If you've traveled down South Broad Street lately, perhaps you've noticed the relatively new steel structure that's appeared between Morris Street and Castle Avenue. That structure is, of course, the new Community Health and Literacy Center that we told you about last fall. This site was previously home to the South Philadelphia Neighborhood Library, Health Center 2, and the DiSilvestro Playground and Recreation Center, but all of those facilities were in rather poor condition. Those buildings are now, of course, long gone.
In case you don't remember, this project will have multiple uses, all of which will benefit the community. On the third floor of the building, CHOP will open a primary care facility, moving from their current location a few blocks away at Saint Agnes Hospital. The practice currently sees 31,000 patients annually and the new space will offer much more space and updated facilities. On the second floor, plans call for a new 30,000 sqft Health Center 2, which moved to Saint Agnes during the construction. The first floor will house a new library and parking, and another building will be a new rec center. The playground will also undergo a complete transformation.
When all is said and done, likely sometime next year, the project will look like this:
This project is just great. In one fell swoop, it will provide adults and children in the area with better medical care, a brand new library, a new rec center, and a new playground. At any price, this is obviously great. But it's particularly outstanding that this project will cost a total of $42.5M but the City will only be on the hook for $2.2M with grants and CHOP covering the rest. Assuming it proves to be successful, look for this project to be a model for similar undertakings in other parts of the city.