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i-bleed-red t1_j9f09mp wrote

You caught the rare moment of all letters lit up!

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ollie149 t1_j9gvwhl wrote

6 months I’ve been right by the police department still never seen these all lit up, we say its for the “vintage” allure but I guess they really do all work

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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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FGoose OP t1_j9f2br2 wrote

Last night actually

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BigxMac t1_j9gt2eo wrote

Omg I bicycled (on the sidewalk) by there last night around 10pm. Wonder if I'm a beam of light in the photo

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black_ankle_county t1_j9eyhhs wrote

I never thought they’d do anything with it

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ICanSeeRoundCorners t1_j9fdc0t wrote

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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Mr_Fraunces t1_j9feh1s wrote

I remember seeing the place in the 80's and thinking how unfortunate it will be to have that knocked down.

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giantmonkey2 t1_j9h9wsw wrote

Lived there for 2 years before they kicked everyone out to turn it back into a hotel. Was pretty great ngl

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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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Advantage_Loud t1_j9g4jn9 wrote

Not only that, Jones tried to convince everyone that the spirit of Father Divine had entered his body and was the new Father Divine. He also tried to sleep with his wife.

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mortgagepants t1_j9g4rnb wrote

SPOILER ALERT!

but yes all those things. he was trying to smash Mother Divine.

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Advantage_Loud t1_j9g53fx wrote

Oh dang it I’m sorry!! And I’m glad she wasn’t having it, like all those other women he slept with ughhh gross

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mortgagepants t1_j9g5qyu wrote

this creed from the office quote: https://www.azquotes.com/picture-quotes/quote-i-ve-been-involved-in-a-number-of-cults-both-as-a-leader-and-a-follower-you-have-more-creed-bratton-63-28-94.jpg

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Advantage_Loud t1_j9g6jui wrote

Not even joking, that is my favorite quote from the whole show haha when he walks into the office covered in blood and then he realizes it’s Halloween, lucked out on that one haha

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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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PedestrianMale t1_j9f3kwn wrote

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

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napsdufroid t1_j9gstm5 wrote

Wanna share some? (beyond the basics of Father Divine, that is)

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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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Cmoore4099 t1_j9eyyrf wrote

“FREE DA HOOD!”

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FGoose OP t1_j9f2ddk wrote

I don’t get it

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Cmoore4099 t1_j9f6th1 wrote

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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justanawkwardguy t1_j9ffgne wrote

I want to say that was something they addressed pretty fast when they started renovation. They started working on it my first year at Temple and I don't recall seeing that on the roof ever

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Skylineviewz t1_j9fr3yh wrote

I love this building and the weird ass history behind it

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squee_bastard t1_j9g7beb wrote

Same, I’m glad to see it wasn’t torn down. I was fascinated with this building when I lived in Philly in the late 90s/early 00s

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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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-ibgd t1_j9f99yl wrote

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

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helium_hydrogen t1_j9ff6h5 wrote

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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359dawson t1_j9fl5yo wrote

I didn’t know it was switching. Why are they doing that? Looked like an amazing place To live.

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helium_hydrogen t1_j9fng9v wrote

I assume because they can make more money off tourists. It's been fun living here, but there's definitely downsides.

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Chimpskibot t1_j9fttqp wrote

There was really bad water issues in a lot of the units.

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HelloMyNameisPaul t1_j9fi5i3 wrote

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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helium_hydrogen t1_j9gaq1w wrote

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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Republican_Wet_Dream t1_j9g9zq4 wrote

Would you sell a print? This is beautiful

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FGoose OP t1_j9gldq3 wrote

Of course! If you are interested in prints send me a message and we can talk prices!

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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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IllustriousArcher199 t1_j9hykml wrote

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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UndercoverPhilly t1_j9jsc2q wrote

They switched to short term rentals within The last 2 years and those who rented apartments long term have to leave.

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