Philly Italian Consulate reopens — without heat — as tenant’s frustration with Public Ledger Building grows
The Consulate had closed indefinitely on Tuesday amid electrical and heating problems
Readying to study a semester abroad in Rome, or planning a summer sojourn in Sicily?
The Philadelphia Italian Consulate has got your passport and visa needs covered — but remember to bundle up.
The consulate’s office in Center City’s Public Ledger Building had little trace of the Mediterranean dolce vita on Tuesday after the longtime tenant announced it was suspending its operations indefinitely amid intermittent electrical disruptions and a lack of indoor heating.
But the electrical woes were solved as of Wednesday, the consulate confirmed, and the office is back in business — though the cold remains a problem.
“Only half of the consulate is heated now,” said Cristiana Mele, the consulate general. “But it’s where the public is, so at least service can resume normally.”
Despite the disruption, Mele’s humor was on display: “Me, I’m going to freeze here until I get back to Rome,” she joked.
The reopening ended a brief period of frantic confusion for Philly locals bound for Italy in the coming months, including those who took to social media to stress over whether their documents would be processed in time for their trips.
And the disruptions overall raised questions over the quality of life for Public Ledger Building tenants.
The consulate placed “sole responsibility” for the problems with the building’s management, Baycrest Management, and said that heating issues had been an issue all fall, while air-conditioning had been lacking during last summer’s sweltering heat.
Much of the 13-floor office building is being converted into apartments. Baycrest did not answer a publicly listed line when The Inquirer attempted to reach the company.
Meanwhile, Mele said her staff was working overtime today to process Tuesday’s backlog.
Some of the 15-person crew even offered a temporary — and conveniently Italian — workaround for one desperate client, meeting that person in the Lamberti Pizza shop downstairs for business on Tuesday.
By Wednesday, Mele said, word about the meeting had made the rounds on social media, prompting around 30 people to gather at the shop looking for consulate services that morning.
She was pleased to report that services were again being offered where they actually should be.
“The pizzeria was very concerned,” Mele said with a laugh.