In 2019, more and more companies — especially in the tech space — have embraced less traditional office arrangements.
We’ve seen an increase of remote work and coworking, where individuals and companies share flexible working space with others.
This year, Philadelphia’s flexible workspace has reached 1.1 million square feet and now comprises more than 1% of all office inventory in the city. And professional services and investment management company JLL projects that up to 30% of the U.S. office market will be comprised of flexible workplace by 2030.
Much of Philly’s coworking space is operated by national or global brands such as MakeOffices and WeWork, which have expanded their local presence in the last year. But locally owned spaces, such as Kismet Cowork with locations in Chestnut Hill and Spring Arts, are expanding, too.
What’s considered a coworking space may also have expanded over the past year, as local “gym for creatives” REC Philly opened its 10,000 square foot space earlier this month, and the exclusive Fitler Club opened the 34,000-square foot Offsite.
If you’re looking for a new space to run your business, do some heads-down work or even get creative in 2020, let us be your guide. Sorted alphabetically, find below a quick look at companies’ amenities, pricing and size (when available) and a few anchor tenants.
(Find all our coverage of coworking here, and last year’s guide to Philly coworking here. Have an update for this year’s guide? Email philly@technical.ly)
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1776
Multiple locations: In Philadelphia, there’s Brewerytown, Rittenhouse, the Pennovation Center, Ambler Yards and the Cherry Hill Mall.
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 seven coworking hubs under various management models, featuring access to private offices and desks, as well as entrepreneur-focused event programming for members. It’s been a wild 2019 for the company, with multiple closings (including Technical.ly’s former home, the Washington Square location) and a few announcements (including the forthcoming Bethesda, Maryland location).
Notable amenities: Beer on tap, frequent events
Price: Ranging from $30/day at Cherry Hill to $2,000/month for a startup garage at Pennovation
Other locations: 1776 operates seven locations in various capacities across Philly, Washington, D.C, soon-to-be-Bethesda, Maryland, and a location inside the Cherry Hill Mall.
Bok
1901 S. 9th St. in South Philadelphia
After Bok Technical High School closed in 2013, Lindsay Scannapieco’s design and development firm, Scout, converted the building into a massive makerspace that’s now home to more than 170 businesses, including artist studios.
Notable amenities: Outdoor dog park, popular rooftop bar
Size: 340,000 square feet
Price: Starting at $350/small studio bay with shared amenities and $600/private studio or office with shared amenities and Wi-Fi network.
Anchor tenants: Street Dept., Garces Foundation, NaturAll Club
Bond Collective
1617 JFK Blvd. in Center City
The New York-based, design-forward Bond Collective opened its first Philly location, Bond Station House in Suburban Station, this spring and features a sleek “boutique” look.
Notable amenities: Mothers’ room, showers with towel service.
Price: Upwards from $300/month for shared space, from $400/month for a dedicated desk, from $900/month for a private office
https://www.instagram.com/p/B3E2vOMl2Wg/
Cambridge Innovation Center
3675 Market St. in University City
Inside a 14-story building in West Philadelphia, the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based operation runs a multi-floor coworking spot that sits near to the city’s academic heart. Also in the building are University City Science Center, Venture Cafe and wet lab operator BioLabs.
Size: 140,000 square feet
Price: Starting at 300/person/month
Anchor tenants: Backstage Capital, Coded by Kids
Other locations: Boston; Cambridge; Miami; St. Louis; Providence; Rotterdam; Warsaw
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: 22,000 square feet
Price: Range from $30 day pass to $400 dedicated desk
Anchor tenants: Sustainable Business Network, Anexinet
Other locations: The team behind City CoHo opened a 7,000 square feet hub in Mt. Airy called Mt. Airy Nexus.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BL1ktfYhGa1/?taken-by=citycoho_phl
CultureWorks
1315 Walnut St. in Center City
Founded by Thaddeus Squire in 2012, the space is an artist and focused hub that 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 social impact efforts.
Notable amenities: Free, locally roasted coffee from Square One coffee
Size: 5,000 square feet
Price: General membership is $40/month
https://www.instagram.com/p/BLOQeOKBqsj/?taken-by=cultureworks
Design Hive
1905 Spruce St. in Center City
This Rittenhouse Square space has been operating since 2017 and focuses on design and real estate professionals, including graphic designers, interior designers, realtors and project managers.
Notable amenities: Frequent community events
Size: 2,000 square feet
Price: $350/dedicated desk, $500/office
Anchor tenants: Half Genius LLC, CI Solutions LLC, Impact Law & Strategy, Rittenhouse Strategies
https://www.instagram.com/p/B5TDQWcjQ5Z/
Flow State CoffeeBar
2413 Frankford Ave. in East Kensington
Yep, it’s a coffeeshop billing itself as a coworking space — and it has a Best of Philly award to show for it. Starting in early 2020, there will be a private booth available for hourly rental where patrons can have added privacy for phone calls and web meetings.
Notable amenities: Paninis, parties and unlimited coffee (for a price)
Size: 1,300 square feet
Price: Starting at $3 for three coffee-less hours in a reserved seat, up to $30/full day with breakfast and lunch included
https://www.instagram.com/p/B5nKZmSjzyQ/
HeadRoom
Multiple locations: 230 Sugartown Road in Wayne, 24 Veterans Square in Media
HeadRoom’s second location in Wayne opened in October 2015. Catered toward business professionals, the decor and furniture are relatively minimalist and functional.
Size: 3,700 square feet
Price: $350/50 hours (additional renting by the hour)
Anchor tenants: PowerMatch, Results Repeat, Dineable, Hands Free Health
Industrious Philadelphia
230 S. Broad St. in Center City
The Brooklyn-based Industrious opened its Philly office in May 2015. The company is backed by Riverwood Capital and raised a massive $80-million round February 2018. Now the coworking giant looks to open both its second and third installment in Two Liberty Place and the Philadelphia Fashion District in Q2 2020.
Notable amenities: Relaxation rooms, daily breakfast/snacks, retail access
Size: The three locations will total 123,000 square feet, with the Fashion District taking 47,000 square feet alone
Price: Starting around $400/desk and $800/private office at the Avenue of the Arts location
Anchor tenants: Instacart
Other locations: Chicago, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Nashville
https://www.instagram.com/p/BEOxv5mpQI7/?tagged=industriousphl
Indy Hall
399 Market St. in Old City
Launched in 2007 by Alex Hillman and Geoff DiMasi, Indy Hall is the OG of the Philly coworking scene and home to many independent entrepreneurs. It has seen two previous locations including Strawberry Street off Market and 20 N. 3rd St. before settling at its current location.
Notable amenities: Field trips, free/discounted events
Price: Online membership is $20/month, with IRL memberships ranging from $30 (one day per month) to $300 (unlimited days per month at a dedicated desk)
Anchor tenants: Meetups such as Philly Game Mechanics, Philly CocoaHeads Meetup, Neo4j Philly Meetup, Collective Strength
https://www.instagram.com/p/BN0QPMeBZrM/?taken-by=indyhall
ic@3401
3401 Market St. in University City
ic@3401 — fka the Innovation Center @ 3401 — launched in 2014 as an incubator from Drexel University and the University Science Center. It’s been the first hub of many startups from the Dreamit accelerator and the Drexel ecosystem. Back in October, the University Science Center opened applications for its new Launch Lane accelerator that will begin February or March 2020; accepted startups will receive a full year of workspace at ic@3401.
Size: 17,500 square feet
Price: Membership begins at $200/month
Notable amenities: Frequent member events
Joynture
417 South St. in Queen Village
Designers and visual artists can be found within Joynture’s walls.
Notable amenities: Fresh fruit, ping pong, board games, PS4; Amazon Web Services provides participating members with two years of AWS credit (up to $5,000)
Size: 26,000 square feet
Price: Day passes start $25, while designated desks start at $250/month
Anchor tenants: Queens Village Neighborhood Association, Sonder, Clutch Recruitment, 31st and Wharton, Kingsport and Wise
KISMET
Multiple locations: 12 W. Willow Grove Ave. in Chestnut Hill, 448 N. 10th St. in Callowhill, 4230 Main St. in Manayunk
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 its newest hub in Manayunk, at 13,000 square feet. RADIOKISMET , a podcast studio/content incubator/pop-up event space in Callowhill, adds another 1,000 feet.
Size: 26,000 square feet
Price: $350 for a floating desk, $450 for a designated desk, $1,000 for a private office
Notable amenities: Frequent event programming for members.
Anchor tenants: Philanthropi, Milkcrate, Friends of the Rail Park
MakeOffices
Multiple locations: 1635 Market St. and 2001 Market St. in Center City, 111 S. Independence Mall E. in Old 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 at 2001 Market St., and its third location opened on Nov. 4 inside the historic Bourse building in Old City.
Notable amenities: Beer and wine, relaxation room with massage chairs, device lab for developers
Size: 17th and Market (67,000 square feet), Center City (57,000 square feet), The Bourse (33,357 square feet)
Price: Ranges from $35/day for a day pass to $650/private office
Anchor tenants: NeuroFlow, Betterment, Crossbeam
Other locations: Chicago and Washington, D.C.
NextFab
Multiple locations: 2025 Washington Ave. in South Philadelphia, 1800 N. American St. in North Philly and 503 N. Tatnall St. in Wilmington
NextFab hosts Philly makers as they craft and build, from woodworking to 3D printing. Since 2016 it’s run 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: Total of 67,000 square feet (33,000 square feet in South Philly, 24,000 square feet at American Street, 10,000 square feet in Wilmington)
Price: From $55/month for three days at any location to $299/month for unlimited days at every location and class credit
https://www.instagram.com/p/BJN-xH4AEWi/?taken-by=nextfab_phl
Offsite at Fitler Club
2400 Market St. in Center City
Offsite opened in September 2019 in the new members-only Fitler Club. A full 34,000-square-feet of coworking and office space were developed for folks looking for dedicated space to work, while keeping the club’s signature style of dark woods and rich metals throughout. Offsite and Fitler Club share a bit of common space, but there are Offsite members-only areas.
Notable amenities: La Colombe iced coffee on draft, killer views of the Schuylkill River Trail, 24/7 access, event space
Size: 34,000 square feet
Price: $350/month dedicated desk and office suites range from $1,500 to $6,000/month
Anchor tenants: Tom Vellios, chairman of the board at Five Below; Wildbit; BluePrint Research Group; The Philadelphia Citizen; First Round Capital
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. A second location known as The Collective Table is opening soon at 218 Market St. on the second floor. The new additional is being described as a true coworking space for the company.
Size: Two levels, at 900 square feet and 1,800 square feet
Price: $350/month gives members their own key and access to online calendar scheduling at Old City; memberships starting at $249 unlimited access at Collective Table
Anchor tenants: Anastasia Romanova Photography, FrontRoom Images, Jazmin Rae Makeup Artists, Bella Angel Hair & Makeup, Mind Over Matter Yoga
https://www.instagram.com/p/BN5Uk8qh0TG/?taken-by=oldcitycollective
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: 58,000 square feet
Price: From $99 for non-dedicated space five days per month to $2,000/month for startup garages
Anchor tenants: Johnson & Johnson JPOD, Tern Water
Pipeline Philly
30 15th St. in Center City
Miami-based Pipeline opened its Philly location in December 2014 with local partners Tayyib Smith, Meegan Denenberg, David Grasso and Josh Dubin. The space is designed to be sleek and modern with lots of glass and big windows.
Size: 22,000 square feet
Price: $449/desk, $649/office, plus a range of memberships including virtual offices starting at $99
Anchor tenants: Philadelphia Cultural Fund, Philadelphia’s chapter of The Nature Conservancy, Knight Foundation
Other locations: Florida
REC Philly
9th and Market streets in the Fashion District
Beginning in the window factory in North Philadelphia, REC Philly grew in number and its contribution to creating a space for creatives. With close to 800 members in their organization, cofounders Will Toms and Dave Silver took to expanding toward a new home base housed in the Fashion District.
Notable amenities: Recording studios, visual lab
Size: 10,000 square feet
Price: Three categories — Creator ($49/month, $500/year), Level Up ($89/month, $900/year), All-In ($149/month, $1,500/year)
Anchor tenants: Local bands Foxtrot & The Get Down and ILL Fated Natives, Philly Who? podcast, poet Neerali Patel, GLBL VLL founder Lyonzo
Spaces
Multiple locations: 100 S. Juniper St. in Center City at the Hale building, 1626 Locust Street in Rittenhouse Square
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: 38,000 sq. ft. at Hale building, 48,000 square feet at its Rittenhouse Square site
Price: Rittenhouse starts around $250/month for coworking access and and $450/month for private office; Hale starts around $250/month for solo access and $350/month for office
Other locations: This is the first Spaces in Philly, though the brand has more than 60 locations across the U.S.
Task Up
104 S. 20th St. in Rittenhouse Square
Not many places in Philly can offer a space with vine panels hanging from the ceiling near office desks. The coworking space features rooms with bright colors and luscious lighting for a full day of productivity.
Notable amenities: In Proximity’s network of workspaces with 200 locations around the world, personal and business insurance
Size: 3,100 square feet
Price: Virtual office from $75, open desk from $225, team office for 12 from $3,500
Anchor tenants: Pioneer Academics, Magnolia, Attrakt
https://www.instagram.com/p/Byk23TGjDRJ/
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, plus lots of natural light throughout the building.
Notable amenities: Outdoor garden patio
Size: 15,000 square feet
Price: $1/square foot/month for studios and $1.60/square foot/month for offices
https://www.instagram.com/p/BLWSX_8FgwL/?taken-at=132895266
The Exchange PHL
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: 6,500 square feet
Anchor tenants: Green Light Fund Philadelphia, Scattergood Foundation
Can't make today's #ExchangeBreakfastClub? Follow along using the hashtag above to hear from @DAFrizzG! pic.twitter.com/LJHQyhxVby
— Exchange PHL (@ExchangePHL) June 21, 2016
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
Price: From $60/5 days a month to $200/month for a designated desk
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: 300,000 square feet
Price: Varies depending on available units
#arthappens with Amber Art and Design at @theloomphilly #mural #philly #artstudio #makerspace pic.twitter.com/AvKRyEBxP0
— theloomphilly (@theloomphilly) June 3, 2014
The Philadelphia Design Center
1313 S. 33rd St. 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: Free scanning and inexpensive printing, design-focused resource library
Price: Varies depending on media focus
We had a great time at the Philly Design Center's grand opening event last night. pic.twitter.com/AmJvdu4JDh
— Vectorworks (@Vectorworks) April 1, 2016
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, retail discounts, rooftop space, pups welcome
Size: 23,000 square feet across four floors, plus a 2,000-square-foot roof deck overlooking the city
Price: Online access at $50/month, $400 for a dedicated desk, $550 for a private office
Other locations: Washington D.C., New York, Boston
THRIVE Philly
444 N. 3rd St. in Callowhill
Founded by Jenny Du and Brian Cosgrove (also the founders of digital marketing agency BrainDo) of spring 2018, THRIVE Philly seeks tech companies to share the space.
Notable amenities: Dog friendly, ping-pong table
Price: $410/month for a desk, $1,640/month for an office
Our founders, Jenny Du & Brian Cosgrove talk about the ups & downs of coworking spaces: https://t.co/eAB5E8FlKO pic.twitter.com/Pp3KUKunXm
— THRIVE Philly (@Thrive_Philly) June 30, 2016
WeWork
Multiple locations: 1900 Market St., 1430 Walnut St., 1601 Market St., 1010 N Hancock St., 1100 Ludlow St.
The New York-based company has five 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 building. Early this year WeWork announced its newest Philly location housed at 1100 Ludlow St.
Notable amenities: Mothers’ room, game lounge, fruit water
Price: Ranges from $450/desk to $690/office that varies by location
https://www.instagram.com/p/BNiEiQshxql/?tagged=weworkphl
This editorial article is a part of Technical.ly's Office Trends Month of our editorial calendar.
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