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sweaty_penguin_balls t1_j9ezuuz wrote

Was this recent? I feel like I haven’t seen the entire sign spelled out in a while

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i-bleed-red t1_j9f09mp wrote

You caught the rare moment of all letters lit up!

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kuweiyox t1_j9f1bs7 wrote

Was is/was this building? Was it an actual hotel in the past? I think I saw something about it being apartments now, not sure.

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PedestrianMale t1_j9f3kwn wrote

Philadelphia has got some weird history. This building has got stories.

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mortgagepants t1_j9f5lxa wrote

i'm reading a book called "raven" about jim jones and the people's temple. he tried to steal father divine's congregation for his own in the late 60's after he died.

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Cmoore4099 t1_j9f6th1 wrote

Replying to FGoose (#1,899,811)

That was painted and left on the roof of the Lorraine for years and years when it was decrepit. On the north side. It was there maybe 10 years? At least 6. In fact I doubt it was removed until they redid the roof. But people here either didnt go to temple (most likely) where you could see it from campus or haven’t been in Philly that long.

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-ibgd t1_j9f99yl wrote

Is this a hotel again or hasn’t it happened yet?

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russbam t1_j9faphh wrote

It's so crazy thinking back to fifteen years ago when this area was entirely low income, ungentrified and considered a no-go zone by many in the city. And honestly, it did look and feel very rough. Crazy how fast things change.

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ICanSeeRoundCorners t1_j9fdc0t wrote

Replying to black_ankle_county (#1,899,363)

There's a group doing renovations on the lower floors for four restaurants/cafes there. I was at event in the basement restaurant/event space there within the last year and it was pretty cool. They have a lot of work left to do on the building but it's getting there. The food was amazing too.

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helium_hydrogen t1_j9ff6h5 wrote

Replying to -ibgd (#1,900,621)

In the process. It's operating as a hotel, we have guests coming in and out every day, but there's a good chunk of residents left. The last of them should be out around May and then it will fully be hotel-only.

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Hoyarugby t1_j9fgpns wrote

Neon signs are the coolest, shame that the City Beautiful movement and auto driven building codes banned dramatic signage on buildings and storefronts

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HelloMyNameisPaul t1_j9fi5i3 wrote

Replying to helium_hydrogen (#1,901,215)

Any tips on events going on in the building? I've always been interesting in seeing the old architecture but the only thing I am aware of is going to dinner at the restaurant. Does any group do tours or anything historical like that?

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Skylineviewz t1_j9fr3yh wrote

I love this building and the weird ass history behind it

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helium_hydrogen t1_j9gaq1w wrote

Replying to HelloMyNameisPaul (#1,901,527)

Honestly, there's not really any old architecture to be seen inside. They gutted the rooms when they renovated, it's pretty much all new construction inside and looks like any other modern apartment. The part they kept is the lobby, which you can easily look at just by being buzzed in. The restaurant (Cicala) is very nice and you walk through the lobby if you need the bathroom at any point.

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feliciates t1_j9gmeqj wrote

The restaurant, Cicala, is excellent. Was there in October 10/10 would recommend

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IllustriousArcher199 t1_j9hykml wrote

Replying to kuweiyox (#1,899,690)

When it was built in the late 1800s, the neighborhood was an upper middle class community and it was built for the rich as apartments. Sometime after the great migration it became a hotel run by father Divine and his church. Now it’s back to apartments.

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