Public Ledger Building & Curtis Center/Historical Buildings with Unusual Security Concerns

Located in the heart of Center City Philadelphia overlooking Independence Mall, the Public Ledger Building and Curtis Center share a complementary history and architecture as well as a staff of Securitas officers.

The two Historical Register properties were the hub of Cyril Curtis’ publishing empire, which included such famed titles as Ladies Home Journal and The Saturday Evening Post.  Curtis expanded into newspapers when he acquired Philadelphia’s first penny press paper, The Public Ledger.  In the early 1920s, he commissioned famed Gilded-Age architect Horace Trumbauer to design the two adjacent structures to provide homes for each arm of his business.
 
Today, the properties house a variety of different firms and are managed by the commercial real estate firm CB Richard Ellis.  The 535,000 square-foot Public Ledger building is home to a number of different government agencies as well as a financial services office and eight architectural firms, notes Betty Gaul, the properties’ General Manager.  Government agencies are also major tenants at the Curtis Center, along with medical and law firms, a shipping company and a film company.  The Center’s 886,000 square feet also include a small retail component of shops to support the office population such as a spa, a deli, a salon and a bank branch.

Securitas provides all physical security around the clock to help ensure the safety and security of the buildings and the approximately 4,000 people who pass through each day.  At the Public Ledger building, officers are stationed at two post locations where they check IDs and issue visitor passes.  The retail shops at the Curtis Center require a different approach: officers monitor each door through close-circuit television.  Both buildings have a dock master to oversee activity at the back-to-back loading docks and the patrol route covers both buildings. All officers are cross-trained to work in either location and an account manager is on-site.

Choosing Securitas 

The contract has been in place since Spring 2008. “One of the reasons we chose Securitas was that from their initial inspection of the property, they interacted as a cohesive team,” explains Gaul.  “It made me feel very comfortable to have support and depth from both the on-site staff but also from management.  They mesh so well together; everyone knew what their piece was, how it fit together so that nothing would fall through the cracks.”

Another reason?  Securitas interviewed, screened and hired a number of security officers who were already on the job at these two buildings, creating a win-win situation.  Gaul was able to keep officers familiar with the property, and the retained officers received training and career advancement opportunities through Securitas.  “Our officers have the ability to grow and expand and they like the flexibility of being able to pick up overtime by working for another Securitas account.”

Complaints from tenants – or a lack thereof - serve as a measure of success.  “If I haven’t gotten complaints, then we’re doing a good job,” says Gaul.  But complaints and feedback also provide the opportunity to review and improve service, and Gaul has been impressed with Securitas’ responsiveness.  “What makes Securitas different is their depth,” she says.  “If I call one person, six people start to resolve my issue. Concerns are addressed very quickly.”

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