Rather than housing the usual college students this year, the row house at 4007 Chestnut St. will provide studio space to four local artists, as part of a new artist-in-residence program.
Program Coordinator and local artist Edward Epstein, who developed the idea, said that the new program is part of an effort to revitalize the art community in West Philadelphia.
"The way it got started, basically, is I found out that there was some unused space that Penn owned, and they were looking for artistic projects in this space, so I proposed the artist studio program," he said.
Following his proposal in late spring, the 40th Street Artist-in-Residence Program project was approved by University officials, as well as several community arts organizations.
Every six months, four area artists will receive free studio space on the first floor of the University-owned building, which houses tenants on the second and third floors.
In exchange, Epstein said, "We ask that they contribute something to the local community, like a workshop or a class or an exhibition of their work in the area."
The new studio space may also be used for open tours or academic work, according to Andrew Zitcer, Penn's cultural assets manager.
"We took a space that was vacant and wasn't making any money and translated it into an arts use where something productive can happen for the community, and for the artists themselves," Zitcer said.
However, according to both Zitcer and Epstein, before this vision could become a reality, the space needed to be renovated.
"It was kind of dingy and hadn't been used in a long time," Epstein said. "It's a gorgeous old house with high ceilings and lots of big windows, but [the previous owners] had paneled over the walls, dropped the ceilings ... and bricked over some of the windows," all of which have now been restored to their original state.
However, despite such improvements, the outside of the building "still needs work," Epstein said.
He continued, "One proposal that's being tossed around is that we might have one of the artists that we bring in propose to decorate the front of the building somehow, to create an interesting exterior."
Epstein said that he hopes to "support the careers of the artists that we invite into the studio by helping them arrange exhibitions or workshops."
"We hope to create a kind of center for visual arts in that space, and maybe that way create more interest in the neighborhood itself."
Local artist and Penn alumnus Jeremy Vaughn said that he is looking forward to moving into his new studio space.
Vaughn called the residency "the perfect opportunity" to focus on his painting and sculpture, while integrating materials and the "social fabric" of West Philadelphia.
And according to Zitcer, local artists like Vaughn will likely continue to see such opportunities in years to come.
"We're committed to the program, and if the program is really running strong, we'll find a home for it," he said, adding, "We can even move it into a better home."
