A hearing on the Chestnut Hill Hospital’s Women’s Center's potential designation to the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places was continued on Friday to a future meeting on Nov. 10. 

Hearings on the historic designation of the building, which is the subject of some dispute between the hospital and the Conservancy, have been continued since early 2021 as both organizations try to work out a deal.

The hospital, which wants to eventually develop the rear of that building as part of its expansion plans, does not want restrictions attached to what it could ultimately do. The Conservancy, which supports the hospital expansion but seeks to ensure that the historic street front facade of the Women’s Center building remains, is seeking historic protections and nominated the building in January 2021. 

According to Dr. John Cacciamani, president and CEO of Chestnut Hill Hospital, the hospital wants to eventually connect the rear of the Women’s Center with the parking garage located behind it – and would need to modify the existing structure. 

“There would be no easy way to connect it, without taking [a wall] off,” he said in a recent Local article. “Every architect that we talked to said that would be near to impossible.”

Lori Salganicoff, executive director of the Chestnut Hill Conservancy, said her organization would not object to the hospital altering the rear of the building but wants to be sure that the historic facade remains. 

“We want the hospital to thrive,” she said. But it’s important “for the character of the community to not be eroded as this important institution evolves.”