The mixed-use development coming along North Delaware Avenue in Fishtown will gain three floors of height in order to offset the cost of renovating the historically designated Rope Building.

The adaptive reuse is only part of the proposal by Core Realty, with the bulk of aparment units and a planned rock climbing gym to go up in what's now a surface parking lot, but the existing structure is said to contain termites, water damage, a caving structure and a bulging façade, according to PlanPhilly.

Having originally planned to demolish the Rope Building, Core did not invest in maintaining the structure since its purchase. After the building was awarded its historic designation in 2015, Core's adaptive reuse plan did not adequately account for the level of damage, according to the company. In its attempts to preserve the structure, it applied for and was granted a Financial Hardship exemption by the Philadelphia Historical Commission to add three floors of five apartments each on top of the existing structure.