St. Joe’s puts properties on its University City campus up for sale
The university acquired the campus when it merged with University of the Sciences in 2022.
University of the Arts isn’t the only college in the city with buildings up for sale. St. Joseph’s University is attempting to sell its entire University City campus, which it acquired when the school merged with the now-defunct University of the Sciences in 2022.
About half of the 24 properties are being marketed individually: Some went up for sale this month and others late last year. But the entire campus, which also includes parking lots and warehouses, is also available, the college said. The year St. Joe’s acquired it, the campus was valued at nearly $288 million.
» READ MORE: St. Joe’s explores selling or leasing some or all of former USciences campus, according to bond filing
St. Joe’s intends to keep its health professional graduate student programs there and would lease back buildings as needed if the whole campus is sold, said Jill Dougherty Cleary, vice president for administration and operations.
In November 2022, St. Joe’s announced its intention to move undergraduate programs and students from the former USciences campus to the main Hawk Hill campus of St. Joe’s. That move was done “to create a greater sense of community,” Cleary said.
Several hundred students, primarily graduate students and those starting their professional studies, still take classes on the University City campus. St. Joe’s is looking to enhance some of the amenities, possibly adding a cafe, Cleary said.
Among the buildings being sold are a six-story former residence hall, a two-story administration building, a storage facility, and the former library, athletic center, student center, and three-story science and technology center. Some of the properties have historic designations, she said.
» READ MORE: The devil is dead. The hawk lives on. USciences is officially part of St. Joseph’s University.
“Interest is strong,” Cleary said. “We do have some offers on our outlier properties.”
Some interest has come from educational entities, but others also are inquiring, she said. The campus is near both the University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University and amid an extremely desirable residential neighborhood.
She said the university has been talking to community leaders and Councilmember Jamie Gauthier, whose district covers the campus, about their vision for the site.
“They want to see somebody that’s interested in being a good community member, just like the university is,” she said.
Gauthier said in a statement that St. Joe’s agreed to a community engagement and planning process ahead of the sale in response to her office’s advocacy.
“This process has been underway for months,” she said. “I will keep pushing the university to select a buyer aligned with the community’s vision and needs.”
During merger talks with USciences that began in 2021, St. Joe’s said it envisioned keeping both campuses, but shortly after the merger, the school announced its intention to move the undergraduate programs to Hawk Hill.
“In the months following completion of our merger, it has become apparent that our undergraduate students thrive when living and learning together in community,” president Cheryl A. McConnell said at that time.
McConnell said then that the campus would remain a hub for graduate health-related research and programs, including those in occupational therapy, physical therapy, physician assistant, and pharmaceutics. Many of the operations, she said, would be consolidated on the campus’ southwest side. According to a 2022 bond filing, the university said it would use proceeds from any sale or lease to pay $170 million of USciences’ debt and move additional funds into the endowment.
In that bond filing, St. Joe’s said it was seeking to borrow $200 million for the construction of a residence hall, a student center, academic buildings, a parking garage, and possibly a science center on its main campus.
UArts buildings are being sold under different circumstances. The issue of what happens to them has drawn keen interest as the properties make their way through bankruptcy court. UArts abruptly closed last June.
The Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office objected to the sale of the Arts Bank building to Quadro Bay, which intends to use it for residential and commercial purposes. The attorney general has argued that the building should maintain its charitable education and artistic use. A hearing is scheduled in February in bankruptcy court.
Staff writer Jake Blumgart contributed to this article.