Here’s a cautionary tale for how not to manage a construction project at an occupied commercial building. During one of its busiest times of the year when many travelers are looking for documentation and students are trying to obtain visas to study abroad, the Italian Consulate in the Public Ledger Building in City Center, Philadelphia had to close briefly due to electrical problems caused by a nearby construction project.
A construction project in part of the building where the Italian Consulate where the Italian Consulate is housed to convert office space to apartments has led to multiple electrical disruptions and a lack of heat on the coldest day of the year, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. This led the decision to close the Italian Consulate. One day later, however, due to public outcry, the consulate was reopened, but without heat.
Several tenants, frustrated with the ongoing construction and the problems it’s creating, have terminated their leases and departed from the building. The building also experienced air conditioning outages during the hot summer months.
The consulate’s lease with the building owner is up in 2027 and administrators have already vowed to look for better space and move as soon as they can.
Greg Zimmerman is senior contributing editor for FacilitiesNet.com and Building Operating Management magazine.
