New mini-sized hotel planned near Art Museum

An affiliate of Philadelphia-based MMB Contractors Inc. plans a four-story hotel at what's now the site of a vacant former medical office building at 2225 Spring Garden St. in Philadelphia's Art Museum area.

The proposed hotel, to be built at a cost of $2.39 million, would have 26 guest rooms, according to plans filed with the Philadelphia Historical Commission, whose architectural committee is scheduled to consider the plan on Tuesday.

Project designer Ian Cope of Cope Linder Architects said in the filing that it "will fill a niche in the hotel market, particularly for those seeking an alternative to the larger Center City hotels."

The proposal includes no parking, but spaces would be available to guests through a valet service that uses garages at the nearby Whole Foods-anchored Rodin Square development, according to the filing.

The MMB affiliate, 2225-27 Spring Garden St. LLC, bought the existing 60-year-old, 6,800 square-foot building on 3,880 square feet of land for $1.16 million in August 2016, according to records filed with the city.

The project is subject to Historical Commission review because the structure, which would be demolished, is within the Spring Garden Historic District.

The filing with the commission did not include details such as how the property would be branded or who would operate it. MMB president Marek Maj did not immediately respond to a phone message Wednesday.