February 17-23, 2005

cityspace

Hollowed Hall

by Hannah Yi

The battle may be futile, but people protesting the University of Pennsylvania's plans to demolish old Convention Hall haven't given up the fight. They say the 34th Street landmark is too historically significant to face the wrecking ball, even if the university plans to put a premier cancer center in its place.

During the past two years, Penn officials surveyed the building's structural stability and collaborated with outside experts to determine whether it could be salvaged. They concluded that, as is, it's too small to be converted into a medical facility. Not only is space an issue, but the current heating and ventilation system isn't sufficient for clinical functions.

"It was built for a totally different purpose," says University of Pennsylvania Health System spokesperson Susan Phillips, noting that when the university completes the project in 2008, "there will be outstanding medical care for people with serious diseases."

Despite hosting countless graduation ceremonies and, more recently, serving as a soundstage for The Sixth Sense and Hack, demand for the facility has dwindled. As such, Penn officials moved ahead with their expansion plans and have blueprints that chronicle their vision. Though preliminary demolition is already under way, some efforts have been made to ensure the building isn't forgotten. Photographs have been taken of architectural elements that will be preserved and carefully removed exterior pieces have been put into storage. Currently, windows and staircases are being taken out of the noted venue.

"Anybody who's anybody in history in the 20th century appeared there," says Mario Cimino, co-chair of Committee to Save Convention Hall, dropping names from The Beatles to Martin Luther King Jr.

The committee has sent letters to 51 state legislators and City Council members asking them to support efforts to halt Penn's demolition. Still, John Gallery, executive director of the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia, who helped Penn assess the condition of the building, says, "It's not a question about whether one takes absolute precedence over the other, but the question is, could they develop a center for cancer and save the building?" Committee Chairman Jay Farrell — also a Preservation Alliance member — says that while the Preservation Alliance didn't object to Penn's design, some preservationists think the university didn't work hard enough to make the building a part of the new 19-acre medical complex.

"I think it's well worth it to replan a bit," he says. "Penn has one of the premiere design departments and you would think they would relish this opportunity."

Officials expect construction of the new building to begin this fall.