__NOTOC__ The Inquirer Building, formerly called the Elverson Building, is an eighteen-story building at the intersection of North Broad and Callowhill Streets in the Logan Square neighborhood of Center City Philadelphia, completed in 1924 as the new home for ''

The Philadelphia Inquirer ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'', often referred to simply as ''The Inquirer'', is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded on June 1, 1829, ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is the third-longest continuously operating da ...

'', a daily newspaper in the city, that was joined by the ''

Philadelphia Daily News ''Philadelphia Daily News'' is a tabloid newspaper that serves Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The newspaper is owned by The Philadelphia Inquirer, LLC, which also owns ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'', a daily newspaper in Philadelphia. The ''Dail ...

'' in 1957. The building's original name refers to James Elverson, the publisher of the ''Inquirer'' from 1889 until his death in 1911. His son, James Elverson Jr., took over as publisher, and had the building constructed and dedicated to his father.Hunter, Sarah L. (researcher)
"Philadelphia Inquirer Building"
''Hidden City, Philadelphia'' The building is the new headquarters of the

Philadelphia Police Department The Philadelphia Police Department (PPD, Philly PD, or Philly Police) is the police agency responsible for law enforcement and investigations within the County and City of Philadelphia. The PPD is one of the oldest municipal police agencies, f ...

, the 6th and 9th Police Districts, and the Medical Examiner's Office.

History

20th century

Inquirer Building Tower from Vine Street near Logan Circle

Construction began on the building in July 1923. It was designed in the Beaux-Arts style by Rankin, Kellogg & Crane, and was, at the time, the tallest building north of

City Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...

. Its gold dome, and the four-faced clock under it, could be seen for many miles. The building is tall. The first issue of ''

'' printed at the building was on July 13, 1925. The newspaper operation was considered at the time to have the most modern printing plant in the world, with the largest composing room and fastest printing presses. The building also featured an auditorium and an assembly hall, and had its own refrigeration and water filtration plant. The interior features a globe chandelier in the lobby, and a catwalk over the former press room. Elverson and his wife made their home on the building's 12th and 13th floors. In 1996, the building was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

as the Elverson Building. An extension to the building at 440 N. Broad Street, called the Rotogravure Building. Built in 1948, it was designed by Albert Kahn Associates and built by

Walter Annenberg Walter Hubert Annenberg (March 13, 1908 – October 1, 2002) was an American businessman, investor, philanthropist, and diplomat. Annenberg owned and operated Triangle Publications, which included ownership of ''The Philadelphia Inquirer' ...

, the owner of the newspapers at the time. It was sold in 2005 by Knight-Ridder.

21st century

In 2011, an extension of the building was made the headquarters of the

School District of Philadelphia The School District of Philadelphia (SDP) is the school district that includes all school district-operated State schools, public schools in Philadelphia. Established in 1818, it is the largest school district in Pennsylvania and the eighth-lar ...

. In late July 2011, it was announced that Philadelphia Media Network, which owned the newspapers and the building, was selling the building to a developer for a price reported as exceeding $19 million. The deal closed in October, and the next month the company announced that a downsized operation, with a building, would move into the renovated former Strawbridge & Clothier store at 8th and Market Streets in the Market Street East area. The relocation to the building's third floor was completed by July 2012. The developer who bought the Inquirer Building, Bart Blatstein, announced in May 2015 that he would attempt to turn the building into a 125-room

boutique hotel Boutique hotels are small-capacity Hotel, hotels that provide more personalized service than typical hotels. They typically have fewer than a hundred rooms, and are considered more "trendy" and "intimate", often due to their location in urban ar ...

. He applied for $5 million in funding from Pennsylvania to go towards the $36.4 million project. According to Blatstein's schedule, construction would begin in August 2016. Blatstein originally planned on using the building as part of a hotel and casino complex, saying that he wanted to preserve the building and its historical features, although his previous casino plan, "The Provence", called for new construction in a "faux-French theme", which drew criticism as "tacky". Blatstein failed to receive the necessary licensing from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, and the hotel and casino plan was abandoned. In 2017, Blatstein abandoned plans to use the building as a hotel, opting instead to lease the building to the

to serve as its new headquarters. The City of Philadelphia plans to buy the building from Blatstein at the end of the lease.

References

External links

{{Authority control Beaux-Arts architecture in Pennsylvania Broad Street (Philadelphia) Buildings and structures in Philadelphia Commercial buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Philadelphia Office buildings completed in 1924 Police headquarters

History

20th century

21st century

See also

References

External links