Inquirer Building

The Inquirer Building
(Elverson Building)

(2006)
Location 400 N. Broad Street,
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Coordinates 39°57′39″N 75°9′47″W / 39.96083°N 75.16306°W / 39.96083; -75.16306Coordinates: 39°57′39″N 75°9′47″W / 39.96083°N 75.16306°W / 39.96083; -75.16306
Area 7.5 acres (3.0 ha)
Built 1923-24
Architect Rankin, Kellogg & Crane
Roydhouse, Arey, Co.
Architectural style Beaux-Arts[1]
NRHP Reference # 96000716[2]
Added to NRHP July 15, 1996

The Inquirer Building, formerly called the Elverson Building, is an eighteen-story building at N. Broad and Callowhill Streets in the Callowhill neighborhood of Philadelphia, completed in 1924 as the new home for the newspaper The Philadelphia Inquirer, which was joined by the Philadelphia Daily News in 1957.[3] The original name refers to James Elverson, the publisher of the Inquirer from 1889 until his death in 1911. His son, "Colonel" James Elverson Jr., took over as publisher, and had the building constructed and dedicated to his father.[4][5]

History and description

Thee sign over the building's entrance in 2006

Construction began on the building in July 1923.[3] It was designed in the Beaux-Arts style by Rankin, Kellogg & Crane, and was, at the time, the tallest building north of City Hall.[1] Its gold dome, and the four-faced clock under it, could be seen for many miles.[5] The building is 340 feet (100 m) tall.[6]

The first issue of the Inquirer printed at the building came out on July 13, 1925. The newspaper operation was considered at the time to have the most modern printing plant in the world,[3] with the largest composing room and fastest printing presses. The building also featured an auditorium and an assembly hall, and had its own refrigeration and water filtration plant.[5]

The interior features a globe chandelier in the lobby, and a catwalk over the former press room.[7] Elverson and his wife made their home on the building's 12th and 13th floors.[5]

In 1996 the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

An extension to the building at 440 N. Broad Street, called the Rotogravure Building and designed by Albert Kahn Associates, was built in 1948 by Walter Annenberg, who was the owner of the newspapers at the time. It was sold in 2005 by Knight-Ridder. In 2011 the extension was the headquarters of the Philadelphia School District.[1][6]

The building's tower as seen from Vine Street near Logan Circle (2013)

In late July 2011, it was announced that Philadelphia Media Net, which owned the newspapers and the building, was selling the 526,000-square-foot (48,900 m2) building to a developer for a price believed to be more than $19 million.[1] That deal closed in October, and the next month the company announced that a downsized operation (125,000 square feet (11,600 m2)) would move into the renovated former Strawbridge & Clothier store at 8th and Market Streets in the Market Street East area.[3] The relocation to the building's third floor was completed by July 2012.

The developer who bought the Inquirer Building, Bart Blatstein, announced in May 2015 that he would attempt to turn the building into a 125-room boutique hotel. He applied for $5 million in funding from Pennsylvania to go towards the $36.4 million project. According to Blatstein's schedule, construction would begin in August 2016. Blatstein had originally planned on using the building as part of a hotel/casino complex, but failed to receive the necessary licensing from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board.[8] Blarstein has said that he wants to preserve the building and its historical features, although his previous casino plan, "The Provence", called for new construction in a "faux-French theme", which drew criticism as being "tacky".[7][9]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Heavens, Alan J. "Inquirer sells its building" The Philadelphia Inquirer" (July 29, 2011)
  2. ↑ National Park Service (2009-03-13). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Fernandez, Bob. "Inquirer and Daily News moving to Eighth and Market" The Philadelphia Inquirer (November 15, 2011)
  4. ↑ Williams, Edgar (June 20, 2003). "A history of The Inquirer". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on February 19, 2007. Retrieved May 27, 2006.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Hunter, Sarah L. (researcher). "Philadelphia Inquirer Building" Hidden City, Philadelphia
  6. 1 2 "Inquirer Building, Philadelphia" Emporis
  7. 1 2 Webb. Molly. "Blatstein's Four Reasons Why The Provence is Philly's Best Bet" Curbed (October 2, 2013)
  8. ↑ Adelmen, Jacob. "Blatstein pushes new hotel project on Broad Street" The Philadelphia Inquirer (May 1, 2015)
  9. ↑ Saffron, Inga. "Changing Skyline: Reviewing the 'plans' for Philly's second casino" The Philadelphia Inquirer (April 20, 2013)


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