It was back in August when we told you about some exciting news regarding the newest project from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). This new tower, currently named the Schuylkill Avenue Research Building (SARB), will complement the existing Roberts Center and will provide a second structure to CHOP’s growing campus on the eastern side of the Schuylkill River. As you can see below, this 14-story, wet research facility will look sharp as it rises slightly to the southeast of the current building. Cannon Design brings us this little brother to the Roberts Center, and we’re pleased to share that work is getting moving on the new building.

In mid-October, we had the pleasure of attending the official groundbreaking for the new research building, which comes 100 years after CHOP’s first research facility was founded. On a crystal-clear day, we were able to take in the views of the current tower while imagining the new tower soon to rise. To celebrate the occasion, CHOP had hospital leadership speak to the project, in addition to welcoming state representative and Democratic Whip Rep. Jordan A. Harris to talk through wonderful and important impact of this building on many, many Philly residents.

If you feel like you missed out on the festivities, fear not! We’d hate to leave our wonderful readers in the dark, so check out some of the action from the groundbreaking below as Naked Philly brings you along for the fun.

We are excited to see this project start in earnest, as the three-year construction timeline has the SARB ready for move-in in October 2025. Additionally, a large number of Black- and women-owned businesses will be joining the construction fold and we applaud CHOP’s efforts for bringing together a diverse and equitable project team for this important building. This is yet another feather in Philly’s cap when it comes to life sciences and medicine, a space that Philly certainly seems to be growing into more and more every day.