Today, that corner pulsates with the comings and goings of students, office workers, subway riders, and residents of the evolving Loft District. Maybe the state can't take full credit for the transformation, but that hasn't stopped it from reaping the benefits. Last month, it sold the high-rise to developer Bart Blatstein for a cool $25 million.
So, now that Pennsylvania is again searching for office space to shelter its 900 Philadelphia employees, where would a new government building do the most good?
Unfortunately, that's a question nobody at the state is bothering to ask in 2008.
Even before the Spring Garden Street building went on the market last summer, the Department of General Services put out the word that it was looking for new offices. The guiding criterion, according to DGS spokesman Edward Myslewicz, was that the space should be cheap.
It appears the state has found its bargain rental in the obvious place: Center City. Once leases are signed, the state hopes to divide its employees between two buildings, the former Strawbridge & Clothier store on Market Street and a location around the corner on Arch Street. DGS boasts that the move will save taxpayers "a substantial amount of money over the next 20 years."
Obviously, it's a good thing when the state is frugal with taxpayers' money. But since when did saving money become government's sole objective? A state building isn't just a box to house employees; it's also a potential development tool for restoring and stabilizing neighborhoods.
It's not that the former Strawbridge's is a bad location. The building, where additional floors are being converted to offices, links conveniently into the regional transit system through Market East station. But the addition of those state employees will hardly make a dent in the life and fortunes of Center City.
