Project Description & History
Like its neighbor, the Divine Lorraine Hotel, the building on this busy intersection of Broad Street and Wallace Street was built at the turn of the 20th century. While old gems like the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts entered the ranks of National Historic Landmarks, the existing building was an insignificant-looking masonry construction that had only been used for a restaurant on the ground floor since the 1950s.
Once Santucci’s Original Square Pizza began its expansion to this site on North Broad, it was clear that the building was primed for an additional use. The two stories above Santucci's were merely storage space for miscellaneous industrial equipment. The renovation and addition converted the second and third floor to residential apartments and expanded the building by one additional floor. The original building was built for industrial use, and as such, the structure was oversized for residential use. This allowed for an addition that did not need to alter the existing structural members or foundations of the building.
The exterior design introduced bold red metal panels that wrap around the building, amplifying the modernity of a city and harmonizing with Santucci’s pizza branding. The large existing openings were infilled and matched with large factory style windows to provide sweeping views of the city. The bold punch of the red panels and large glazed areas create an iconic and memorable building on one of Philadelphia’s major thoroughfares.
Santucci's on Broad was the earliest milestone for Designblendz. Through this project, our Director of Architecture, Scott Woodruff, AIA, kick-started the firm's success when there were only four members on the team. Today, the building is available as a short stay hotel via Sonder, a national short stay hotel company.
