Social Security building
earns interest in auction

By Tom Waring
Times Staff Writer

The former Social Security Administration building will soon have a new owner.
Online bidding began last week for the property, located at 7959 Bustleton Ave. in Rhawnhurst. The site closed in late May, when operations moved to a larger facility at 2373 Welsh Road.
Officials with the U.S. General Services Administration say the bidding will last for a few weeks.
Open houses were held on June 27 and July 25, with the auction starting at 9 a.m. on July 26.
The minimum first bid was $500,000, with bid increments required to be at least $25,000. The current bid, as the Times went to press, was $775,000.
The one-story brick building was constructed in 1969. It measures 15,596 square feet and sits on 1.2 acres along Bustleton Avenue, between Rhawn and Loney streets. The interior features one large open space with smaller rooms on the perimeter.
There is plenty of free parking along the avenue and to the side and rear of the building.
The property is zoned for commercial use, with retail or office space a natural fit. It’s a good bet that the new use will not be a gas station, since the building sits between a Coastal and a Sunoco.
Interested developers were able to examine the interior and exterior of the building, inspect the roof and speak to a GSA representative.
Visitors to the open house stated that the building would need a good bit of renovations but it wouldn’t need to be demolished.
In all, 60 people attended one or both open houses. Developers naturally were reluctant to give their names, ideas for the property or an estimated value for the property.
Some of them took quick tours of the building, while others made extended stays, writing notes and snapping pictures. Several members of the public stopped by, not realizing that the office had moved.
Asked their general view of the building, one developer said "old" and another responded "fair to good." Bidders will have to consider the potential that the building has asbestos or lead-based paint.
As for a possible sale price, one local major investor predicted well under $2 million. If the GSA is not happy with the high bid, it will re-market the building for sale.
The new owner will undoubtedly do something with the worn flooring, some of the older windows and perhaps the pillars. There’s some graffiti on the exterior, but the grounds are otherwise landscaped nicely.
The future of the SSA building on Bustleton Avenue has been in doubt since October 2005. That’s when the government announced it was moving the office to 2373 Welsh Road in a building that once housed a General Cinema movie theater.
By law, the federal government is allowed to transfer empty properties to municipalities, at no cost, for homeless or criminal justice services.
In this case, the city wanted to move its homeless administrative services to Bustleton Avenue from 1315 Cherry St. because that location will be condemned for expansion of the Pennsylvania Convention Center.
At a raucous Rhawnhurst Civic Association meeting, neighbors expressed strong opposition. It didn’t matter in the end, as the city missed two deadlines to file applications to acquire the building.
The current SSA office takes up most, but not all, of the former movie theater, which closed in 2000 and was damaged by a fire in 2004.
Its setup is similar to the previous site, and the hours remain 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays. The parking lot has been paved but not striped yet.
Citizens can obtain new or replacement Social Security cards if they’ve lost the original or changed their name. They can also obtain a variety of literature on the Social Security program and order U.S. Savings Bonds.
A grand opening celebration is planned for the fall. ••
To follow the online bidding process, visit www.auctionrp.com
Reporter Tom Waring can be reached at 215-354-3034 or twaring@phillynews.com