Seen in: Rocky Balboa
“You throw a big shadow.”
In Rocky Balboa, Rocky heads into Philly to catch his son Robert before he heads into work. There, he visits Robert’s office at the Cira Centre and invites him for dinner at Adrian’s Restaurant.
We first see the exterior of the imposing glass building, and then see the main lobby where Rocky catches up with his son and then meets Robert’s boss for a photo op and fist bump, which is very popular for fans of the Italian Stallion.
Designed by an Italian architect, the Cira Centre is a beautiful 29-story landmark that was first opened just months prior to the filming of 2006’s Rocky Balboa. The building is visible in this scene, as well as in a couple of skyline shots later in the movie.
The building is technically located in University City (which is kind of West Philly as it’s just west of the Schuylkill River), but it blends into the Center City Philly skyline and is often considered part of the main Philadelphia skyline.
The glass on the building catches the sky, giving the structure a beautiful blue color. It’s actually visible from the Rocky Steps themselves, which is only a 10 minute drive across the Schuylkill.
The interior scene between Sylvester Stallone and Milo Ventimiglia was actually filmed in the building’s lobby.
(Thanks to Total Rocky contributor Captain Catholic for tracking down this location!)