Morning Headlines: American Bible Society to Move Its HQ to Center City
Screenshot via Google Street View
Well, it looks like Pope Francis will receive an extra warm welcome when he makes his way to Philadelphia this September: The Inquirer’s Claudia Vargas reports the American Bible Society has decided to move their base to Center City this summer.
According to Vargas, the long-New York-quartered organization will lease “nearly 100,000 square feet on the eight and ninth floors” of 401 Market, the office building at Fifth and Market with the prominent “Wells Fargo” logo on its western roof line. (Wells Fargo occupies the majority of the building.) The lease, she writes, is for 25 years.
Plans for ABS has in mind for their new HQ building include a proposed “Bible Discovery Center” on the first level, conference center, rare Scriptures storeroom, and a concourse-level library, Vargas adds.
So, what prompted the change in HQ? Apparently, Philly’s affordable housing alternatives and other general pros to living here are what convinced ABS president Roy Peterson to make the move. From the Inquirer:
Living in New York on a nonprofit salary is tough, he said.
“People can afford to live here [in Philadelphia], it’s walkable, there’s public transportation,” Peterson said. “Our staff commutes an hour or two . . . from Long Island, the Bronx.”
• American Bible Society will depart New York for Center City [Inquirer]
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