Children's Hospital of Philadelphia just made a major land play in University City, snapping up the former Philadelphia Medical Examiner's Office at 501 S. University Avenue for roughly $17.5 million and setting the stage to knock the old building down.
The deal, which closed earlier this month, gives CHOP control of a roughly 69,000-square-foot facility and the 2.28-acre parcel it sits on. The hospital system has said it plans to demolish the structure but has not publicly released a timeline or a detailed redevelopment plan beyond that broad announcement.
As reported by the Philadelphia Business Journal, CHOP acquired the former city medical examiner building as part of its ongoing expansion near its University City operations. Public records reviewed on Compass show the sale closed Feb. 5 for $17,456,225 and list the structure at about 69,120 square feet. The Business Journal story was reported by John George on March 3, 2026.
Where this fits in CHOP's growth
This latest buy is not a one-off. It slots into CHOP's broader strategy of building out clinical and support services just beyond its main hospital footprint, while keeping the core inpatient care clustered in University City.
In recent years, CHOP has rolled out new outpatient and behavioral health facilities across the region, a buildout the system details on CHOP's website. Those projects have been about adding capacity without overloading the main campus, and this newly acquired site appears poised to continue that pattern, even if the hospital is not yet saying exactly what will rise there.
What comes next for the site
According to the Philadelphia Business Journal, CHOP intends to raze the 1960-era building as part of the acquisition. The hospital has not publicly laid out a final redevelopment blueprint, so for now the only sure thing is the wrecking ball.
Any demolition or new construction will still have to go through the usual city channels, including permits and municipal approvals, before crews can get to work. With the deal done, CHOP now controls a sizable, decades-old property directly adjacent to its University City presence. City filings or an official hospital announcement should clarify what is coming next in the weeks ahead.
