Penn negotiating to buy 36th Street Sheraton

Trustees to discuss funding proposed purchase Friday; deal would include buying the hotel's parking lot The University is currently negotiating to purchase the University City Sheraton Hotel at 36th and Chestnut streets. A resolution to secure funds for the purchase of the Sheraton is among the issues scheduled for discussion during Friday's University Trustees Executive Committee meeting. "The University is indeed pursuing purchase," Executive Vice President John Fry said. Fry referred to the site as "strategic property," but refused comment further. He said he did not want to prejudice current ongoing negotiations. According to a trustee who asked to remain anonymous, the proposed purchase would also include the adjacent parking garage, which could then be used for University parking. "The Sheraton is dead smack in the middle of campus," said Anthony Whittington, associate director of construction finance and real estate. "The purchase is part of the University's ongoing capital plan," he added. "I suppose it is part of the normal growth of the campus." No administrators would comment on how much the University might pay for the property. The Sheraton negotiations come just four months after the University Health System took over the Penn Tower Hotel complex, a popular spot for prospective students and visiting parents, located at 34th Street and Civic Center Boulevard. At the time of the transfer, which took place in late May, Fry said the change would provide the Health System with the central space and flexibility it needed to "meet the changing need and requirements of health care service and delivery and research." At that time, he said the Health System intended to continue normal operation of the hotel and garage in the complex "for the present time." But administrators said the hotel may cease operations in the future. "During the remainder of the calendar year, the Health System will study other potential uses of these properties to determine whether alternative uses are feasible and desirable," Fry said early this summer. In July, Associate Vice President of Hospital Facilities Barry Hilts confirmed that the complex would continue on a normal operation schedule until the end of the year. He said a steering committee had been developed to determine which options for the future use of the buildings are the most cost and space efficient. Hilts added that administrators had not yet made any definite plans for the use of the Penn Tower buildings. University officials would not comment on whether the Penn Tower transfer was connected to the Sheraton negotiations. As one of two hotels on campus, the Sheraton is a popular location for parents to stay during move-in, Parents' Weekend and graduation. It is also a popular site for University-sponsored events, luncheons and awards ceremonies.