Officials break ground on Cira Centre South

It's not every day that an Ivy League president operates a trackhoe.

But Penn President Amy Gutmann used one yesterday before an audience of local business and political leaders, including Mayor-elect Michael Nutter and city Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell, to officially began construction on the recently acquired postal lands.

Gutmann kicked off the demolition of the postal Annex, the building attached to the famed post office located at 30th and Market streets.

It's being cleared to make room for Cira Centre South, a development by Brandywine Realty Trust on the northern 14 acres of property the University bought from the U.S. Postal Service over the summer.

If the project is approved by city planning and zoning authorities, Brandywine hopes to put a 40- to 50-story office tower and a 25- to 30-story residential tower on the site to complement its Cira Centre development, attached to 30th Street Station.

Though the plan is facing criticism from the city Planning Commission for potential traffic tie-ups, Gutmann, Brandywine and city officials were all smiles yesterday.

Calling Cira Centre South the "linchpin" of Penn's development with Brandywine, Gutmann said the demolition marked "beginning of the beginning" of an attempt to transform the area east of campus into a vibrant neighborhood that will attract new residents and businesses to the area.

Councilwoman Blackwell, whose district includes Penn and the postal lands, agreed.

"We think West Philadelphia is looking kind of good," she said in a speech before taking her own place at the controls of the trackhoe.

Brandywine CEO Jerry Sweeney was quick to stress the project's economic benefits, noting a plan to include minority contractors and construction workers in developing the site.

Penn Connects, the University's expansion plan, "has the ability to truly transform the city," he said.

In her speech, Gutmann enumerated ways in which she thinks the project will do just that, stressing that Penn Connects provides a way to expand campus "in a way that would add to West Philadelphia" rather than displacing residents to the west.

She also said Penn Connects would bridge the gap between Center and University cities, a theme echoed by Mayor John Street, who said the project "is really reaching across the river."

The development will include offices, residential space, a hotel, parking and retail between 30th, Walnut and Arch streets between the Schuylkill River and Penn's current campus. In addition to Cira South, Penn Connects also includes plans for Penn Park, a collection of athletic and recreational fields on the east end of campus.

Penn and Brandywine expect Cira South to cost about $800 million and have the project ready in phases, with the first phase completed in the third quarter of 2010.

- Staff writer Roger Weber contributed reporting to this article.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.