New Sundance theater complex stalled again

Budget problems and a steel shortage will cause a three-month delay. Students hoping to catch a film at the highly-anticipated Sundance Cinemas complex over the summer will now have to wait until the fall at the earliest. According to Executive Vice President John Fry, budget problems and the high demand for steel across the city will delay construction of the eight-screen independent movie house by at least three months. "The original design came in higher than the budget," Fry said yesterday, adding that the project, located on the northwest and southwest corners of 40th and Walnut streets, is now on budget without sacrificing aesthetics. This marks the second delay in the project, which was originally scheduled to open in May. Construction began last summer with the demolition of parts of the Hamilton Village complex, but has been at a virtual standstill ever since. Yesterday, the University's top real estate official, Tom Lussenhop, said delays are also due to the novelty of the project -- the first of Robert Redford's new chain of movie houses. "This is not a 20-plex built on a cornfield in New Jersey," Lussenhop said. "Budgeting for a non-standard building is as much art as it is science." Adding that Redford's company, Sundance Cinemas, decided to accept delays rather than compromise the concept of the theater, Lussenhop said the project -- a joint venture between General Cinemas and Sundance -- is expected to move forward. "We want very badly to open by the start of school," he said. Sundance officials could not be reached for comment yesterday. Earlier in the week, they said the theater complex was on schedule to open next fall. Sundance's plans include an independently operated restaurant, a tapas bar, an outdoor cafe, an espresso bar, gardens, a town-hall component, a lecture hall and a reflecting pool. Aside from design modifications, Fry said the steel needed for the project took a while to acquire, citing a tight market because of a city-wide construction boom. Yesterday, he said underground work and piping is complete and that the building will soon take shape. The recent severe winter weather also slowed construction, according to Lussenhop, who said the snow delayed at least two concrete pours, affecting the schedule by as much as a week. Across the street from the Sundance site, construction crews are building the Freshgrocer.com complex, a specialty foods supermarket topped by an 800-car parking garage. This week, officials said that project remains on budget and will open in July. The Sundance movie house has gained the widespread support of community leaders, who feel that it will further revitalize the 40th Street area. University officials are expecting both the Sundance Cinemas complex and Freshgrocer.com to serve as catalysts for the entire 40th Street corridor, making University City a Philadelphia hot spot.