An aerial rendering of the site looking southwest.
Below is a message from Drexel University President John Fry; Interim Provost Paul E. Jensen, PhD; and Senior Vice President and Walter H. and Leonore Annenberg Dean of the College of Medicine Charles Cairns, MD:
We are pleased to announce that Drexel is embarking on a phased process to locate the College of Medicine to a new academic facility in University City.
On Wednesday, Drexel’s Board of Trustees voted to move some sections of the College of Medicine to the new academic building in uCity Square at 36th and Filbert streets that is also slated to be the home of the College of Nursing and Health Professions. Making the move in 2023 will be College of Medicine administrative functions, the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and Professional Studies, and our first- and second-year medical program.
Over time, the College of Medicine will vacate all leased space in Center City, at the Bellet Building and the New College Building, as well as the Queen Lane campus. College of Medicine researchers will remain at Queen Lane and in the New College Building for now, while plans are being crafted for their eventual move to the University City campus, as Center City leases expire.
In addition, the new College of Medicine location in West Reading is under construction and slated to begin educating 40 additional first-year medical students in the fall of 2021 at a facility that includes traditional classrooms and lecture halls, as well as a fitness center with indoor and outdoor recreation space, library, lounge areas, game room and a café. Drexel’s 20-year academic agreement with Tower Health was signed in February. The West Reading facility will expand the College’s reach to an area with a diverse patient mix, and help address the growing demand for highly-trained physicians.
At the new academic building, many of Drexel’s health-related programs will be under one roof, enhancing opportunities for interdisciplinary education in a facility that affords health sciences students, faculty and professional staff the best possible environment for continued development and growth. This building will be approximately 450,000 square feet.
Wexford Science & Technology, at its own cost, will begin construction on the University City building this spring, with Nursing and Health Professions moving first to the new space, followed by the College of Medicine. We are hoping for initial occupancy by academic year 2022-23.
We hope you share our excitement in this new chapter for the College of Medicine, and we will keep you updated as the project develops.