Philadelphia’s Italian Consulate is closed indefinitely due to electrical problems
The closure began Tuesday amid construction at the Public Ledger Building.
Marone! That’s what some in Philadelphia’s Italian community were exclaiming upon learning Tuesday that the Italian Consulate is closed “until further notice” after experiencing electrical problems during construction at the building housing its Center City headquarters.
The timing couldn’t have been much worse, said Consulate General Christiana Mele in a phone interview. “It’s a disruption this time of the year, because everyone’s preparing to leave — especially American students that go abroad overseas,” Mele said.
“We have a huge amount of visas to do for these kids.”
“Nationals and users of this Consulate General are hereby informed that, due to extraordinary reasons beyond our control and sole responsibility of the building ownership Baycrest Management, this Consular Office is now closed until further notice,” the consulate posted on its official Facebook page.
Mele confirmed the closure to The Inquirer by phone.
In a Facebook post, the consulate said the closing was the result of construction work by Baycrest Management, owner of the Public Ledger Building, at Sixth and Chestnut Streets, where the consulate is located.
Mele said that Baycrest is in the process of converting portions of the Public Ledger Building into apartments, and that intermittent electrical disruptions coupled with a lack of adequate heating during one of the coldest days of the season led to the decision to close the office.
“We’re hoping that they will be done by tomorrow,” Mele said Tuesday. “I’m not sure how and when we can resume our operations. I hope as soon as possible.”
Amid the chaos, consulate staff struggled to process visas, passports, and citizenship requests as computers shut on and off “every five minutes,” Mele said.
This was not the first issue that tenants have had with construction, Mele said. They lacked heat at times during the fall and air-conditioning during the summer, further posing challenges to the consulate’s work and leading some tenants to depart the building, she believes.
Calls to a number listed for Baycrest went unanswered. A JLL listing agent for the property did not immediately return a voicemail message.
All outstanding consulate appointments are canceled and will be rescheduled “whenever possible,” Mele said.
On social media, frustrated users swiftly took notice.
”Can you PLEASE provide further guidance for those already in your pipeline,” one user wrote on Facebook under the consulate’s announcement. “I have been waiting months for the return of my U.S. passport.”
“My daughter sent her application Nov. 4 for student visa for next semester abroad and she has a flight Jan. 6,” wrote another. “Will this cause weeks delay in processing?”
For those with urgent documentation requests, Mele recommended calling the consulate’s emergency line at 215-287-7439 (but only if the request is actually an emergency, she stressed).
“Unfortunately for the kids, they’re all freaking out to not leave in time for their semester abroad,” Mele said. “But at the moment, we cannot do anything, so they will have to be patient until we resume service.”
The consulate’s lease is up in 2027, according to Mele. The office has around 15 staff members.
“If these are the conditions, we will look for something else,” she said.