With the start of the fall semester just around the corner, Temple University’s newly renovated Paley Hall is ready to welcome students, faculty and staff. As of last week, every academic department within the College of Public Health (CPH) has relocated to the building, and classes will be held there next week when the 2025-26 academic year kicks off.
The opening marks the culmination of two and a half years of construction, which first began in spring 2023.
“Simply put, the completely renovated, expanded, and re-imagined Paley Hall is a remarkable facility,” Temple President John Fry said. “From its innovative teaching spaces and lecture halls to its expansive simulation center, everything within this building is state of the art. Plus, its central location and proximity to the Bell Tower ensures that Paley will be a signature landmark in the heart of our campus. We can all take enormous pride in the opening of this incredible building. Congratulations to Dean Jennifer Ibrahim and the outstanding students, faculty and staff of the College of Public Health on their wonderful new home. We look forward to advancing our innovative research and teaching agenda, and serving our neighbors throughout Philadelphia.”
The 306,000-square-foot LEED and WELL certified facility will now serve as the permanent home for CPH, which is a significant change for the college. Prior to the opening of Paley Hall, CPH was spread across 10 buildings on both the main and health science campuses.
“This will be the first time in our college’s history that all our academic departments have been together under one roof; there are just so many inherent benefits that come with that,” said Jennifer Ibrahim, dean of CPH. “We are eager to welcome the rest of the Temple family and our community partners to collaborate and learn together with us in our new home.”
The varied and versatile teaching spaces within Paley are among its most notable features. This becomes evident when exploring the simulation center, an immersive learning space that includes a replica park, restaurant, corner grocery store, North Philadelphia row home and an ambulance bay. There is also the Aramark Community Teaching Kitchen, a cutting-edge culinary classroom that will serve as a hub for nutrition education, hands-on cooking instruction and community engagement.
“The opportunities for cross-disciplinary collaboration are seemingly endless. We are already working with Klein (College of Media and Communication) to plan a cooking show produced from our teaching kitchen,” Ibrahim said. “We also want to work with the Department of Public Safety to use the community side of the Simulation Center for various exercises, including de-escalation training.”
Under President Fry’s leadership, Temple has begun the process of reimagining and re-energizing how it engages with the North Philadelphia community, and this is also reflected through Paley Hall. Ibrahim and CPH are currently working to identify ways in which the college will utilize the new building to optimize these opportunities.
“We have never been so well-equipped to make a positive impact, especially when you consider that we are located right in the center of campus in North Philadelphia,” she said. “So, can we host cooking classes in our teaching space for the community? Can we work with the nurses in the Philadelphia School District, so that we’re training them in our simulation spaces? That’s only scratching the surface, and it’s all within our reach.”
“Our commitment to the community is something we built into the project,” Ibrahim continued. “On the second floor, where the simulation center is, we worked with a husband-wife duo from Mural Arts Philadelphia – Jared Bader and Rashida Salam-- to develop a mural depicting life in North Philadelphia, and it’s just spectacular. If you look at it, you can see our medical school, Temple Hospital, and lots of other Philly-centric Easter eggs hidden throughout. It is absolutely stunning.”
A mural within Paley Hall has been designed Mural Arts Philadelphia and depicts North Philadelphia. (Photography by Betsy Manning)
While much of Paley Hall is new, the building also pays homage to what it once was. Designed by PZS Architects and S/L/A/M and constructed by Rycon Construction, this project was unconventional in that it was both a renovation and an expansion.
To create the new Paley Hall, the original concrete structure from the original building (the former Paley Library) was left in place. Once four and a half stories, the structure has now grown to five.
“The Paley Hall project was a unique challenge, requiring us to transform a mostly windowless former library into a vibrant new academic hub,” said Martin Droz, associate vice president of planning, design and construction. “More than a renovation, it’s a complete reimagining of how the space serves students and faculty. The result is both a dynamic academic environment and a new architecturally significant presence at the heart of campus. Together with the Charles Library nearby, Paley Hall strengthens a powerful new academic core that reflects Temple’s commitment to innovation and excellence.”
“There are certain stairwells in the building where we've left the original railings from Paley Library,” Ibrahim added. “They have been refinished, but the wide wooden rails from Paley are still there. On the south side of the building, the buttresses have been refinished, but those are still there, too. So, it really lets you see what Temple was, while also showing you what Temple is becoming and what it will be.”
In addition to CPH, the building is also home to a new-and-improved, two-story campus bookstore. The store includes a wider selection of Temple merchandise and has also introduced new technological integrations that make for a seamless course-material pickup experience.
Over the next few weeks, the final finishing touches will be completed on Paley Hall. An official opening for the university community will be held Thursday, Oct. 10, just in time for Homecoming and Family Weekend. More information on that event will be shared soon.