The 110,000-sq.-ft. Center City fitness center in Philadelphia, Pa. has been closed for most of the last three years due to the pandemic and renovation work. “We really look forward to opening,” says Fran Cassidy, the General Manager. “It’s a very exciting time, and this wait was very, very worth it.” When it reopens, the five-story club will also debut a complete renovation of its expansive space. Among the features will be six fitness studios for boxing, yoga, pilates and other classes, a basketball court, three pickleball courts, two official international squash courts, a “golf pavilion” with four golf simulators and a putting green area, and a large event room.

The Sporting Club at The Bellevue in Philadelphia, Pa. has set a planned reopening date after being closed for most of the last three years due to pandemic-related shutdowns and renovations, Philadelphia Business Journal reported.

The 110,000-sq.-ft. Center City fitness center plans to reopen in September, according to Fran Cassidy, the General Manager. Cassidy told the Philadelphia Business Journal the high-end club aims to starting giving tours to prospective members in June, but the first glimpse into the updated facility will go to former members.

“We really look forward to opening,” he said. “It’s a very exciting time, and this wait was very, very worth it.”

Founded in 1989, the Sporting Club was long a popular gym for both Center City residents and employees, Philadelphia Business Journal reported. The Sporting Club sent an e-mail to former members last week letting them know about the September reopening.

When it reopens, the five-story club will also debut a complete renovation of its expansive space, Philadelphia Business Journal reported. The first floor of the club will include the grand entrance, a barber shop, a babysitting room where members can drop off their children and a cafe with an outdoor deck overlooking Broad Street. The renovated locker rooms, which feature sauna and steam rooms, are also on the first floor. A 25-meter indoor pool with four lanes, an open deck and lounging area, and co-ed hot and cold plunge pools round out the first floor amenities.

The second floor has been renovated to include six fitness studios for boxing, yoga, pilates and other classes, Philadelphia Business Journal reported. It also contains a basketball court, three pickleball courts, two official international squash courts, a “golf pavilion” with four golf simulators and a putting green area, and a large event room.

The third floor will boast 12,000 sq. ft. of fitness equipment and another large multi-function fitness studio, Philadelphia Business Journal reported. Above, the club will have an indoor, two-lane track.

Cassidy declined to provide the total cost for the updates to the Sporting Club. The Philadelphia Business Journal previously reported that the renovations would cost around $10 million. Construction on the club is still underway.

The September opening will mark more more than three years of inactivity for the Sporting Club, Philadelphia Business Journal reported. It closed in March 2020 in response to the Covid-19 pandemic and remained closed until October of that year. The club was only open for two months before closing again due to rising coronavirus case numbers. At that time, Cassidy said the complex made the decision to undergo the complete renovation it had wanted to do but had not gotten around to.

Before the club closed due to the pandemic, Cassidy said it had 4,800 members, Philadelphia Business Journal reported. He declined to provide membership costs for the club.

Lubert-Adler Partners acquired the 885,365-sq.-ft. building in 2021. At the time of the sale, the building included 272,792 sq. ft. of office space, 55,000 sq. ft. of retail space and a 172-room hotel in addition to the club. The Philadelphia Business Journal reported that the real estate investment firm planned to invest $100 million into renovations throughout the 19-story building, including turning the office space into 200 to 300 apartments and updates to the hotel with Parisian flair.

Upgrades to the Sporting Club are a part of the first phase of redevelopment for the complex, Philadelphia Business Journal reported. Lubert-Adler also has plans to develop the rooftop of the Sporting Club, which is a part of the second phase of the project’s redevelopment, according to Cassidy. Plans for the rooftop are still in development, so the space will not debut with the rest of the Sporting Club renovations in July.

Dean Adler, co-founder and CEO of Lubert-Adler, previously told the Philadelphia Business Journal that the firm planned to install a skating rink, swimming pool, bar and restaurant and garden on the rooftop of the Bellevue. Other revamps planned for the Bellevue include converting the retail space into one expansive floor and adding three restaurant concepts in the building.