I remember the first time I paid attention to the Divine Lorraine. I had ridden my bike west from Northern Liberties through the new Richard Allen Homes, thinking to
myself how weird and suburban and off the homes looked. I saw this massive red brick building with bays and oval windows and fire escapes and kept pedaling toward it. As
I got to Broad Street, I shook my head in disbelief that it gave such an abandoned, uninhabited (legally) look to it. Ignoring the funny looks from people I could only
imagine took the building's beauty for granted, I crossed the street to get a better view of the front's amazing French Renaissance style. Willis Hale brought the 1890s
to life, and nearly 110 years later, it was on life support in spite of its grandeur.
In 2006, it finally appears to have been on the receiving end of resuscitation. Lorraine Land LC has teamed with Cope-Linder Architects and DPK&A Architects to both
restore the building and add another on the adjacent land, reviving an entire block of Lower North Philadelphia and one of the city's architectural assets in the process.
When it opens in 2008, condos and rentals will go on the market at an affordable rate for a desirable address.
Brandy Hartley's photos predate mine by seven months, just before restoration work began. Mine were taken on October 12th. Many thanks to
DPK&A. |
