The Roberts Center for Pediatric Research has been under construction for the last several years, a dramatic addition to the western side of the largely residential Graduate Hospital neighborhood. The building has about half a million sqft of space dedicated to office space and research for CHOP, and will house over a thousand employees over the next several years. As we’ve told you before, this is the first of four planned towers for the Schuylkill Riverfront, but the timeline for future phases remains up in the air. Still, CHOP is putting the infrastructure in place for the future.

With the building now officially open and actively used by some employees, we figured it would be a nice idea to visit the property and see how well CHOP has done with the rest of the site. Remember, as part of this project, they agreed to build a bridge to an extended Schuylkill River Trail and they also indicated that there would be considerable landscaped space that’s open to the public. On both counts, CHOP has come through.

Check it out:

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Walking toward the Roberts Center from Schuylkill Avenue
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Landscaping next to the parking garage
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Landscaping and a path between parking garage and Roberts Center, not yet completed
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Completed landscaping on the other side of the Roberts Center
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Halfway up the landscaped area, walking toward the river
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Top of the landscaped area
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Entryway to the trail, not yet open for business
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Looking down at the Schuylkill River Trail addition, which still needs some work
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Looking south, CSX tracks and future trail
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Section overlooking the river, looking toward South Street Bridge
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Additional landscaping, closer to the South Street Bridge
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Sweet view of the new tower

We look forward to seeing these spaces actively used by CHOP employees and neighbors once the construction finishes and the summer gets into full swing. In addition, we’re eagerly anticipating the completion of the trail extension and the opening of the new bridge over the tracks. While this building will certainly cause an increase to traffic in the neighborhood and going over the South Street Bridge, at least it will also offer some amenities to people that live nearby. Over time, as the trees grow taller and provide added shade, these spaces will only become more beneficial to the community.