Divine Lorraine Hotel

Last updated
Lorraine Apartments
Divine Lorraine from Southwest.JPG
The Divine Lorraine from Broad Street, prior to its 2008 renovations
Location699 North Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19123
Coordinates 39°58′0″N75°9′36″W / 39.96667°N 75.16000°W / 39.96667; -75.16000
Built1892
Architect Willis G. Hale
George F. Payne and Company
Architectural styleLate Victorian
NRHP reference No. 02001427 [1]
Added to NRHPNovember 27, 2002

The Divine Lorraine Hotel, also known as the Lorraine Apartments, stands at the corner of Broad Street and Fairmount Avenue in North Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Designed by architect Willis G. Hale and built between 1892 and 1894, the building originally functioned as apartments, housing some of Philadelphia's wealthy residents. Lorraine Apartments was one of the most luxurious and best preserved late 19th-century apartment houses in Philadelphia. In 1900 the building became the Lorraine Hotel when the Italian-owned Metropolitan Hotel Company purchased the apartments. Later it would become the first hotel in Philadelphia to be racially integrated under Father Divine.

Contents

The hotel was sold in 2000 and eventually abandoned. It deteriorated, with graffiti all over the walls, broken windows, and crumbling stone until late 2015 when a new owner began a massive renovation project.

Early history

Both the location of the building and the architecture itself reflect the changes that were occurring rapidly in the city of Philadelphia and in the country at the time. North Philadelphia of the 1880s attracted many of the city's nouveau-riche, those individuals who became wealthy as a result of the Industrial Revolution. The Lorraine was a place of luxurious living, providing apartments with new amenities such as electricity. In addition, the building boasted its own staff, eliminating the need for residents to have private servants. There was also a central kitchen from which meals were delivered to residents.

Reporting on the Philadelphia Phillies' return to Philadelphia in April 1935 from spring training in Florida, the Philadelphia Inquirer wrote, "the Phillies ... steamed into North Philadelphia station and jumped cabs for the Lorraine Hotel, which will be the headquarters of the club until the season opens." [2]

The Lorraine Apartments were also an architectural feat. Prior to this period, the majority of Philadelphia's buildings were low rise, generally being no more than three or four stories tall. Not only were construction materials and techniques not capable of supporting taller buildings, but the inconvenience of the many flights of stairs to get to higher floors in the absence of an elevator was significant.

The Lorraine, at ten stories tall, was one of the first high-rise apartment buildings in the city. The building's architect, Willis G. Hale, also designed an earlier high-rise apartment building at 22nd and Chestnut Streets, which stood from 1889 until its demolition in 1945. Hale designed many other buildings around the city, but quickly fell out of favor at the turn of the century when most patrons rejected his highly stylized Victorian designs for the sleeker style of modern skyscrapers, and most of his landmarks had been torn down after the Great Depression.

Father Divine and the International Peace Mission Movement

The top floor under Father Divine Divine Lorraine 362718pu.jpg
The top floor under Father Divine
The top-floor in 2010 DivineLorraine.JPG
The top-floor in 2010

In 1948, the building was sold to Father Divine (Reverend Major Jealous Divine) for $485,000. Father Divine was the leader of the International Peace Mission movement. After purchasing the building, Father Divine renamed it the Divine Lorraine Hotel. His hotel was the first of its class in Philadelphia, or indeed in the United States, to be fully racially integrated. [3] The Divine Lorraine was open to all races and religions, men and women who were willing to follow the rules of the movement. Among others, the rules included no smoking, no drinking, no profanity, and no undue mixing of the sexes, with men and women residing on different floors of the building. Additionally, guests and residents were expected to uphold a certain level of modesty, meaning that women were expected to wear long skirts - pants were not allowed. Believing that all people were equal in the sight of God, Father Divine was involved in many social welfare activities as well. For example, after purchasing the hotel, several parts of it were transformed for public use. The 10th-floor auditorium was converted to a place of worship. The movement also opened the kitchen on the first floor as a public dining room where persons from the community were able to purchase and eat low-cost meals for 25 cents.

The Divine Lorraine received a historical marker from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission in 1994 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002 as a site significant in terms of both architectural and civil rights history.

Abandonment

External media
Lorraine Hotel Broad St Philly.JPG
Audio
Nuvola apps arts.svg The Divine Lorraine and development on North Broad, Radio Times With Marty Moss-Coane , 49:03, November 2012 [4]
Video
Nuvola apps kaboodle.svg Historic Divine Lorraine Hotel in Philadelphia, PA, Wanda Kaluza, 2:26, August 2011.
Nuvola apps kaboodle.svg Divine Lorraine, Antiquity Echos, 4:20, October 2011. [5]

The building was closed in 1999 and sold in 2000 by the International Peace Mission. In May 2006 it was resold to Lorraine Hotel LP. to be converted into apartments. Development never came to fruition but furnishings were sold while floors, paneling, and other architectural items were removed by salvage companies. [6] The building was reduced to a hollow shell, covered with graffiti, with windows boarded up or open to the weather.

The Universal Peace Mission Movement still exists in the form of a network of independent churches, businesses, and religious orders. Its followers operated another hotel, the Divine Tracy in West Philadelphia, which they sold in 2006. [7] It is now the Axis Apartments. [8]

Redevelopment

In October 2012 the property was transferred to developer Eric Blumenfeld at the city's monthly Sheriff's sale, with Blumenfeld being the sole bidder. In February 2015 the developer announced renovation plans to convert the building into rental units with restaurants on the ground level pending closing on financing. [9] In May 2015 construction lighting was installed in the empty hotel after an investment fund agreed to lend $31.5M USD in construction funding. [10] In August the Philadelphia Historical Commission approved the plans to restore the building to its 1933 appearance. [11] In June of 2016 a new rooftop "Divine Lorraine" sign had been installed [12] and some interior apartments were nearing completion. [13]

In April 2022, it was announced that apartment leases would not be renewed and the Divine Lorraine was to be turned back into a hotel. [14] As of December 2024 the hotel was known as the Mint House an The Divine Lorraine. [15]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apartment</span> Self-contained housing unit occupying part of a building

An apartment, flat, or unit is a self-contained housing unit that occupies part of a building, generally on a single story. There are many names for these overall buildings. The housing tenure of apartments also varies considerably, from large-scale public housing, to owner occupancy within what is legally a condominium or leasehold, to tenants renting from a private landlord.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Watergate complex</span> United States historic place

The Watergate complex is a group of six buildings in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood of Washington, D.C., United States. It is a primarily a development of residences in cooperative ownership, but it also has a hotel and an office building. Covering a total of 10 acres just north of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the buildings include:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Father Divine</span> American religious leader (c. 1876–1965)

Father Divine, also known as Reverend M. J. Divine, was an American spiritual leader from about 1907 until his death in 1965. His full self-given name was Reverend Major Jealous Divine, and he was also known as "the Messenger" early in his life. He founded the International Peace Mission movement, formed its doctrine and oversaw its growth from a small and predominantly black congregation into a multiracial and international church. Many consider him to be a cult leader since he claimed to be God.

The International Peace Mission movement is a religious movement that was founded and led by Father Divine. Father Divine was worshipped by his followers as a God. Thus, the core belief of the International Peace Mission Movement is that everyone is treated equal in the eyes of God. Father Divine preached against sexism and racism. He was most renowned during and following the Great Depression in the 1930s. Thus, the International Peace Mission movement is now known to be an important precursor of the Civil Rights Movement. The International Peace Mission movement emphasized its opposition to violence and war. Also the movement has a very strong focus on spiritual development through meditation and prayer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Bellevue-Stratford Hotel</span> Hotel in Philadelphia, PA

The Bellevue-Stratford Hotel is a landmark building at 200 S. Broad Street at the corner of Walnut Street in Center City Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Constructed in 1904 and expanded to its present size in 1912, it has continued as a well-known institution for more than a century and is still widely known by that original, historic name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sharswood, Philadelphia</span> Neighborhood of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania, United States

Sharswood is a small neighborhood in the North Philadelphia section of the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the United States. It is located to the east of Brewerytown, north of Girard College, west of Ridge Avenue, east of 24th Street and south of Cecil B. Moore Avenue. It is often grouped with Brewerytown, as in the Brewerytown-Sharswood Community Civic Association, and the Brewerytown-Sharswood NTI Planning Area.

The Marina Torch, also known as Dubai Torch, Dubai Torch Tower, and The Torch, is a residential skyscraper in Dubai Marina in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is 352 metres (1,155 ft) tall, with 86 floors above ground and 4 below, and was the tallest residential building in the world on its completion in 2011, surpassing Q1 in Gold Coast, Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PSFS Building</span> Skyscraper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Loews Philadelphia Hotel, previously known as the PSFS Building, is a skyscraper in Center City, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. A National Historic Landmark, the building was the first International style skyscraper constructed in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The St. James</span> Luxury residential skyscraper

The St. James is a luxury residential skyscraper in Washington Square West, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The 498 feet (152 m), 45-story high-rise stands along Walnut Street and Washington Square and is the 15th tallest building in Philadelphia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murano (skyscraper)</span> Residential skyscraper in Center City, Philadelphia

The Murano is a residential skyscraper in Center City Philadelphia. Part of a condominium boom occurring in the city, the Murano was announced in 2005 and was developed jointly by Thomas Properties Group and P&A Associates. The building, named after Murano, Italy, was completed in 2008 at a cost of US$165 million. The site, previously occupied by a parking lot, was the location of the Erlanger Theatre from 1927 to 1978.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lee Plaza (Detroit)</span> United States historic place

The Lee Plaza is a vacant 16-story high-rise apartment building located at 2240 West Grand Boulevard, about one mile west of New Center along West Grand Boulevard, an area in Detroit, Michigan. It is a registered historic site by the state of Michigan and was added to the United States National Register of Historic Places on November 5, 1981. Designed by Charles Noble and constructed in 1929, it rises to 16 floors and is an excellent example of Art Deco architecture of the 1920s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atlanta Biltmore Hotel and Biltmore Apartments</span> United States historic place

The Atlanta Biltmore Hotel and Biltmore Apartments is a historic building located in Atlanta, Georgia. The complex, originally consisting of a hotel and apartments, was developed by William Candler, son of Coca-Cola executive Asa Candler, with Holland Ball Judkins and John McEntee Bowman. The original hotel building was converted to an office building in 1999. The building is currently owned by the Georgia Institute of Technology and is adjacent to Technology Square.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Poplar, Philadelphia</span> Neighborhood of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania, United States

Poplar is a neighborhood in Lower North Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located north of Callowhill, between Spring Garden/Fairmount and Northern Liberties, bounded roughly by Girard Avenue to the north, North Broad Street to the west, Spring Garden Street to the south, and 5th Street to the east. The neighborhood is predominantly residential, with commercial frontage on Broad Street and Girard Avenue and some industrial facilities to the west of the railroad tracks along Percy St. and 9th St.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">15 Central Park West</span> Residential skyscraper in Manhattan, New York

15 Central Park West is a luxury residential condominium along Central Park West, between 61st and 62nd Streets adjacent to Central Park, on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. It was constructed from 2005 to 2008 and was designed by Robert A.M. Stern Architects in the New Classical style. The building consists of two sections: "the House", a 19-story structure occupying the eastern part of the city block, and "the Tower", a 35-story structure occupying the western part of the block. It has approximately 200 apartments, of which two-thirds are in the Tower and one-third are in the House.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Willis G. Hale</span> American architect

Willis Gaylord Hale was a late-19th century architect who worked primarily in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His flamboyant, highly-ornate style was popular in the 1880s and 1890s, but quickly fell out of fashion at the dawn of the 20th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">257 Central Park West</span> Co-op apartment building in Manhattan, New York

257 Central Park West is a co-op apartment building on the southwest corner of 86th Street and Central Park West in the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. It was designed by the firm of Mulliken and Moeller and built by Gotham Building & Construction between 1905 and 1906.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Discovery Primea</span> Mixed-use residential tower in Makati, Philippines

Discovery Primea is a 68-storey mixed-use residential tower and one of the tallest buildings in the Philippines located in Makati along Ayala Avenue. It stands on the former Gilarmi Apartments, then co-owned by the first ever crowned Miss Universe Armi Kuusela and ex-husband businessman Virgilio Hilario, and one of the earliest urban residential condominiums in the Makati Central Business District. JTKC, Inc. is the developer of the residential condominium and one of earliest developer of residential condominium units in the Philippines. The latter also owns the Discovery Suites, a service-apartment in the Ortigas Center business district in Mandaluyong. The residential tower was opened in February 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inquirer Building</span> United States historic place

The Inquirer Building, formerly called the Elverson Building, is an eighteen-story building at the intersection of North Broad and Callowhill Streets in the Logan Square neighborhood of Center City Philadelphia, completed in 1924 as the new home for The Philadelphia Inquirer, a daily newspaper in the city, that was joined by the Philadelphia Daily News in 1957.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McGuire Apartments</span> Demolished high-rise building in Seattle, Washington

The McGuire Apartments was a 25-story apartment building in the Belltown neighborhood of Seattle, Washington. The $32 million, 272-unit building opened in 2001, but was closed in 2010 after the discovery of major structural flaws and corrosion that forced evacuation and demolition. The building was demolished in 2011 using heavy machinery and filled with dirt. The site was re-excavated in 2017 for a new residential building that opened in 2019.

On the morning of January 5, 2022, a fire tore through a row house converted into apartments in the Fairmount neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Twelve people died, nine of them children, and two others were injured. Five additional people escaped from the first floor unit with minor injuries. The fire happened just four days before the 2022 Bronx apartment fire, also in the Northeastern United States.

References

  1. ↑ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
  2. ↑ Baumgartner, Stan (April 5, 1935). "Phils Arrive Home Today From South". Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. p. 17.
  3. ↑ According to the state historical marker Archived 2016-03-21 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ↑ "The Divine Lorraine and development on North Broad". WHYY-FM. November 6, 2012. Retrieved December 21, 2013., guests: owner Eric Blumfeld, John Gallery, Penelope Giles
  5. ↑ "Divine Lorraine". Antiquity Echos. Archived from the original on December 24, 2013. Retrieved December 21, 2013.
  6. ↑ "The Divine Lorraine Hotel, February 6, 2011". The Kingston Lounge. 6 February 2011. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
  7. ↑ "Losing the Divine in Philadelphia". October 11, 2006. Archived from the original on February 5, 2016. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
  8. ↑ "The Axis Apartments Printable Brochure" (PDF). apartmenthomeliving.com. Apartments LLC. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  9. ↑ Kostelni, Natalie (17 February 2015). "Divine Lorraine developer anticipates starting $43M conversion in May". Philadelphia Business Journal. Retrieved 19 February 2015.
  10. ↑ Lin, Jennifer (May 4, 2015). "New hope - and funding - for Divine Lorraine". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on May 6, 2014. Retrieved 6 May 2015.
  11. ↑ MacDonald, Tom (14 August 2015). "Philadelphia fixture finally getting a re-do". WHYY/Newsworks. Retrieved 21 August 2015.
  12. ↑ Orso, Anna. "Divine Lorraine developer on the state of repairs: 'We're really in a groove now'". Billy Penn. Spirited Media. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
  13. ↑ Romero, Melissa (27 June 2016). "Photos: Some Divine Lorraine Apartments are Close to Completion". Curbed Philadelphia. Vox Media Inc. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
  14. ↑ "The Divine Lorraine is ending apartment leases as it turns into a 'managed hotel property'".
  15. ↑ "Mint House at The Divine Lorraine Hotel – Philadelphia" . Retrieved 12 December 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.