PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — It’s about a year and a half overdue but the Philadelphia Police Department expects to be moved into its new headquarters in the next few months.
That raises the question of what will happen to its current administration building, at 6th and Race Streets, known colloquially as the Roundhouse because of its curved walls.
When Mayor Jim Kenney proposed spending quarter-million dollars to move the headquarters into the old Inquirer building on North Broad Street, he said the cost would be offset by the sale of the Roundhouse and two police district buildings.
Now, however, the administration is proposing a city-wide engagement process to take public input on what should happen to the Roundhouse.
The city is seeking bids for a consultant to lead the process. The request for proposals says community input will “inform the redevelopment, so that the city can balance economic development with the perspectives of the community at large.”
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Planning Commission chair Eleanor Sharpe says the building is “complicated.” She says, to many people, “it represents an era of police brutality …, but at the same time, it’s an iconic piece of architecture, sitting on a valuable parcel of land.”
A city spokesman says there’s no exact date for the department to be moved out, but the engagement process is scheduled for May to October.