The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania is exploring the possibility of relocating its West Coast campus from the Embarcadero waterfront to a larger space in San Francisco’s Financial District.
The business school has outgrown its current 35,000-square-foot lease at 2 Harrison Street, part of the Hills Plaza complex, according to a report from the San Francisco Chronicle. Wharton has been at Hills Plaza for 14 years.
With the lease set to expire next fall, school officials are reportedly in advanced negotiations to lease a five-story building at 345 Montgomery Street, known as “the Cube,” due to its glass cube-shaped design by SOM. The 1971-erected building is owned by Vornado Realty Trust, led by billionaire CEO Steve Ross.
Although the deal is not yet finalized, industry insiders suggest Wharton is seeking a significant expansion. The Cube offers about 80,000 square feet, including basement levels and an atrium, potentially doubling Wharton’s footprint. A Wharton spokesperson did not confirm the move to the Chronicle, but emphasized the school’s ongoing efforts to grow its presence in the Bay Area, citing the region’s innovative ecosystem as essential to its mission.
The potential move comes amid major real estate shifts in the area. Google, which anchors Hills Plaza, recently consolidated and expanded its offices there, growing its footprint to more than 550,000 square feet. If Wharton vacates, some speculate Google might lease the remaining space.
Currently, part of the Cube is occupied by the Institute of Contemporary Art San Francisco, which moved in last year under a rent- and utility-free, two-year lease with Vornado. This temporary arrangement aimed to activate the space and attract long-term office tenants.
The Cube is part of the 555 California Street office complex, co-owned by Vornado and the Trump Organization. President Donald Trump is a Wharton alumnus. Trump helmed the Trump Organization until he won the 2016 United States presidential election.
Wharton has operated a San Francisco campus for nearly 25 years, providing executive MBA programs to cohorts of up to 220 students. In a move to further its educational offerings, the school will launch an AI for Business MBA major this fall, available to full-time and executive MBA students, including those in the Semester in San Francisco program.
— Joel Russell
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