Dagit•Saylor Architects to Renovate the ARCH
March 18, 2008, Volume 54, No. 25	Print Issue

The University of Pennsylvania has selected Dagit•Saylor, a Philadelphia architecture firm, to prepare a feasibility study and schematic drawings for the Arts, Research, and Culture House, (the ARCH), at the intersection of 36th Street and Locust Walk.

The ARCH was built in the late-Gothic revival style in the late 1920s as the Christian Association by three Penn alumni architects (Walter Horstmann Thomas, Sydney Errington Martin, and Donald Morris Kirkpatrick) and has been adapted to include administrative offices and student facilities. It provides office and meeting spaces for the Black Cultural Center, known as Makuu; the Pan-Asian American Community House (PAACH); La Casa Latina and hosts a satellite office for Penn’s Greenfield Intercultural Center. In addition, it houses the Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships (CURF), the Benjamin Franklin Scholars and University Scholars.

“The ARCH is a wonderful gathering place, populated by students engaged in exploring arts, culture and research,” said Provost Ron Daniels. “By renewing the ARCH, we are encouraging these students to more fully pursue the co-curricular activities that shape so much of their Penn experience.”

Dagit•Saylor Architects collaborated previously with Penn on the restoration of Fisher-Bennett Hall and Penn Museum.

Penn Connects, the University’s 30-year campus plan, which includes the ARCH restoration, encompasses academic, research, residential and other types of projects. Additional information is available at www.pennconnects.upenn.edu.