Editing Divine Lorraine Hotel (section)

== Decline and Abandonment ==

The Divine Lorraine closed in 1999 after decades of declining occupancy and deferred maintenance. The building sat vacant for nearly two decades, its deteriorating condition visible to all who traveled North Broad Street. Broken windows, water damage, and structural concerns made the building appear beyond salvation, joining numerous other abandoned structures that lined this once-grand thoroughfare. The Divine Lorraine became a symbol of North Philadelphia's struggles, its decay representing the broader decline that had transformed the neighborhood.<ref name="weigley"/>

Preservation advocates fought to save the building despite its advanced deterioration, recognizing both its architectural significance and its symbolic importance. The building's location on Broad Street—Philadelphia's principal north-south artery—made its condition especially visible and its potential revival especially significant. Various development proposals emerged and failed over the years, raising and dashing hopes for the building's future. The Divine Lorraine's fate seemed to hang in the balance as neighborhood conditions slowly improved around it.<ref name="gallery"/>