Wharton's satellite campus will soon have an official address, right in the heart of San Francisco.
The Wharton School recently announced that its West Coast operation -- Wharton West -- will be situated on the top floor of the five-story Folger Building, located at Howard and Spear streets.
The building, located near San Francisco's business and financial district, will serve as the home for Wharton's Executive Education programs and provide space for faculty members doing research in California.
"The classrooms that will be built will be similar to those in Huntsman Hall and will use similar technology." Wharton Executive Education Vice Dean Robert Mittelstaedt said. "The education we can offer in San Francisco will be similar to executive education here in Philadelphia."
Wharton signed a ten-year lease for the 20,000 square feet of space. Currently undergoing renovations, the new office will officially open early next year.
Because the executive MBA program is residential, students will be housed -- both during the renovation and after its completion -- at the Park Hyatt, a ten-minute walk from the Folger Building.
When Wharton West offers its first classes this August, students will also take classes at the Hyatt while their new classrooms takes shape.
The building, built in 1905, is owned by San Francisco's Booth family. It was named a historic landmark in 1996.
The building, as its name suggests, was originally the headquarters of the Folger Coffee company. The fifth floor used to be the coffee processing facility.
According to Grubb & Ellis, the real estate agent overseeing the lease, the exterior features original turn-of-the-century brick construction while the interior was completely renovated after the 19'9 San Francisco earthquake.
"The building has a good location, a bit of character and a lot of history," Mittelstaedt said.
In addition, the building's structural design allowed for the construction of two 60-seat sloped classrooms, which will be the centerpieces of Wharton West.
The new facilities will also feature faculty office space and several breakout discussion rooms, which Mittelstaedt described as "an integral part of executive education."
While Wharton will occupy the fifth floor, the building currently has retail venues on the ground floor and corporate offices on the second through fourth floors.
Wharton West, announced last year, is Wharton's initiative to create a satellite campus on the West Coast, close to the technological revolutions in Silicon Valley.
Wharton West will focus predominantly on executive education, as well as offer course and internship opportunities for MBA and undergraduate students.
In addition to Wharton West, Wharton also recently announced an alliance with INSEAD, a French business school, to offer expanded global opportunities for students.
