In September, the $97.6M Chestnut Square welcomed its first school year, if a building can do such a thing, on Chestnut Street between 32nd and 33rd. The 19-story mixed-use residential tower developed by Drexel started bringing new retail to the area, like international company, Yogorino, this fall, and was envisioned to serve as a new gateway to University City. It certainly says hello. North of that, Drexel is moving right along with its development projects as renovations on three existing buildings at 35th & Spring Garden, including Ryan Hall, have begun as development of the building that will house The Dana and David Dornsife Center for Neighborhood Partnerships has progressed.

Under construction

Additional construction view, from further back

When it’s completed, the center will include a 29K-plus square-foot building, with a mission dedicated to education, problem solving, social entrepreneurship and innovation. It will also offer a welcoming environment for local children and families, rich with technology, and fully accessible to senior citizens. The Dornsife Center is a community outreach center to match Drexel’s rapid development closer to campus like the new Gerri C. LeBow Hall, the new $92M 12-story business school building at 32nd & Market.

In between Chestnut Square and The Dornsife Center, Drexel also has plans for another mixed-use residential tower at 34th & Lancaster, in the form of 24 stories and 20K sqft of retail space. Those plans were announced last spring and between Chestnut Square and the Lancaster Ave. projects that will make for over 2,000 new beds at Drexel in the next few years. And that’s only three of Drexel’s many projects going on right now. Talk about expanding.

–Lou Mancinelli