Auction house Freeman’s moving from longtime home to Aramark building on Schuylkill waterfront

Freeman’s, the venerable Philadelphia auction house, is moving from its longtime Center City headquarters to the 2400 Market St. office building anchored by Aramark on the Schuylkill waterfront.

The 214-year-old auction house will occupy 5,000 square feet of retail space on the riverside building’s ground floor, where it plans a gallery and auction room, and 5,000 square feet of office space on the structure’s third floor, said Adriano Calvanese, a vice president for building owner PMC Property Group.

Freeman’s said earlier this year that it planned to move from its Samuel T. Freeman Auction Co. building, at 1808 Chestnut St. near Rittenhouse Square, and put the 1924 structure up for sale.

The building’s likely buyer is developer Astoban Investments LLC, which said in a June application to the Philadelphia Historical Commission that it wanted to convert the property into condos.

Freeman’s plans to begin operations at 2400 Market on Nov. 24, with its first auction at the new site. The “A Grand Old Flag: The Stars and Stripes Collection of Dr. Peter J. Keim” sale will be the largest collection of historic American flags ever to be offered at auction, Freeman’s said in a release.

“This move to a new, custom-designed headquarters is a key component in our contemporary business model,” Freeman’s chairman, Alasdair Nichol, said in the release. “In our new location, we will be ideally positioned to meet the growing demand for global service."

Also this winter, Freeman’s plans to open a second Philadelphia location, in the Civic Building apartments at 1600 W. Girard Ave., formerly St. Joseph’s Hospital. That venue will specialize in “emerging markets and young collectors,” Freeman’s said.

Other tenants at the 2400 Market St. building include the Fitler Club, a private-membership work/stay/play organization.