Before embracing plans to revamp the historic Provident Mutual Life Insurance Co. property in West Philadelphia into a public-health campus, city officials vetted proposals for the site that included a rock-climbing gym, a charter school, and homes developed by a group involving Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins.
Those rebuffed ideas are detailed in documents provided this month to The Inquirer that shed new light on options that came under consideration for the 4601 Market St. property, which the city had spent more than $52 million to buy and begin renovating into a police headquarters before abandoning those plans.