But as condo towers grow more commonplace in the city, taller, well-heeled buyers are choosing to feather their nests in the clouds - or as close as several hundred feet above street level can get them.
High-rises have been sprouting in Center City since the mid-1980s, when Willard Rouse breached the brim of William Penn's hat on City Hall with One Liberty Place. Today, the city's tallest residential building is right next door - the 848-foot-tall Two Liberty Place, which now has condos on the uppermost 20 of its 58 floors.
There are about 25 condo buildings with 10 or more stories from the Delaware River to Rittenhouse Square, said Realtor Allan Domb, who has specialized in high-rise condos for 27 years.
The higher you go, the pricier the living. In Center City, average condo costs range from $275 a square foot in Old City to $1,200 on Rittenhouse Square for the biggest spaces on the top floors. A view of the square could add $25,000 to the cost of a $1 million-plus condo, Domb said.
In December, Jane Miles, 64, and husband Michael, 66, moved to their perch at Broad and Pine Streets, a few stories below the Symphony House summit. But living the high life was not new to them, though the couple had spent 25 years on five acres in Villanova.
"We waited at Waterfront Square until Symphony House was ready," said Jane Miles; the couple owns four Waterfront Square units as an investment. The Mileses considered staying by the river but decided they'd rather be in the thick of downtown Philadelphia as well as above it.
Jane Miles worked with a decorator friend and photos from designer magazines to "meet the challenge of creating a new space" that won't obstruct any of the views.
Over time, a particular view might become just part of the scenery.
