Philly Newspaper To Downsize

The Philadelphia Inquirer is negotiating a lease at the midcentury landmark at 100 S. Independence Mall West still often known as the Rohm & Haas building for a move that would shrink the newspaper’s office footprint by almost two thirds.

The Inquirer will occupy 34,000 square feet on the sixth floor of the property, about 60% less space than it currently leases at the former Strawbridge’s building at 801 Market St., Inquirer vice president Lydia Hamilton said in an online staff meeting Monday.

Most Inquirer staff have been working from home since the early days of the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020. The company employs 370.

The planned adjustment is based on the expectation that much work will continue to be done at home or other off-site locations, with employees visiting the office mostly for collaborative tasks, Hamilton said. The change will also save the paper about $1 million a year in real estate costs, with the new space expected to open during the first three months of 2023, she said.