Construction Update

Since 1976, The Philadelphia School has been an institutional anchor for one of Center City’s main gateways – the neighborhood surrounding the South Street Bridge. We are excited to be a part of the positive transformation of our neighborhood, highlighted by the new South Street Bridge and the extension southward of the Schuylkill Banks. We take seriously our responsibility as a partner in making our neighborhood the best it can be. We are pleased to be working with Philadelphia-based construction and project management firms, whose long lists of clients include urban academic institutions. Over the next two years, we will transform the former city property at 2501 South Street into a beautiful and green part of our school campus, as well as create an attractive new entryway for 2501 Lombard Street. We hope our neighbors will bookmark this page to access our regular updates about construction.

Construction Update
2501 South Street: We expect the Early Childhood Education Center and landscaping to be completed by the end of June.
Faculty Parking Lot: Please note that unauthorized vehicles left in the lot overnight must be moved from the lot by 7 a.m., or they will be ticketed and towed.

Construction Update Email List
Whenever we learn in advance of an expected or major disruption, such as a street closing, we will send an alert to email addresses on our Construction Update email list. If you would like to be on our Construction Update email list, please email us at tpscommunications@tpschool.org.

Construction Hotline
During business hours, email our owner's rep or call 215-772-1400 x. 110 (8am-6pm) if you have a concern or question. Please do not enter the construction site as conditions could be unsafe.

Construction Firm
Wolf Scott, located across the street from our 2501 South Street site, is highly regarded for its strong field supervision and oversight that ensures that schedules are met, safety policies are followed, and the disruption of daily activities is minimized. A supervisor will be onsite daily.

Wolfe Scott Associates
2522 South Street
Philadelphia, PA 19146

Owner's Rep
As owner's representatives, Becker & Frondorf will ensure that each member of the project's team of specialists discharges its responsibilities in a manner that serves the our school's overall interest. An extension of the the school's staff, the owner's rep will monitor and coordinate the efforts of all members of the project team. The owner's rep will be a liaison between our neighbors and the construction company and will keep the school informed of all neighbor concerns.

Becker & Frondorf
1500 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19102

Check out our progress:

This campus transformation – Every Inch a Classroom – will allow the school to achieve four principal goals: to meet the educational needs of the children, to accommodate gradual enrollment growth to 450 children over the next 5 or 6 years, to improve dramatically the exterior appearance of our campus, and to build and renovate in a manner that is as “green” as possible.

After undergoing a lengthy master planning process with our architects and faculty, as well as meeting with our neighbors to present our plans and listen to feedback, we have received all necessary zoning approvals to move ahead with construction. We have hired a neighborhood construction company – Wolfe Scott Associates – and a Center City-based owner’s representative – Becker & Frondorf – to supervise the building project. We broke ground in mid-June 2011.