Developer broadens scope to office space

He's the man who built Campus Apartments in University City from a regional student-housing company into a national firm. David Adelman, who took over from the Campus Apartments founder, is branching out into office space in West Philadelphia - and he's looking to attract a key anchor tenant, such as Google, to lease his former factory space at 4101 Sansom St.

The retrofitted printing-press shop here is known as the Graphic Arts Lithographers building and takes up an entire city block near the campuses of the University of Pennsylvania, University of the Sciences, and Drexel University.

Built in 1923, this property was an industrial building that is now undergoing renovation into 35,000 square feet of office space.

"We're doing an adaptive reuse," Adelman says in an interview. "We bought 4101 Sansom to protect the hotel property next door, which was a $50 million investment."

The Graphic Arts building cost $7 million to purchase, and its renovation will require an estimated $5 million, he added. George Wilson, of Meyer Architects Inc., based in Ardmore, is the architect, and Paul Garvey, of Cushman Wakefield, is the real estate agent.

The 4101 Sansom site is just a block away from Adelman's 136-room Homewood Suites Hotel, which he built for visitors to nearby Children's Hospital of Pennsylvania, the Wharton School, and the Internal Revenue Service office.

Adelman is also projecting a second-phase office tower next door to the Homewood Suites hotel at 41st and Walnut Streets. "It could be 110,000 square feet of office space, or apartments, which will really increase the business density up in University City," he added.

"David asked me to look at 4101 Sansom with the idea of putting his firm's offices together and working there," says architect Wilson. "It was really two buildings, mostly abandoned, and I got excited about the exposed brick walls.

"In the attic space, I saw these beautiful timber trusses. We knew we had to expose these architectural gems. People are trying to replicate what's already there in 4101 Sansom."

Adelman initially wanted the space himself, but now is talking to prospective tenants and will build out mezzanines around the wood-trussed section, which has roughly 25-foot ceilings.

In summer 2013, Adelman installed windows with simulated mullions to reflect the history of the site and to provide a factory effect with energy-efficient glass.

Says Wilson: "The part with the exposed wood trusses is the older section. The longer section has steel trusses."

Among Adelman's friends and business neighbors in University City is Josh Kopelman, at 4040 Locust St.

Kopelman's incubator office space for his First Round Equity private-equity firm, Adelman said, is the design inspiration for 4101 Sansom.

Adelman is still active with the University City District and has served as its vice chair, and he contends that the area will become an active business district as well as a school campus.

"The start-up vibe is one that we'd like to build for here. The young kids want to stay in the city, they ride bikes to work, and they don't want to commute to the suburbs."

For future tenants, Wilson is also open to installing "space within the space, for another level of privacy," by offering to build moveable glass pods supported with steel beams.

"These types of spaces you can bolt and unbolt," Wilson said, "and take down if you move."