Wistar Institute planning major addition

"The Wistar Institute, an independent nonprofit biomedical research center, is in the early stages of planning for a major new addition at its University City facility. Plans call for knocking down less than a third of its existing 103,750-square-foot cancer research building and vivarium at 36th and Spruce streets and constructing a new seven-story research tower. The current research building was constructed in 1975, the last time Wistar undertook any significant capital project. While five floors of the new structure would be dedicated to research labs, space will be carved out for auditorium, meeting and public common areas.

Staci Vernick Goldberg, spokeswoman at Wistar, declined to say exactly how many square feet the new structure would be or how much it would cost since the design and scope of the project is still being tweaked and approvals still being sought. Ballinger is the architect.

“This is a major renovation and expansion for us,” she said, adding it will not only increase space for research but help when recruiting new faculty. The institute also includes a 78,125-square-foot Victorian built in 1894. That building will remain untouched by the new project. Wistar is aiming to be under construction by early next year. While it is on the University of Pennsylvania campus, it is independent of the school and not affiliated with it."