Development has begun on the final phase of construction at the 218-acre Ellis Preserve at Routes 3 and 252 in Newtwon Square, reports the private equity fund manager Equus Capital Partners, Ltd.

Ellis Preserve is a mixed-use campus blending office, retail, residential, and community. It includes historical architecture, outdoor trails, and corporate amenities.  

The Final Phase will add dining, entertainment, and living space known as the Village at Ellis Preserve.

There will be 75,000 square feet of shopping and dining venues, a 100,000 square-foot mass timber office building, a 140-room Marriott AC Hotel, and an 18,000 square-foot conference and banquet facility.  

The office building will be the first mass timber building in the region. It utilizes a sustainable product that replaces steel and concrete, significantly lowering its carbon footprint during construction, permanently storing carbon and reducing carbon dioxide emissions.

Construction on the Village at Ellis Preserve has started with all development set to be completed by the second quarter of 2024.

The property is now home to 50 companies, including Main Line Health, AmeriHealth Caritas, The Vanguard Group and SAP.

 “For the past 20 years, we have worked diligently to bring our vision of Ellis Preserve to life,” said Steve Spaeder, President of Equus’ development arm, BPG Development Company, L.P.

“Ellis Preserve became Equus’ real estate laboratory with everything from historic renovations, to preserved greenspace, office, residential, retail and hospitality. It has been a once-in-a-generation project that has grown and evolved with the community, and we are proud to see our final plans come to life.”

The campus currently includes:

• 2,000,000 square feet of office space with limited tenant availability;
• The Shoppes at Ellis Preserve, 110,000 square-foot, retail center anchored by Whole Foods;
• Hilton Garden Inn, a 138-room hotel;
• Madison at Ellis Preserve, a 252-unit resort-style multi-family community;
• The Enclave at Ellis Preserve, a 76 unit luxury townhome community recently completed by Toll Brothers, and;
• 66 urban style townhomes by Rockwell Homes

The original 320-acre site was home to the Ellis College for Girls from 1922 to 1977. The college for fatherless girls was started by entrepreneur and philanthropist Charles E. Ellis, who made his fortune in the horse-drawn trolley business.

The school closed in the late 1970s and the property was sold to Arco Chemical.

Equus acquired the property in 2004 and started work to preserve its architectural history and greenspace, and to open the property up to the public.

The Ellis Preserve project has collectively provided more than 6,500 new jobs.

Find out more about Equus Capital Partners and the Ellis Preserve.

Take a tour of the Ellis Preserve.