For a building that has been burned and trashed for 20 years, the Beury is recalled with great affection. Web sites gush about its deco crown, colorful tiles, Gothic Revival arches, and Sullivan-inspired spandrels. Designed by William Lee, it's listed on the national and Philadelphia historic registers.
Of course, other neighborhoods can make compelling cases as a location for state offices. West Philadelphia's Provident building by Cram & Ferguson, also built in 1926, has been searching for a stable tenant for years. If Pennsylvania preferred to locate its employees in an edgier, loft-style building, there's the massive triangular Ford Motor Co. factory at Broad and Lehigh, better known by its last big tenant, Botany 500. Built in 1910, it's an industrial version of New York's famous Flatiron building.