Penn proposed a $200 million office and laboratory building at 33rd and Chestnut streets before ultimately deciding to scrap the project.
The January 2026 building plans — which have not previously been reported — called for nearly 200,000 square feet of “short-term” lab and “long-term” office space. The site is currently a parking lot located between Amy Gutmann Hall and The Study at University City, a hotel.
A Penn Facilities and Real Estate Services spokesperson wrote to The Daily Pennsylvanian that their office had intended the proposal as “an option to support space needs on campus.”
“It was decided not to move forward with the project,” the spokesperson added, clarifying that FRES “ultimately found alternate solutions to meet the space needs.”
The document — obtained through a City of Philadelphia Right-to-Know request — was created to introduce Councilmember Jamie Gauthier, whose district encompasses Penn and University City, to the project. In the proposal, Penn framed the building as a testament to the University’s “long-standing commitment to Economic Opportunity for the Local Community.”
The University added that the project would create over 900 construction jobs and support “economic opportunities through the procurement of products and services from local businesses.”
In the document, Penn proposed a building with 10 floors, with laboratory space on the bottom floors and office buildings on the top.
Like much of Penn’s campus, the site is classified as “Special Purpose - Institutional” under Philadelphia’s zoning regulations, allowing for “Institutional uses in accordance with an approved master plan.” Zoning regulations require that the Philadelphia City Council approve amendments to a master plan that involve “gross floor area” changes of more than 2,500 square feet.
In a Feb. 11 letter to Keith Davis, a planner with the Philadelphia City Planning Commission, Gauthier expressed support for the project, writing that the building would “meet the need for short-term lab and swing space.”
A spokesperson for Gauthier declined additional comment.
Gauthier also expressed support for two additional campus construction projects in letters sent to Davis on Feb. 11.
The first, a $105 million renovation to expand and modernize 1920 Commons, is set to begin in June 2026 and will create studying and dining spaces. The second, a $25.7 million project, will create an expanded entry to the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts which will serve as a multipurpose performance and rehearsal space.
Design principals at the Facilities and Campus Planning Committee of Penn’s Board of Trustees estimated that both projects would be completed by 2029.
On April 9, Gauthier introduced a bill to approve amendments to Penn’s master plan to accommodate the 1920 Commons and Annenberg Center renovations. The legislation is currently in its second reading in front of the Philadelphia City Council.
Ethan Young is the Editor-in-Chief of The Daily Pennsylvanian and can be reached at young@thedp.com. At Penn, he studies history and political science. Follow him on X @EthanYoung.
