Representatives from St. Joe’s updated members of the Spruce Hill Community Association (SHCA) about plans for the University City campus at the SHCA’s Feb. 13 monthly meeting.
The 24-acre UCity campus is part of the Spruce Hill neighborhood in West Philadelphia.
Community members were shown a slideshow presentation outlining upcoming building closures and potential uses for the property and were invited to provide feedback.
Phase two of St. Joe’s plans, according to the slides, involves closing England Library and Wilson Student Center as well as Whitecar Hall, Rosenberger Hall, Alumni Hall and 4140 Warehouse, which houses Freshens Fresh Food Kitchen and a study lounge. Griffith Hall will no longer house academic services, only administrative offices, according to the slides. No timeline was offered for when the buildings would be vacated.
When asked to confirm the building closures and timeline, Kevin Gfeller ’20, assistant director of public relations, cited a Dec. 7 email from James Carter, Ph.D., interim provost, that said Whitecar Hall, Alumni Hall and Griffith Hall will remain open until the end of the 2024-25 school year. Gfeller did not provide additional information about the status of these buildings beyond that email.
In late 2022, St. Joe’s listed the UCity campus for sale. In late 2023, a Community Advisory Committee was formed to represent approximately 12 groups adjacent to the UCity property, including the SHCA.
The committee met to discuss what each group thought should be done with the property. While the committee does not have any say in the university’s master plan, it created a set of four guiding principles to represent what they wanted: capitalizing on border and topography, connectivity and accessibility, intentional residential development, and gaps in commercial activity.
The SHCA’s Feb. 13 meeting represented the committee’s first community outreach, with plans for eight additional meetings. The results of these meetings will be presented to a potential buyer or developer of the UCity campus.
Chloe Hart ’24, a student who lives on the UCity campus, said they and others are frustrated about the constant changes happening to the campus.
“When we were told we were merging, they said, ‘We are going to keep everything,’” Hart said. “‘Nothing’s really going to change’ is basically what they told us. And I don’t think that was very accurate.”
