The Divine Lorraine, Reborn

Our by-the-numbers look at one of Philadelphia’s favorite buildings as it gets ready to reopen as apartments.

Maybe it’s the ornate arrangement of windows and balconies. Or the neon sign that loomed dark for 15 years. Or the courtyard that splits the building in half, blurring the lines between inside and out. Or maybe it’s all these things that have made the 122-year-old Divine Lorraine Hotel on North Broad Street one of the most remarked-upon works of architecture in Philadelphia, on everyone’s short list of favorite buildings. Just look at it, and thank divinity itself it was saved from the wrecking ball. Below, developer Eric Blumenfeld shares some of what it took to renovate the building, which will reopen as apartments early this year.

Published as “The Divine Lorraine, Reborn” in the February 2017 issue of Philadelphia magazine.