And what discussion about abandoned buildings in Philadelphia doesn’t include the…

The Divine Lorraine Hotel, located on a prominent intersection of Broad Street and Fairmount Avenue, was designed by architect Willis G. Hale and built between 1892 and 1894. The building was originally built as apartments and housed some of Philadelphia’s wealthier residents. In 1900 the building became the Lorraine Hotel, and would later become the first hotel inPhiladelphia to be racially integrated. The building was an architectural feat in that buildings in Philadelphia were generally low rise, no more than 3-4 stories. The improvement of building materials around the time of the industrial revolution made taller buildings possible. At 10 stories tall, the Lorraine was one of the first high-rise apartment buildings in the city. “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.”  ~Wikipedia

The building was closed in 1999 and sold. In May 2006 it was sold again, to be converted to apartments. However, development of the building has stalled since that time, and it remains in a state of dilapidation.

Photos from www.focusonphiladelphia.com