Divine Lorraine Will Have a Restaurant and Speakeasy
Photo by Jeff Fusco
It really seems like the Divine Lorraine will get redeveloped. Developer Eric Blumenfeld has purchased the building for a second time and he has the funding in place to start renovations. KYW’s Hadas Kuznits accompanied Blumenfeld on a tour of the Grand Old Lady of North Broad this week. During the tour, Blumenfeld mentioned that he is aiming to bring in a high-end restaurant as well as a subterranean speakeasy to the Divine Lorraine.
The mind dances with the possibilities. Even more so when we spotted chef Al Paris, Robert Bynum, Harry Hayman and their publicist in front of the Divine Lorraine yesterday. The team behind Warmdaddy’s, Heirloom and Paris Bistro among other concepts admitted they were checking out the building. Bynum told us, “we are intrigued by the opportunity to build a concept in the Divine Lorraine, but are just beginning the process of assessing the space and costs involved. It’s too early to say if we would be able to sign on at this time, but we are definitely interested.” For the old-heads out there who remember Bynum’s Zanzibar Blue, the idea of an underground, sexy, sophisticated jazz club must excite.
But as Bynum says, this is just the beginning and we’re sure the Bynums won’t be the only restaurateurs touring the site.
Divine Lorraine [Philadelphia Magazine]
