Jefferson Health unveils plans for $762M Specialty Care Pavilion in Center City
John George, Philadelphia Business Journal
Thomas Jefferson University and Jefferson Health unveiled plans Thursday to build a $762 million, 19-floor medical building in Center City.
The Specialty Care Pavilion at 11th and Chestnut streets will centralize an array of clinical services at one site.
“This spectacular new center is our bridge to the future, where we’ll create the nation’s first model of health assurance,” said Dr. Stephen K. Klasko, president of Thomas Jefferson University and CEO of Jefferson Health. “People want to be supported in staying healthy without health care getting in the way.”
Klasko first discussed plans for the building with the Philadelphia Business Journal in June.
The project, developed for Jefferson by National Real Estate Development, marks the next phase of National Development’s more than $1 billion revitalization of the East Market corridor.
Ground breaking for Jefferson’s pavilion is expected this fall. The building, designed by architectural firms Ennead Architects and Stantec, is expected to open in 2024.
The Specialty Care Pavilion will include Jefferson centers and institutes including its NCI-designated Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, the Digestive Health Institute, Jefferson Transplant Institute, and Korman Respiratory Institute. It will also house offices for clinical specialists in areas including cardiovascular, otolaryngology, rheumatology and urology. The building is being designed to be welcoming to “aging neurodiverse populations” such as patients with autism and dementia.
As a result of moving services to the new pavilion, Jefferson Health will vacate more than 177,000 square feet across 10 buildings that it said will be repurposed, consolidated or sold.
“We can’t design the future of care delivery in buildings from the past,” said Dr. Bruce Meyer, president of Jefferson Health. “To reshape health care, redefine education, and revitalize care in our communities, we must create new settings in which breakthroughs are possible.”
Among the features of the 462,000-square-foot pavilion are:
- more than 300 exam rooms;
- 58 infusion chairs;
- 10 operating rooms;
- six endoscopy rooms;
- three levels of underground parking.
The building will be capped with a rooftop garden designed to create a space for “peace and healing.”
Jefferson said it plans to incorporate emerging technologies at the pavilion, such as digital wayfinding, virtual surgical theaters, voice assistants, wearable data integration, augmented and virtual reality, and robotics.
Jefferson also said it intends to leverage the expertise of John Sculley, the former chief executive officer of Apple Inc., to “fuse the building’s design and technology with the patient experience.” Sculley is serving as the special assistant to the CEO for the Specialty Care Pavilion. He will also assist in fundraising for the project.
“America needs a new social architecture for health care, and Jefferson is creating it,” Sculley said, in a statement provided by the health system. “This building will be the place where everyone who wants to thrive and be healthy will learn how to do that and not just be where you get treated when you are sick.”
The new pavilion is not the only building project Jefferson has planned for Center City.
In December, Jefferson announced it had received a $70 million gift from Sidney and Caroline Kimmel, which it will use for a 12-story biomedical research building at 9th and Locust streets. The research building is expected to cost between $300 million and $350 million to erect on land now used for a Jefferson parking garage. The building will be connected to the Bluemle Life Sciences Building by a bridge to promote exchanges with researchers in the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center.
Jefferson last year started a 16-year lease to occupy 237,000 square feet spread over 14 floors at 1101 Market St. Jefferson’s name replaced Aramark’s atop the building after the food services provider moved to 2400 Market St.
