Perry World House opened to the public in September, shortly after the fall semester got started at Penn, after about a year of construction. In finally getting around to covering this building, we admit we’re a little late to the party. But better late than never, we’d say, and this especially applies when sharing images of a building this excellent.

We first told you about this project in the fall of 2015, shortly after construction got underway. At the time, we shared some of the history of the 3800 and 3900 blocks of Locust Street, where most of the buildings were demolished when Penn built the superblock section of campus in the 1960s. Only a few structures remained, including 3803 Locust St., a building that was designed by Samuel Sloan and dated back to the 1850s. The building was used by a fraternity for many years, but had been sitting vacant in anticipation of this project.

1100 Architect came up with a plan to demolish half of the building and incorporate the remains into one of the best looking new buildings we’ve seen in town in recent memory. Perry World House is the new home for International Relations majors at Penn, hosting events to increase international engagement and encouraging research regarding international issues. The building contains offices, classrooms, meeting rooms, common spaces, a large conference room, and a multi-use atrium with space for 150 seats. And as we’ve said, the building is fantastic.

Architects and developers of Philadelphia, look at this building and draw some inspiration. All you need is a little creativity… and a virtually unlimited construction budget, and your projects can also look this good.