It’s a time of building here at Drexel, and perhaps no building project is more dramatic—or more important—than that of the new LeBow College of Business building. Last fall, Drexel broke ground on the $92 million project, which will ultimately rise 12 stories along Market Street, giving LeBow students a stunning new home and radically reshaping Drexel’s Market Street “gateway.” The building should be complete by 2014, but in the meantime, what we have on campus here is one enormous hole. A crater, actually. But an impressive crater nonetheless.
- THE HOLE: Of course, you must be wondering, “Just how deep is this hole, anyway?” Your answer? At its deepest, it reached a full 25 feet below street level. At roughly 21 feet, construction crews hit the water table and had to begin pumping water up and out of the crater.
- THE NEIGHBOR: Built in 1967, the orange-brick-clad Disque Hall currently dominates the campus quad (vertically speaking), with a total height of 140 feet. The LeBow Building will eventually rise past that, however, at a total height of 195 feet, making it the tallest on campus.
- THE FREE PREVIEW: If you want a preview of what this beautiful new building will ultimately look like, look no further than the massive sign that stands at the corner of 32nd and Market. Besides offering a glimpse of LeBow’s eventual appearance, the sign also serves a more practical function: The box-shaped structure encases the iconic statue of Anthony Drexel, which needed to be protected during the build.
- THE POUR: The day this photo was taken was an important one, as Keating Construction, the lead contractor on the project, moved forward with the concrete pour for the foundation of the planned 177,000-square-foot facility. In all, approximately 1,160 tons of concrete were to be used in the project, and the foundation pour lasted for more than a month.
- THE HOME OFFICE: Yes, the storied old Main Building is home to the humble publication you currently hold in your hands. We’re on the third floor, Suite 309. Stop by and say hi sometime.
- THE CREW: With the folks from Keating in charge, the LeBow project is certainly in good hands. The Philadelphia-based firm has handled such high-profile projects as the Hyatt Regency at Penn’s Landing, the landmark 3401 Walnut Street project at Penn (a property once overseen by none other than Drexel President John Fry, during his days as Penn’s executive vice president) and the Pennsylvania Convention Center.
- THE LAST REMNANTS OF MATHESON: Somewhere down here, back in September, the demo team tearing down Matheson Hall unearthed something of a surprise: A time capsule dating to 1964, which had been planted there when Matheson was built. The contents? The three issues of a publication called The Ledger, a copy of The Triangle, a short profile of the university, a course catalog, a textbook on the federal tax system (thrilling reading!), an empty examination “blue book” and cigarette butts inscribed with the names Ed Martin, Macaulay, Helpin, Barre, Lucke, McNamara. Alas, no gold. Or prescient investment advice.
Photo by Tommy Leonardi