Serviced apartment company Mint House has opened two new locations in Philadelphia: Mint House at The Ledger, a landmarked building directly overlooking Independence Hall, and Mint House at The Divine Lorraine Hotel, a 130-year-old landmarked property notable as one of the first racially integrated hotels in America.
Divine Lorraine
Mint House at The Divine Lorraine Hotel is opening the first phase of its full building expansion with apartments along North Broad Street. Built in 1893, the historic property was the first racially integrated hotel in America. Developer Eric Blumenfeld purchased the building in 2012 and, after a multimillion-dollar restoration, has partnered with Mint House.
The property will have updated interiors that blend the building's heritage with a contemporary feel, and will feature Mint House's Shop Your Stay program, letting guests purchase decor and products from their stay and ship items home. As with all Mint House properties, apartments will have full kitchens, living areas, in-unit laundry, and contactless and mobile-first check-in.
The James Beard semi-finalist Angela Cicala and her husband Joe's Italian fine-dining restaurant, Cicala, will operate at Mint House at The Divine Lorraine Hotel along with a casual wood-fired pizza and aperitivo concept. Additionally, former Top Chef contestant Natalie Maronski and Robert "DEL" Femine's hospitality group, Underground Concepts, will operate four venues at the property including "the daily." coffee shop, "broad hall." event space, "foundation." cocktail bar and recording studio, and an all-day restaurant and retail space, "annex", opening this summer.
"The North Broad community is about to enter a new era with the introduction of Mint House at The Divine Lorraine Hotel," said Eric Blumenfeld, owner of EB Realty Management Corp. "The Divine Lorraine with its wonderfully relevant and no doubt historic past (some would even say it's visited by spirits of a bygone era), is culturally suited to collaborate with Mint House's hip young culture."
The Ledger
Mint House at The Ledger - Philadelphia opened in May after a multimillion-dollar adaptive reuse project. The property has 40 loft apartments with full kitchens, dedicated workspaces and in-unit washers and dryers. The encased beams and concrete in the lofted units highlight the Georgian Revival-style architecture throughout the building, which was designed by American architect Horace Trumbauer in 1923. The interiors have large-format blueprints of the building as well as warm woods and black accents. The property includes a fitness center offering on-demand classes, lounge, private workspaces and bookable conference rooms. The property was also the debut location for a partnership between Mint House and Public Goods, which will now be the brand's standard bathroom amenities line.
In addition to offering tech-first spaces to work, stay and play, both The Ledger and Divine Lorraine Hotel will offer Mint House's signature Stock Your Stay program, allowing guests to pre-stock their apartment with groceries prior to arrival. Both properties will also participate in Mint House's subscription Mint Pass program, offering frequent travelers perks, and each create less CO2 emissions than a traditional hotel with smart thermostats, as well as zero soap and plastic waste.
Additionally, as part of its partnership with EB Realty Management Corp., who own The Divine Lorraine, Mint House will open a to-be-named 47-unit full building conversion in Philadelphia's Old City neighborhood in the fourth quarter 2022.
"Our partnerships with The Ledger and The Divine Lorraine Hotel, two historic buildings that are an important part of Philadelphia's rich history and current real estate development, are ideal locations for our innovative residential hospitality model," said Elizabeth Herzberg, Mint House's VP of development, in a statement. "As travelers continue to stay longer, extending their trips and working more from the road, we believe Mint House will continue to meet consumer demands with more space for smarter stays."
Mint House has more than 22 tech-first properties in more than 15 major U.S. cities.