Restoration of the Hale Building is underway

There are finally some signs of life over at the Hale Building in Center City, about 14 months after plans were revealed to bring the historic structure back to life.

Passersby who managed to look up at the corner of Juniper and Chestnut streets may have noticed some scaffolding going up around the building in recent days. Deidre DeAscanis, associate principal at JKRP Architects, told Curbed Philly that shell work on the Hale Building has begun and should be complete by the end of this year.

Calls to developer Brickstone Realty to inquire about the interior work were not returned at the time of publication.

In early 2016, Brickstone revealed its mixed-use plans for the Hale Building, which had sat vacant for years until the developer bought it for $3.5 million in 2015. The design proposal calls for a glassy front entrance, a roof terrace, and office space.

The Hale was designed as an office building by Willis G. Hale in 1887, a few years before he would go onto design the Divine Lorraine on North Broad. At the time it was built, the Hale building received harsh criticism for being “a restless jumble” of a structure and the “monstrosity” of Chestnut Street.

But today, the return of the Hale to Chestnut Street is just another part of Brickstone’s plans to transform this long-neglected stretch into a live-work-play hub in Center City. Brickstone’s other mixed-use project brought apartments, a Target, and a Fine Wine and Good Spirits to the 1200 block of Chestnut Street.

Here’s a look at the Hale today.

• Hale Building Restoration to Feature Glass Entrance, Spacious Roof Deck [Curbed Philly]
• The Hale [Official]