location, at 2001 Market St., and an upcoming third location that will be based inside the historic Bourse building in Old City and will add another 33,000 square feet of space. 

Notable amenities: Beer and wine, relaxation room with massage chairs, device lab for developers.

Size: Large (57,000 square feet)

Price: $300/desk, starting at $650/office

Anchor tenants: NeuroFlow.

Other locations: 2001 Market St. Spots in in Chicago and Washington, D.C.

A glimpse at MakeOffices' new space.

NextFab

2025 Washington Ave. in South Philadelphia

NextFab hosts and guides Philly makers as they craft their creations, from woodworking to 3-D printing. Health IT startups like BioBots and Biomeme used to have office space here, and since 2016 it runs the RAPID accelerator, which invests in startups in the hardware space.

Notable amenities: Studio equipment, usage of tools, workstations, experts on staff, entertainment room, instruction provided for multiple skill levels.

Size: Large (21,000 sq. ft.).

Price: $199/unlimited days at every location.

Other locations: 1227 N. 4th St. in Kensington, which will relocate to an upcoming North Philly hub and a Wilmington location.

Old City Collective

222B Race St. in Old City

Described as an alternative to the traditional coworking format, Old City Collective has an intimate, boutique-like feel. Members, including several in the photography and beauty space, can rent out the whole hub for a period of time.

Size: Small (two levels, 950 square feet)

Price: $350/4 hours, $400/8 hours

Anchor tenants: PhiladelphiaHeadshot.com, Bella Angel Hair & Makeup, GlossPhilly.com, Botanical Bash.

Pennovation

3401 Grays Ferry Ave. in Southwest Philadelphia

The University of Pennsylvania’s research hub in Grays Ferry features wet lab spaces for companies in the biotech space and a coworking space powered by 1776. 

Notable amenities: On-site cafe, closed off drone tent for motion capture.

Size: Large (58,000 sq. ft.)

Price: $399/desk, $1,499/office

Anchor tenants: Hershey’s, Johnson & Johnson, Tern Water.

At the Pennovation Center.

At the Pennovation Center. (via Pennovation Center on Facebook)

Pipeline Philly

30 15th. St. in Center City

Miami-based Pipeline opened its Philly location in December 2014 with local partners Tayyib Smith, Josh Dubin and Gregory Stott (it’s now led by Smith, Meegan Denenberg and David Grasso). The space is designed to be sleek and modern with lots of glass and big windows.

Size: Large (22,000 sq. ft.)

Price: $449/desk, $649/office, plus a range of memberships including virtual offices and flex desks starting at $99

Anchor tenants: Little Giant CreativeKnight Foundation.

Other locations: None in Philly but several in Florida.

Pipeline Philly.

Spaces

100 S. Juniper St. in Center City

Ever worked inside an old Turkish bathhouse? Center City’s Hale Building has lived many past lives, but after a thorough renovation it’s currently home to a well-lit 38,000-square-feet coworking space. Spaces is perhaps the more modern brand of coworking from parent company IWG, which also owns global private office purveyor Regus.

Notable amenities: On-site barista, internal bike-share program.

Size: Large (38,000 sq. ft.) 

Price: Membership starts at $350 a month for a hot-desk area, with private offices starting at $600.

Other locations: This is the first Spaces in Philly, though the brand has more than 60 locations across the U.S. Regus, its sister company, has 16 locations in the Greater Philadelphia Area.

Anchor tenants: Formotiv.

Inside Spaces.

The Cedar Works

4919 Pentridge St. in West Philadelphia

The Cedar Works was a fixer-upper story when it opened in January 2013. Now, it’s a makerspace and offers studios and workshop spaces. Photographers are especially drawn to it for the natural light throughout the building. 

Notable amenities: Outdoor garden patio

Size: Medium (15,000 sq. ft.)

Price: $1/sq. ft./month for studios

Anchor tenants: Mill Creek Farm, Michelle Judge Jewelry, Philly Lens.

The Exchange

1501 Cherry St. in Logan Square

The Exchange is a hub for organizations in the nonprofit, philanthropy and social impact fields. It was launched in 2013 by Joe Pyle and Matt Joyce. The space is set up with traditional rows of cubicles but also includes private offices and half-desks. Funding is primarily member-driven through memberships.

Size: Small (6,500 square feet)

Price: $315/cubicle, $630/office

Anchor tenants: Green Light Fund Philadelphia, Philly Fellows, uAspire.

The Fire Works

701 50th St. in West Philadelphia

West Philadelphia’s The Fire Works opened in January 2014, founded by Linford Martin, also one of the cofounders of the makerspace The Cedar Works. 

Notable amenities: Outdoor green space

Size: Small (2,000 sq. ft.)

Price: $60/5 days a month, $200 for a designated desk.

At The Fire Works. (Bryan Suchenski)

At The Fire Works. (Photo by Bryan Suchenski)

The LOOM

3245 Amber St. in Port Richmond

This former textile mill turned makerspace has been around for decades. Owner Chris Dardaris and his former business partner bought the complex 10 years ago and it quickly attracted artisans and manufacturers. The space has a total of three buildings and is industrial and multi-purpose.

Notable amenities: Loading docks, freight elevators, passenger elevator

Size: Large 

Price: Prices vary

Anchor tenants: PaperTHINKTank, A.V. Rental Services Inc., Zakiya Caldwell, Wild Cherry, Mural Arts.

The Philadelphia Design Center

1313 South 33rd Street in Grays Ferry

The Design Center caters to architects, industrial designers and fashion and costume designers. It opened in 2016 and is funded by a mix of in-kind donations, foundation support, memberships and internal fees.

Notable amenities: Washer/dryer, dressing room, sewing machine, irons, steamers.

Size: Small (1,500 sq. ft.)

Price: Prices vary

The Yard 

21 S 11th St. in Market East

In a sleek, slim building in Center City, the Brooklyn-based coworking spot opened a 23,000-square-feet hub in 2017, with an eye to attracting a “more mature” type of entrepreneur.

Notable amenities: Members-only mobile app, coffee, rooftop space.

Size: Large (23,000 sq. ft.)

Price: $400 for a dedicated desk.

Other locations: Washington D.C., New York, Boston.

The Yard's main spot on 21 S. 11th Street.

The Yard’s main spot on 21 S. 11th Street.

THRIVE Philly

444 N. 3rd St. in Callowhill

Founded by Jenny Du and Brian Cosgrove (also the founders of digital marketing agency BrainDo) this spring, THRIVE Philly seeks tech companies to share the space.

Notable amenities: Dog friendly, ping-pong table.

Size: Medium (11,000 square feet).

Price: $410/desk, $1,640/office (1-8 people).

Anchor tenants: BrainDo.

WeWork

1900 Market St.

The New York-based company has four locations in Philadelphia, including a hub up taking up 55,000 square feet inside the former Philadelphia Stock Exchange building. Its first space opened in Northern Liberties, inside the revamped Schmidt’s Brewery buillding.

Notable amenities: Mothers’ room, game lounge, large spaces for big companies.

Size: Large (55,000 square feet)

Price: $450/desk, starting at $720/office

Other locations: 1430 Walnut St., 1601 Market St., 1010 N Hancock St.

_

Former Technical.ly intern Lian Parsons contributed to this guide.

Series: Office Trends
Engagement

Join the conversation!

Find news, events, jobs and people who share your interests on Technical.ly's open community Slack

Trending

Wharton created a free series for entrepreneurs to learn about gen AI

What does SXSW mean for cities now?

Total solar eclipse 2024 is a big deal. Here’s what to expect

Philadelphia commerce tech company Stuzo has been acquired for $190 million

Technically Media