Scout gives Philadelphia’s historic buildings a creative second life

But that comment stayed with her, and when Scannapieco moved back home to Philadelphia and came across the closed 1936 Bok school building in South Philly she saw its potential. After navigating the concerns of a community disappointed by the closure of an educational institution, Scout was able to buy Bok in 2015 and turn it into a thriving ecosystem of experimentation with diverse artists, makers, entrepreneurs and small businesses. Scout won a $155,000 Knight Cities Challenge grant in 2016 to help with that transformation.

“This city has grit and resourcefulness, and it made me believe we could make the leap from temporary projects to something more permanent,” Scannapieco said. “Bok only worked because it was here, because Philly is the kind of place where people roll up their sleeves, experiment and build something together. This building gave artists, makers and small businesses a place to experiment and take risks — and seeing them expand, find their voice and succeed has been the most rewarding part of all.”

One example is BlackStar, which supports the work of BIPOC artists including the BlackStar Film Festival, and has been based at Bok for the past five years. (BlackStar has received $600,000 in grants from Knight since 2013.) Catherine Lee, chief operations officer at BlackStar, said that Scout has been a true partner on their journey, through ups and downs, and not with a “typical landlord-tenant dynamic.”

“Scout has supported BlackStar through every phase: when we were expanding programs, when we needed more space and even when we had to make tough financial decisions,” Lee said. “What stands out is how collaborative they are. They really take time to understand our needs and work with us, not just around us. That kind of partnership is unusual in real estate, and it’s made a huge difference for our organization.”

BlackStar is planning to move into Scout’s latest project in Philadelphia, the Village of Industry & Art (VIA), born from the bankruptcy sale of the University of the Arts (UArts), including Hamilton Hall and Furness Hall, built more than 150 years ago. Once again, Scout was taking a historic building and making sure it was dedicated to the arts community. But this time, the firm had to bid against a well heeled developer from New York and run a major public campaign alongside journalists, politicians and citizens. The mayor’s office received more than 1,000 letters urging that the buildings remain dedicated to the arts. Their bid would have fallen short without a last-minute loan from an anonymous donor. It was “nothing short of a miracle,” said Scannapieco.

Everett Abitbol, director of hospitality & development at Scout, notes that Scout’s track record with Bok Building in South Philly gave them the backing they needed. “VIA only became possible because we’ve spent a decade proving that small, mission-driven makers and nonprofits can anchor a building and create real resilience,” he said. “When our financing partners saw what happened at Bok, they were willing to step into something this ambitious with us. We pulled together nine different sources of capital so we could keep VIA affordable and artist-centered for the long run, and that only works when people trust the model and believe in the purpose.”

One long-term success story at Bok is Atelier Jacobi, a clarinet repair shop run by Mark Jacobi, which is celebrating its 10th year in the building. Jacobi notes that when he moved in, the area was “blighted” but has really transformed over the time his business has been there.

“Bok has been a fabulous place to work,” he said. “Of any place I’ve had my business, this is the best. The atmosphere, the creative energy and the sense of community have made it an ideal home for my shop over the past decade.” In fact, he recently moved to a larger space, and his wife, a collage artist, took over his old space.

From the transformation of Bok to the bold acquisition of VIA, Lindsey Scannapieco and her team have shown that adaptive reuse can thrive when it centers community input, nurtures trust and balances respect for the past with a vision for the future. By creating affordable, flexible spaces for artists, makers and small businesses, Scout has fostered resilience and neighborhood vitality, proving that thoughtful redevelopment can be both economically and socially transformative.

Mark Glaser is a communications consultant for Knight Foundation, Press Forward, Tiny News Collective and The Lenfest Institute, and was the founder and executive editor of MediaShift.org. He was formerly the director of business and program development for the New Mexico Local News Fund. He runs the Wind Power Media consultancy out of Santa Fe.