The historic Hajoca Building at 3025 Walnut Street is finally getting the recognition that it deserves. And with that recognition comes money -- up to $1 million of it. The building began as home to the Hajoca Plumbing Company in 1925 and was bought by the University in the 1990s. It has since stood vacant but is currently under renovation and transformation in preparation for Penn's public radio station WXPN to move in. The renovations are slated to be completed at the end of summer 2004 and will have costs in the multimillion-dollar range. However, Penn will now receive a little financial help in renovating this historic building. This is because the National Park Service is preparing to add the Hajoca Building to the National Register of Historical Places. That distinction will make Penn eligible for up to $1 million in federal tax credits, according to Vice President for Facilities and Real Estate Services Omar Blaik. This money is supposed to help the building's owners and developer pay for the costs of preservation and protection for the building. The University nominated the building last month and the Park Service is scheduled to approve it in the coming weeks. "When you are developing buildings with historical significance that aren't registered, you have two choices," Blaik added. "You either don't nominate them or you nominate them." However, with the nomination and the recognition come guidelines, Blaik said. For most of the exterior work, there are certain criteria for the windows, brickwork and doors. These guidelines make the renovation more expensive. Blaik also stressed that the renovated architecture must reflect the original. "The tax credit compensates for the added costs of restoration," Blaik said. "When you are restoring a registered building, you are constrained by guidelines. It is more costly, but the federal government gives incentive to do it." "Financially, it's very neutral," Blaik said. It "allows you to benefit from the registration by giving you tax incentives so that the developer can reinvest that much in the same building," Blaik said. Because Penn is in a "historically significant part of Philly," it is important to keep the area looking historical and not just tear down all the old buildings and replace them with modern commercial buildings, Blaik said. "Penn tries to be diligent on restoring these buildings" so that the historical feel of the city doesn't get lost, Blaik added, noting that the University focuses preservation efforts on buildings constructed before World War II and those on the periphery of the campus. "We bought the building as part of our objective to connect Penn to Center City and to redevelop from the river to the core of the campus," Blaik said. When Penn bought the building, it had "no notion that it was going to be for WXPN," Blaik added. "We always felt that the best redevelopment of buildings is not by knocking them down but by preserving the character of the architecture," Blaik said. According to Blaik, the Left Bank underwent a similar process when Penn acquired it. It was not registered as a historical site, but Penn successfully nominated it, earning it historical recognition. Penn then received funding to help restore it properly. Blaik noted that funding for the restoration is granted to hired developers for specific projects and cannot be used to improve buildings on Penn's campus. For the Hajoca Building, the nomination and the money that come from it will guarantee a well-planned, and of course, timely renovation, according to Blaik. "We are still in the early design stages," Blaik said, adding that he hopes the project will go into "full force" within the next few weeks. Design and rehabilitation will begin once the developers receive the expected approval from the University Board of Trustees in March. Penn does not plan on nominating any more buildings in the short term and for now, will focus its efforts on restoring the Hajoca Building and getting it ready for WXPN to move in.
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