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We’ve all likely driven past abandoned buildings and perhaps have wondered about their past, such as the Lorraine Hotel in Pennsylvania. Who lived there? Was it a business? Why was it left forgotten? Not all abandoned buildings in Pennsylvania have merely been forgotten over time, some have been restored to their former glory. This restored hotel in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for example, has again leaped to life.

Tucked on the corner of Broad Street and Fairmount Avenue, the Lorraine Hotel in Pennsylvania has quite the tale to tell, and it all begins in the late 1890s when it was built as a luxury apartment.
Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain
Many of Philadelphia’s wealthiest residents lived in the apartment building, which at the time was widely considered one of the most luxurious in the city.
That, however, was just the beginning of the divine Lorraine's long and storied history.
Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain
In 1948, ownership changed hands when Father Divine, the founder of the International Peace Missions Movement, purchased the building. Originally from Rockville, Maryland, Father Divine was originally known as George Baker.
With the purchase of the building came a name change to the Divine Lorraine Hotel.
Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain
Unlike many other apartments and hotels, the Divine Lorraine welcomed everyone regardless of race or religion. At the time Father Divine owned the building, it had both permanent residents and guests.
Father Divine passed away in 1965, and for the next half a century, the Divine Lorraine would continue the mission of the International Peace Missions Movement before the hotel was permanently shuttered in 1999.
Wikimedia Commons/Mevans1961
It became one of the abandoned places in Pennsylvania.

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In the ensuing years, the building was sold several times.
Wikimedia Commons/Mevans1961
Today, the Divine Lorraine Hotel in Pennsylvania is again a hotel, now known as the Mint House at the Divine Lorraine Hotel.
Trip Advisor/Management
It operates with the motto “an apartment hotel that feels like home.”
One- and two-bedroom units with full kitchens are available as are long-term stays.
Trip Advisor/management
The rooms have up to three times the space of a standard hotel, complete with full kitchens, and large living areas, obviously no longer one of the abandoned places in Pennsylvania.
Trip Advisor/Management
And get a load of the view overlooking the Philadelphia skyline.
Management/Tripadvisor
Learn more on the Mint House at the Divine Lorraine Hotel website.

Have you been to the Divine Lorraine Hotel in Pennsylvania? What did you think of the beautifully renovated space? Did you enjoy the penthouse dining at its on-site restaurant, Cicala? Let us know in the comments below!

While you’re in the city, visit these 10 abandoned places in Philadelphia that are being reclaimed by Mother Nature. And reserve a room on Booking.com.

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Abandoned Places In Pennsylvania

Carolyn Harmon | October 10, 2023

What are some of the abandoned places in Pennsylvania?

Take this thrilling road trip to nine of the most abandoned places in Pennsylvania. Read on for a few highlights.

  • Pithole City (14118 Pithole Road, Pleasantville, PA): It's hard to imagine how a town that once boasted the country's first commercial oil well fell into such disrepair. In 1865, Pithole City was a place to be seen, home to more than 20,000 residents where workers built homes, hotels, a railroad, and a theater. But just 12 years later, in 1877, the town was abandoned by prospectors in search of other discovered oil wells. For 95 long and lonely years, Pithole sat alone until 1975 when an educational visitors center was constructed, and a large diorama showcases what the city was like in its heyday, with more than 200 miniature buildings on the city's streets and about 500 figures. You'll watch a video and see exhibits that tell the story of the town's history.
  • Centralia: This abandoned town in northern Pennsylvania is so creepy that it inspired folks to make the movie and video game Silent Hill. But the truth is stranger than fiction. In 1842, the Locust Mountain Coal and Iron Company purchased the land, with the first two mines beginning operation in 1856.  One legend whispered around the area is of Father Daniel Ignatius McDermott, the first Roman Catholic priest in Centralia. An assault by some Molly Maquires caused him to curse the land, and reportedly McDermott said one day the St. Ignatius Roman Catholic Church would be the only building left in Centralia. We don't know if his curse worked, or if it was the destructive fires that caused the abandonment. Census data shows the population in 1981 was about 1,000, and in 2021, only four people lived in the creepy town. What do you think happened?

 

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Mint House at The Divine Lorraine Hotel – Philadelphia, 699 N Broad St, Philadelphia, PA 19123, USA