Philadelphia's historic Divine Lorraine to turn back into a hotel

The Divine Lorraine is ending its apartment leases and turning back into a hotel in the coming months, Billy Penn reports.

Driving the news: Renters received emails over the weekend notifying them that their leases won't be considered for renewal because of the decision.

• The emails didn't include timelines or any specific details about the historic building's plans.

The intrigue: Since the 1890s, the landmark on North Broad Street has been used as apartments, a hotel, a center for a religious movement and then apartments again.

• The building was abandoned in 1999 after Father Divine, the leader of the Universal Peace Mission Movement, closed the hotel, which he had renamed the Divine Lorraine more than 40 years earlier.
• It was redeveloped into apartments in 2017, but it became a hub for graffiti artists during the large gap of non-use.

1 cool thing: The Divine Lorraine was the first racially integrated hotel in the country.