West Philadelphia residents are invited  to discuss the proposed development of the former Provident Mutual Life Insurance campus at 46th and Market this Tuesday, Dec. 10, at West Philadelphia High School (49th and Chestnut). The meeting has been organized by Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell, who has expressed her concern over the way the City, which owns the 15-acre property at 4601 Market, is handling the campus’s sale and proposed development.

Iron Stone was named as a future developer of the building a few months ago after a selection process that took approximately a year. The Philadelphia-based real estate company is planning to transform the building and the surrounding land into a public health campus.  Continue Reading

The SHCA monthly board meeting will be held this Tuesday, Sept. 11 at the Spruce Hill Center (257 S. 45th St.). Community members are invited to learn more about the proposal for the development of the Provident Mutual Life Insurance building at 4601 Market Street, which will be presented by Andrew Eisenstein, founder of Iron Stone Real Estate Partners.

After the Kenney administration cancelled plans to relocate Philadelphia police headquarters into the building last year, the city began seeking other potential developers for the 15-acre property. Iron Stone was selected as a developer for the building, and their plan is to transform the building and the surrounding land into a public health campus, according to a recent report by Philly.com.

Iron Stone, a Philadelphia-based developer, will partner with the Public Health Management Corp. health institute on this project.

The meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m.

Mayor Jim Kenney told the audience gathered for the Spruce Hill Community Association annual meeting last night that the city would likely to have a handful of serious proposals for the old Provident Mutual Insurance building at 4601 Market St. by early January.

His administration cancelled plans in May to move the police headquarters to the building, opting instead for the old Philadelphia Inquirer building at 400 N. Broad St. Those plans were devised during the administration of Michael Nutter.

The city has received several requests for quotation (RFQ) on the property. These are narrative proposals of what would be done with the property. Those proposals range from commercial and retail to medical and educational. All propose a mix of uses for the property. Kenney said the RFQs are private and he could not provide specific details on any of them.  Continue Reading

Philadelphia mayor Jim Kenney will be a featured speaker at an upcoming Spruce Hill Community Association’s annual meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 14 at the Penn Alexander School Cafeteria (43rd and Locust). The mayor will address the future of the former Provident Mutual Life Insurance Building at 4601 Market (pictured).

The site was chosen by former mayor Michael Nutter administration for the new police headquarters and has been undergoing renovations since 2014. But, the Kenney administration canceled the plans to relocate the Police Headquarters to the site in the spring of 2017. In August, the city began seeking a new developer for the site.  Continue Reading

The city is now officially seeking a developer for the Provident Mutual Life Insurance complex at 4601 Market St., several months after the Kenney administration scuttled plans to move the police administration to the site.

The Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation issued a “Request for Qualifications and Expressions of Interest” today that seeks potential developers for the 15-acre property adjacent to the Market-Frankford Line’s 46th Street stop. The city hopes to assemble a short list of interested developers this fall and then open a competitive bidding process. Proposals for the first phase are due Nov. 1.

The property is zoned CMX-3, which allows a wide variety of uses – from a community garden to an apartment building to a hospital. The complex includes a 325,000-square-foot administration building and a 11,200-square-foot utility plant.  Continue Reading

Provident Mutual Life Insurance Co. building at 46th and Market (archived photo).

The City’s revised plans for new Police Headquarters have been revealed and they no longer include the former Provident Mutual Life Insurance Co. building at 46th and Market.

The Kenney Administration announced on Wednesday that it wants to relocate the Philadelphia Police Department headquarters to 400 N. Broad St., the former Philadelphia Inquirer/Daily News building in Center City. The West Philadelphia site at 46th and Market had been selected by the Nutter Administration and has been undergoing renovations since 2014. The City has already spent about $50 million on purchasing and renovating the 90-year-old Provident building.  Continue Reading