It was just last month that we shared the news that developer Eric Blumenfeld had gotten a commitment for most of the funding he would need to finally renovate the Divine Lorraine. The blighted beauty at Broad & Fairmount has been vacant for over a decade, and we were cautiously optimistic that work might get underway sometime this year.
What we didn't expect was for work to get going this quickly. Over the last few days, several readers have reached out, excitedly reporting action at the site. As you can see, much of the facade has been power washed, with much of the building's graffitti cleared away.
In addition, scaffolding has appeared on Broad Street, likely to prevent passersby from power washing fallout.
In case you forgot, this project will see the creation of 126 apartment units and over 21K sqft of commercial space. Previously, we mentioned that we've heard some big restaurant names mentioned among the possibilities for the commercial space, but we still don't have anything confirmed. As soon as we know anything for sure, we'll be sure to share.
Last month, we said that we wouldn't get too excited about the possible renovation of the Divine Lorraine until we actually saw workers at the site. Well folks, it may officially be time to get excited. It looks like this classic building is finally, after a very long slog, ready to return to the land of the living and take her rightful place on North Broad Street. We seriously never thought we'd see the day.