There’s no firm timeline for that important process yet. In August, the city said it hoped to release an RFP during spring 2023.
“It’s important for us to pay attention to economic conditions and the need to approach this process with reverence for the enduring memories of the site. We remain optimistic that we can bring new purpose to the Roundhouse through meaningful placemaking,” said Ian Litwin, a project manager with the city’s Department of Planning and Development.
The Roundhouse was completed in 1961 during a period known as urban renewal. At the time, the building was seen as a shining example of brutalist architecture — a concrete marvel that signaled a new era of policing in Philadelphia.
In subsequent decades, however, the building became a source of pain for many residents. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, for example, homicide detectives obtained a number of false confessions through coercion.
Many of the residents who participated in the community engagement process said they wanted to see that complicated history recognized in the site’s next life. They also said they wanted the site to be a safe, welcoming space, provide community resources, and help build community connections.