It’s been almost one year since Philadelphia’s University of the Arts (UArts) announced its abrupt closure, leaving students, faculty, and alumni bewildered, and outraged. There were a total nine buildings that went up for auction as part of the closure. Scout—a women-owned, Philadelphia-based development and design company—successfully acquired two of them: Dorrance Hamilton Hall, built in 1826 on Broad Street; and Furness Residence Hall, a Victorian masterpiece named after its architect, Frank Furness. Scout announced today public programming that will soon take place at the former UArts buildings it acquired, the first step in its adaptive reuse proposal for the 19th-century buildings. The longterm vision entails maintaining the Hamilton and Furness buildings as hubs for artistic activity in Philadelphia’s Center City. DIGSAU and AOS are helping Scout create a vision plan for the buildings, and ISA Architects is behind a temporary installation that will debut in June. Scout is likewise organizing a “Celebration of Life” to commemorate the Philadelphia mainstay founded in 1876, shuttered in 2024. Scout is partnering with local architects to activate former UArts interior and exterior spaces with public programming. (Mike Persico) “It didn’t feel right to start jumping into the next chapter without acknowledging the past, and allowing space for closure,” Scout founder and managing partner Lindsey Scannapieco told AN. This idea for a Celebration of Life, she noted, will “provide closure, and also cleanse the ground a bit before moving into its next iteration.” Grief and Memory Work At Hamilton Hall, the Celebration of Life for UArts will take place from June 4–8. There, former UArts students, faculty, and alumni will be welcomed back into the campus for performances and programming. Scout has also invited a death doula to guide visitors through “grief and memory work,” Scannapieco said. “Everyone was obviously devastated about the closure. There was a lot of pain and grief. It was very sudden, and very opaque. There were horror stories about enrolled students, professors with tenure. So many people were impacted by it,” Scannapieco added. “The question became, what happens to this real estate in the center of our city? And what does it mean to have this gap in creative, cultural, and student energy downtown?” “No institutions put in bids for the buildings, but people were still very interested in keeping these buildings art-centric,” Scannapieco continued. “We had an incredible outpouring of public support which inspired us to work our butts off to compete in the auction. It was a miracle, to be honest, that we were able to pull it off.” The buildings were left untouched after the bankruptcy auction, notice the flyers still on the walls. (Mike Persico) The Celebration of Life will be followed by more programming in mid-June at the Furness building with Frankie’s Summer Club, a seasonal outdoor hospitality space chock full of wine, ice cream, and more in partnership with local chef Michael Ferreri. ISA Architects is behind the setting inspired by an unbuilt design from Louis Kahn circa 1975 for the nearby Kimmel Center site. Bonafide Community Builders Scout has built a reputation for converting historic Philadelphia buildings into usable, modern spaces like the Bok Building, a former technical high school that now hosts workspaces for makers, businesses, nonprofits, and artists. The Bok has over 250,000 visitors a year and is “home to over 225 small businesses, artists, and makers,” Scannapieco said. “Everything from jewelry designers to architecture studios, interior designers, ceramic workers, glass blowers, a daycare, doggy daycare. A fourth of the building is nonprofits,” she noted, “like Black Star Film Festival, the Garces Foundation, and Girls Inc. There’s also Diadora, an Italian sneaker company, and Bowery Presents, a concert promoter.” Scout’s vision for the Hamilton and Furness buildings is similar to the Bok, although the former UArts structures are much more centrally located, and smaller. Scout will lease out spaces to a comparable group of artists, architects, designers, and nonprofits. Equipment is leftover from UArts, like the ceramics studio pictured above. (Mike Persico) A leftover metal foundry, ceramic workshops, and wood shops are still in situ at the Hamilton and Furness buildings, among other handy ephemera like kilns, so artists can pick up where they left off. There are also 45 dormitory units in the Furness building that Scout hopes to convert into artist housing, and residencies. “Something we’ve heard about over the years from the creative community is the lack of affordable housing access, specifically for artists,” Scannapieco said. “So we’ll be working over time to bring those online as affordable artist housing, and for artist-in-residency programs with nearby institutional partners. Visiting artists can come live and work alongside Philadelphia working artists. Just thinking about the energy exchange that can happen from that is something we’re really excited about.” A more detailed version of the vision plan will be announced in the coming months, Scout said. The first tenants are slated to move in this fall, and the project will be rolled out in phases. Public programming information for the upcoming Celebration of Life is listed on Scout’s website. There will also be opportunities for community driven performances via this sign-up link.