Kicking off the renovations that will allow oncampus radio station WXPN to move in by November 2004, the Hajoca building was officially leased to station administrators yesterday afternoon.
According to these officials, the renovation plans for the building located at 31st and Walnut streets will follow the allotted time schedule, despite initial delays due to contractual disagreements among Penn, the station and Real Properties -- the company that will manage the second-floor cafe that is planned for the building.
"This one was a complicated deal because there were so many entities involved," Vice President for Retail and Real Estate Services Omar Blaik said.
The overall project bears a price tag of $15 million, some of which will be provided by federal programs in the form of tax breaks, a benefit the Hajoca building receives due to its status as a historical landmark.
The renovation budget for WXPN -- which specializes in adult album alternative music -- is set to $4 million, $1.5 million of which has already been collected through the contributions of the station's members and habitual listeners.
The University will not give any direct contributions to the station, and administrative officials are satisfied with the arrangement.
"We are extremely pleased to be working with private constructors," Blaik said. "We are furthering the campus' master plan without having to contribute with funds destined to academics. We are leveraging on both growth and momentum."
According to the contract, the radio station leased half of the building -- the floor located on the 31st Street level -- for the next 15 years. It will house the administrative station staff, currently set at 4025 Chestnut Street, as well as "state-of-the-art" studios where hosts and performing groups can air their programs, WXPN General Manager Roger LaMay said.
The cafe will bear the name "World Cafe" in honor of WXPN's most famous program. The $5 million retreat will feature a stage where some of the show's regular guests will perform live for the customers.
However, this arrangement is not designed to be a constant deal between the two tenants, who remain "separate entities," LaMay said.
The upcoming move-in is appealing to many staffers.
"We are looking forward to having everyone [on the staff] working in the same office," WXPN Marketing Director Kim Winnick said. "The studio [located at 3905 Spruce Street] is too small to house everyone, and it is difficult to truck up three flights of stairs with the bands' equipment."
Winnick added that the station has outgrown its "homey" studio.
"We're 58 years old now, and we're just moving out of the house."
