Less than a month after Nike submitted documents to the Philadelphia Historical Commission to propose the first U.S.-based Jordan Brand World of Flight store in Philadelphia, it has received unanimous approval, writes Ryan Mulligan for the Philadelphia Business Journal.

This comes after the project received pushback from the Historical Commission’s Architectural Committee. 

Nike made some changes to its original proposal, including moving the Jordan logo to the top of the building and increasing security measures on the storefront.

Michael Kouvaris of MBH Architects said Nike will preserve and refurbish the historic French doors on the second floor. The first floor would have a “portal” entryway that would be protected by a solid roll-down grill and the windows would also get riot glass on the inside for safety purposes.

“In order to accommodate this tenant on Walnut Street … we will have to make some compromises with respect to security and I think what they’re proposing here is, in that context, not objectionable,” Paul Steinke, executive director of the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia, said.

The Jordan World of Flight store would span about 7,000 square feet on a busy retail strip on Walnut Street in Rittenhouse Square.

Read more about the next step in the Jordan World of Flight store coming to Philadelphia at the Philadelphia Business Journal. 

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