Tangle Movement Arts performs at The Rotunda. (Photo courtesy of Tangle Movement Arts)
The Rotunda at 40th and Walnut is one of West Philly’s cultural landmarks, hosting over 300 art and community events and 17,000 visitors each year. It’s an early 20th century building, and those who work, perform or gather there in the summer know that it may be tough to deal with the heat. The only cooling at the space comes from some old industrial fans in the windows and some weak house fans on the floor. The Rotunda is part of the University of Pennsylvania Facilities and Real Estate Services Arts Portfolio (FRES ARTS). Penn purchased the building in 1995 as part of a community investment strategy. Now a petition is being distributed on Change.org, asking Penn’s Board of Trustees and university administration to fund installation of a much needed air-conditioning system at the space.
“The challenge is that the venue lacks the air-conditioning needed to support summer events without creating dangerous conditions for audiences and artists alike. We think it is time for the University of Pennsylvania, which sits on a $9 billion+ endowment, to upgrade the facility so that it can be utilized fully during summer months,” the petition reads.
The petition was started about a week ago, and has already been signed by over 500 people. To read the petition and sign it, go to: https://www.change.org/p/university-of-pennsylvania-air-condition-the-rotunda-for-the-community
July 8th, 2015 at 8:28 pm
I don’t know how Penn, an insanely wealthy university (sorry I mean not – for profit wealthy university) can allow such negligence to happen. To me this is criminal.
July 8th, 2015 at 9:26 pm
Is Penn doing a good job with maintaining this building? Who pays the gas/electric/water/etc.?
July 9th, 2015 at 7:04 am
Penn pays the utilities and sees to the management of both programming and operations.
July 9th, 2015 at 11:55 am
Penn didn’t have to buy the Rotunda, but it did. Penn didn’t have to pay the salary of a director of programming, but it does. It also pays for utilities and operations of the structure. Calling Penn “criminal” for the fact that it hasn’t installed an HVAC system in the Rotunda seems an unfair complaint. A more productive route–rather than bashing Penn for not installing an expensive system in a historical structure–would be to ask the people who oversee the Rotunda’s operations to do an assessment of the building. Wouldn’t it be useful to know how much it would cost to install the system, to know how much damage the installation might potentially cause to the historical fabric of the building? Are we talking about $100,000 or $20,000? Start with the numbers, then petition.
July 9th, 2015 at 1:32 pm
Sam, Penn facilities has received the numbers to install AC. Several times.
July 9th, 2015 at 2:07 pm
How much would it cost? Has an architect and / or historical preservationist been consulted to assess potential damage to infrastructure?
July 9th, 2015 at 4:27 pm
I’d for one want to have this information before I signed a petition demanding Penn fund a new service for one of its community/philanthropic initiatives. For example, if installation of a/c costs $25k, I’d question whether it made sense to spend this amount of money to cool a building for 7-8 weeks of the year, and that might potentially damage a building that has been designated to be of historical importance. I’m not knocking the petition per se, just offering some points for the petition supporters, and the Rotunda’s staff to consider, which Penn’s facilities staff will no doubt have in mind.
Furthermore: If the Rotunda were a publicly, tax-payer funded entity, I’d better understand the ire–but it isn’t. I don’t think it’s all productive for the Rotunda and its supporters to make angry demands of an institution that is already supporting it (and is responsible for its very existence!). I think that’s called ‘biting the hand that feeds you.’
July 9th, 2015 at 4:33 pm
Wow, only in America will you find someone so privileged as to claim that it’s criminal that you are not provided with free air-conditioning. This isn’t a public school or a nursing home. This is a place where you go by your own choosing to see people read poems and dance on stage. UPenn allows the community to use this building free of charge, and people complain about them. UPenn pays for the building, the salaries of the employees, the utilities, the maintenance, while asking for nothing in return–then you call them criminals. UPenn should cancel all of the events sponsored by anyone who signed this petition.
July 9th, 2015 at 5:25 pm
Amen, @Hitesh
To claim it’s even “negligence” is beyond the pale, much less “criminal.”
July 9th, 2015 at 11:29 pm
hold on. the rotunda functions as a community outreach tool. those hundreds of events that happen there every year are in line with the mission of the venue–programming that was founded by penn students originally. to this day, the rotunda provides a service to neighbors, artists, kids, and penn students who hold their events there and even use the community engagement generated there for academic study as well as college credit. to say that penn asks for nothing in return. furthermore, there is only one full time staff member running everything who has to utilize part time help, interns, volunteers, etc., despite the fact that the venue serves as a major example of the university’s goodwill in the community and is a longstanding, successful project to come out of the West Philadelphia Initiatives. so please do not act like the rotunda is a bunch of people running around willy nilly putting on shows for themselves; it’s way more than that to the 17,000 people who attend events, and it is way more than that to penn. in the penn compact, pres. amy gutman talk about community engagement as well as arts and culture. the rotunda covers both of those yet the building and the programming are often overlooked and underfunded. no one wants something for nothing but when penn is getting so much out of the deal, how can they still allow members of the public to gather in a room that’s 99F some times? the rotunda’s only recourse right now is to program way way less in the summer, which they appear to be doing. however, this leaves out a multitude of people, including neighborhood youth summer camps who need a safe, accessible space like this one.
July 9th, 2015 at 11:40 pm
sam, first off, the rotunda staff is not making demands. there is only one full time staff member there and she has not said a peep about this petition. it was created by and is being driven by community members. yes, some of her part time helpers are passing it around and maybe some of them can speak up here because i don’t know the whole story with their feelings on this. secondly, the structure would not suffer. get this: the building has forced air heat. over half of the duct work is already in place for central air. there’d have to be more ductwork (and units installed in the basement) but it would not damage the historicl structure. we are talking about the back space here, where most events occur. the sanctuary is not where people are demanding AC. anyway, penn has definitely received quotes from HVAC companies. the quotes ranged from $15k-$50k. i say this with assurance; i was working at facilities at the time. these quotes included labor but not electrical upgrades. of course, this would be a big project. however, the university architect’s office is at penn facilities, as is the office of the sustainability coordinator. you mean to tell me that a successful community program out of a building owned by penn for 20 years now can’t get some sort of cooling when architects, engineers, and folks focused on sustainability work in the same department that funds the rotunda’s programming and operations?
July 9th, 2015 at 11:43 pm
also, sam, two different penn graduate classes–both in preservation architecture, used the rotunda as their studio/client for a semester. i think these classes were 2 years apart. anyway, they gave the university recommendations for adaptive reuse of the entire building. one of those classes—the first one—presented to the preservation alliance, eventually leading to the building being listed on the philadelphia register of historic places in 2013, i believe.
July 10th, 2015 at 2:00 am
i wonder if i’m the only one using their real name. its late, i’m sleepy and i’m gonna just ramble on here. anyways I hope that y’all sign this to show that you support the work being done at The Rotunda and the insane amount of work and time that Gina Renzi puts into running the space and working with the folks that want to use the venue to insure their events are successful. i hope that you sign it to show UPenn that you support this initiative that jerry and alex have done a pretty good job of laying out. Look Upenn isn’t going to put in air conditioning just because you signed the petition so not signing it is really pretty stupid. what you are saying when you sign this is you support The Rotunda. you support it year around. i can’t tell you how many lives have completely changed before my eyes because of an opportunity someone was given in The Rotunda. UPenn provided that space and that is amazing and UPenn should get a ton of credit for that. I see teenagers talk about sexual abuse for the first time ever on that stage. i see community organizers argue and then connect and leave that space with a new connections and new outlooks prepared to tackle poverty, gun violence, rape culture, bigots and so many other issues. i’ve seen musicians from all over the world play music to an audience that did not have to pay. i’ve seen kids learn about nutrition and growing food, i’ve seen countless documentaries about some horrible stuff happening on this planet and the amazing people trying to solve these problems. i’ve experience the world in that room. the good and the bad. i’ve learned so much and met so many different types of people. this is what The Rotunda is about. This is what Gina facilitates. This is what UPenn has provided to me and to you and this is why you should show support and say “I want this place to exist and i’m thankful that it exists”. UPenn can afford it. We need a world where places like The Rotunda are provided and celebrated.
Now the air-conditioning would be great. We, Gina Renzi the director and I, a part time venue manager, are expected to work. expected to put in hours every day every week. the space exists to hold group events. its brutal in there when its hot. here is how we deal with it. we open windows and hope for a breeze. We have 1 (had 2 one stopped working) big fan that sits in a window and blows air very loudly across a narrow path in the room. they have to be turned off during a performance because they are loud. they have to be turned off when it rains because they blow water all over the place. these fans were built by someone using the space for a wedding 7 or so years back. they were not provided by UPenn. I put these heavy fans in the window myself. that is a whole chore on its own and is not something i’m supposed to be doing for liability reasons but i do. we also have little crappy fans we place around the room. they don’t do anything unless you are lucky enough to be one of like 3 people sitting in its rotation. Thats it, ONE BIG FAN. is it criminal? no. is it kinda strange? well we are expected to do a certain job and in the summer its a horrible place much of the time to do that job. it would be nice if the space was more available and useable. i’m not really sure what the plan is with this building. why its ok for it to be a miserable place in the summer yet its still supposed to satisfy the “mission”. why its physically neglected the way it is. its really a weird place with a weird kinda “out of site out of mind” thing going on. honestly as much as i want air i’d really like to see the roof fixed and i’d like to not have to move audience every time it rains so i can put buckets next to people. i’d like to not have to run up to the stage and ask musicians and performers to move their stuff so i can put buckets not he stage and move out speaker and monitors out from under pouring water. i’d like to not have to sweep gallons and gallons of water back out the doors while failing to win a battle with the water fall going down the stairs that lead to the bathrooms.
my laptop is about to die. i have no idea what nonsense i’ve just typed and i can’t go back and proofread it so i’m just gonna hit submit and wake up tomorrow realizing i’ve made no sense.
July 10th, 2015 at 10:46 am
I thought the Rotunda staff had started the petition. I got the petition link from a foward that had originally been posted by the Rotunda director on FaceBook. Anyways, it sounds like the roof is a bigger problem than ac!
July 10th, 2015 at 10:57 am
the staff did not start it. a community member did after deciding he wanted to try to help. the director eventually shared it on her FB page because she was blown away by the support it was generating.
July 10th, 2015 at 2:34 pm
Good lord what a bunch of whinging over nothing. It’s summer. It gets hot. Get over it. Most people in the city work without have airconditioning, not just an entertainment venue. It’s not a Human Rights Campaign. You’re a bunch of the most entitled Penn brats I’ve seen. It’s Penn’s building, not yours. if you don’t like it, you don’t have to go there!
July 10th, 2015 at 3:52 pm
steve, you’re missing the point. penn requires that the staff program the venue even in the summer, yet penn does not provide any sort of cooling solution; they own the building and therefore should take care of it. the building is not well ventilated. this is not just a matter of a hot room. this is a matter of a poorly ventilated room that bakes in the sun all day. as explained above, the venue serves as a community outreach and engagement tool. it’s not just an entertainment venue. it provides a safe space for countless people, even troubled teens and homeless folks. it’s waaaay more than an entertainment venue; it’s more like a social services venue.
July 10th, 2015 at 4:25 pm
LOL people doing yoga on ropes is not what Social Services means. I get the point, the director wants an air conditioned office, that doesn’t mean I have to agree that its a crime she has to use a fan. Oh the humanity! Try visiting the working class outside your ivory tower, see what they think about a petition for aircondtioners.
July 10th, 2015 at 7:32 pm
Steve I LOVE that you pointed out “people doing yoga on ropes”. The person that put this article together used a picture, that was a really cool event, but IT WAS NOT in the space that is looking for support through this petition. I asked them to change it and they for some reason are not. Your trolling has once again hit a dead end though. everything you’re saying shows that you are very ignorant about we do at The Rotunda. i’d love to know more about who you are because it i don’t understand why you feel the need to put energy into bashing this petition. i bet you can find something better to do with your time. next time you visit us find me and say hi. i’d love to talk more with you about what we do that isn’t yoga on ropes. maybe you can get involved.
July 10th, 2015 at 8:23 pm
steve, what are you even talking about when you reference ivory towers and working class folks? the vast majority of the 17,000 people who curate and attend events at the rotunda every year are working class. the majority of events are free to the public. it is a public, arts and culture community venue. it’s not a penn dorm or social club. the programming is for the masses, not for the elite. the request for AC is to make the venue safer and more accessible to its constituents year round. it has nothing to do with the comfort of a select few. penn facilities, on the other hand, has a large contingent who sit in air conditioned comfort in a cubicle all day long. why is that ok when they’re a few hundred people, but it’s not ok to improve the comfort (and breathing conditions) of 17,000 people a year (or 4-6k+ in the summer, if programming increased)? also, what’s so odd about wanting a public space to be open and accessible more than it currently is? there’s clearly a demand for it. would you go to the movie theater or to the annenberg center or to the ICA and expect it not to be air conditioned in the summer and heated in the winter? we’re talking about pretty basic stuff here. why be so cynical?
July 11th, 2015 at 12:14 pm
Alex, how do you know all of this? Do you work at the rotunda?
July 11th, 2015 at 12:22 pm
Sam, as I wrote in a previous comment, I used to work for Penn Facilities. I’m still in the loop with what goes on at The Rotunda.
July 11th, 2015 at 1:52 pm
Since you used to work for facilities, you should be familiar with OSHA guidelines. And since you know the rotunda staff so well, you should advise them to look into these. Visitors to the rotunda elect to be there (it’s not an orphanage or a school, where attendees have no choice but to be there), so I don’t see a strong case to be made for Penn being negligent for not installing a/c, at least by that argument. It seems to me that the problem would be best framed as an EMPLOYEE issue, certainly if Penn is requiring that staff keep up programming and work in these conditions during the hottest days of summer. Here’s a link to the OSHA FAQ: https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/indoorairquality/faqs.html
July 11th, 2015 at 11:21 pm
Sam, you bring up an excellent point about OSHA. I don’t think the staff member I’ve spoken to about that would want me to reveal anything in this forum but I can tell you that they’re aware of OSHA guidelines in this case. I still don’t think the petition is a bad thing, though. If nothing else, it shows the support the venue has from 629 people and counting. That means something to the university.
July 12th, 2015 at 9:22 am
In an instance like this I am reminded that there are portable industrial air conditioners that can be put in place during the hot times, other times removed and stored. They can be bought or rented depending on the budget.
Now if each person who signs the petition pledged to fund the rental/purchase or the rotunda ups the costs of their contracts with performers etc..absorbing the costs, the problem could be solved. These units are used in schools, museums, hospitals and other institutions and need little installation if any.
Happy Sunday!
July 12th, 2015 at 9:42 am
excessive heat during the summer in a building such as the Rotunda is not an OSHA issue.
It was a Labor and Industry issue but that was repealed in part Oct 4 1978.
Section 3. Lighting, Heating, Ventilation, and Sanitary Facilities. —
All establishments shall be adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated. Proper sanitary facilities shall be provided in sufficient number for the persons employed, and shall include toilet facilities, washing facilities, dressing rooms, and wholesome drinking water of approved quality.
(3 repealed in part Oct. 4, 1978, P.L.909, No.173) Although it does not state cool just ventilated.
July 13th, 2015 at 12:58 pm
Sammonphiladelphia, thanks for the clarification. I know that OSHA doesn’t offer guidelines really, only recommendations, but heat/air conditioning is clearly not applicable. Sounds like renting or buying (with community donated funds) portable air conditioners would be the best option. – Sam
July 14th, 2015 at 10:24 am
@Sam Cups A fund raiser will be good and you can get the Univ involved. Do a show case with cocktails and finger foods. Make it a black tie affair and charge in advance for tickets. Auction off items donated by the community. In no time you have AC and a small fund to pay the extra electric. Good Luck.
@sammonphiladelphia
July 14th, 2015 at 3:54 pm
in all seriousness, if community members banded together and raised money, i don’t know how penn would react because i don’t think money alone is their barrier to installing AC. perhaps part of it is the fact that they don’t event use like 50% of the building, so maybe they are trying to finder a larger use for it and with that would come renovations. i’m just speculating here as a neighbor. still, it’s worth a shot to raise money for the rotunda. if people are genuinely interested, they should pursue that avenue.
July 14th, 2015 at 5:32 pm
Although the Rotunda prohibits it, I think it could earn a substantial amount of income every year, to pay for the AC and general renovations, if they opened up the actual “Rotunda” portion and other underutilized spaces in the venue for weddings and private events. Even if just for weddings. There are plenty people in the neighborhood who would love to use the space for the day and it could create a cushion to prop up the other artistic events. I love the Rotunday (The Gathering was a huge part of my life), I just think that the space could generate some income FOR the building. Allowing for a more sustainable space.
July 14th, 2015 at 5:38 pm
It is PENN that won’t open the sanctuary (the big front space) permanently. The staff of The Rotunda have been pleading for years. It is a long story but the short of it is that the city will grant Penn, the property owner, a certificate of occupancy only if they bring the sanctuary up to code, spending lots of money to do so. Until Penn does so, folks can get a temporary cert of occupancy. About 5 productions happen in the sanctuary a year, each usually with multiple performances. I fully agree, as does the Director, that it could be an amazing space for both rentals and community events.
July 14th, 2015 at 6:26 pm
LOL, Are all these comments written by the same person? They sound exactly the same. Fishy as hell. Suspect alex and edward is the same person at the Rotunda. They know a lot about the day to day rotunda for a “former employee” of PENN. Get a grip. Anyhow, sammoonphiladelphia has the right idea. Ask all those petitioners to donate money for portable air conditioners (like at the beer garden tent last summer) and see if they put their money where their mouths are. I doubt it
July 14th, 2015 at 7:02 pm
@alex if this is a “public space” why can’t it be rented for weddings? Or any event really. But I want to know about weddings.
July 14th, 2015 at 7:20 pm
Totally spot on Shaman! My roommie and boyfriend called it too. Were having fun watching the same person whose obviously an employee have a conversation with them self. SOmeone pass the popcorn! lol
July 14th, 2015 at 8:12 pm
i assure you that the only reason i feel comfortable divulging the info i have shared (and, admittedly, showing that i am a little bitter) is that i am a former employee of penn facilities and real estate, not a current one, and not staff at the rotunda. i oversaw a lot of what the rotunda did during my time at penn, which is how i know so many specifics like HVAC quotes. everything i have shared is from that time, or more recent info shared by staff/an intern/a board member at rotunda. i think that the way that penn has handled the rotunda is less than ideal and i really don’t mind telling people that these days. now, an employee of the rotunda DID comment on this thread and i don’t know that anyone addressed what he posted so eloquently.
July 15th, 2015 at 10:55 am
@alex You should be embarrassed.
July 15th, 2015 at 8:23 pm
why is that, Andy?
July 16th, 2015 at 11:25 am
I am totally flummoxed at those who have commented with scorn and anger in this thread. For those who are “anti-AC” at the Rotunda: why the heck do you care if Penn spends its own money or not? seriously, it’s not like it would come out of your pocket. Penn pushes that building as its “gift to the community” and if they expect the community to use it year-round, they should bring the building up to code and insure that the internal temperature is not 95 degrees (especially when there are members of the public in there).
But seriously – why the heck would you be trying to save Penn some money? Like, what the heck is in it for you?
July 16th, 2015 at 1:09 pm
this ole thing is still kickin’?!?
July 16th, 2015 at 10:21 pm
@salem i think you made the most important statements in this thread.
@steve 45th – it seems you haver your head up your ass. the people that work there work insane hours not getting paid what they are worth, and are working class people. you assumptions are ridiculous.
@shaman – this is not the communities responsibility to put ac in, its penn.
@sam cups there are actually laws about providing air conditioning in the workplace so to ask someone to work 8 hours a day in 83 degree weather is actually criminal. you know very little about what you are talking about.
@Hitesh Satrapi – i dont know what world you live in, but most public schools dont have air conditioning. if all the schools you have been in have AC its because you are most likely very privileged. i find it ironic that the most privileged people dont believe in the same privileges for other (and usually poorer) people
@jerry and alex – you make great arguments
@steve 45th – i am still not sure how you breathe living inside your own ass. it would probably be more comfortable in there with ac.
July 17th, 2015 at 12:33 pm
What law states that air conditioning must be provided? Give me the PA or US statute number. I’ll wait.
Better yet, since Penn are “criminals”, call the cops. Call the Feds. Let us know what happens.
If you don’t call the police today, when it is 86 degrees, then you are a liar and a hypocrite.
Call police today, or come back here and post a retraction and an apology.
We are waiting.
July 17th, 2015 at 12:35 pm
This might help you decide what to do, Jermaine.
“OSHA has no regulations specifically addressing temperature and humidity in an office setting. Office temperature and humidity conditions are generally a matter of human comfort rather than hazards that could cause death or serious physical harm. OSHA *cannot cite* the General Duty Clause for personal discomfort.”
Looking forward to hearing the police’s response your 911 call.
July 17th, 2015 at 2:26 pm
@Anon – i’m not going to play your game. the fact is i happen to know several people who run the rotunda, and if i called the police about the tempertures, the rotunda would get shut down and they would lose their job. not to mention west philly would lose the only cultural intuition available to the public. the fact is i have been in touch with people at the rotund, and they agree that it is mismanaged and negelected by penn, but they have asked me not to call authorities because it would disrupt the schedule too much. so see it’s not all about you and your privilege (i suggest you do your research). go find something else to complain about like how there is no parking at bobbie’s burgers.
July 17th, 2015 at 4:28 pm
@jermaine,
Have you considered that slinging “privilege” comments at people while simultaneously demanding that law enforcement get involved in air conditioning disputes may be hypocritical?
July 17th, 2015 at 5:13 pm
wow. it looks like this thread really went in a weird direction. i think everyone should chill. it seems like this venue could use support. you can decide to support them or not, but nothing is going to get done if you just insult each other.