{"id":303772,"date":"2026-10-10T12:54:10","date_gmt":"2026-10-10T12:54:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/303772\/"},"modified":"2026-10-10T12:54:10","modified_gmt":"2026-10-10T12:54:10","slug":"how-to-have-a-perfect-philly-day-according-to-lindsey-scannapieco-the-bok-creator-revitalizing-uarts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/303772\/","title":{"rendered":"How to have a Perfect Philly Day, according to Lindsey Scannapieco, the Bok creator revitalizing UArts"},"content":{"rendered":"

Lindsey Scannapieco is obsessed with unearthing the \u201cdirty workspaces\u201d hidden within Philly\u2019s historical architecture.<\/p>\n

Her requirements: Good bones for artists and makers to grow while making a few messes, and built-in meaning. Bonus points if it just so happens to be a school.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m really interested in how you respect history without being bound by it,\u201d Scannapieco told the Inquirer. \u201cYou can\u2019t allow these places to be museums. They were living, breathing buildings.\u201d<\/p>\n

Scannapieco and her design firm, Scout<\/a>, are best known for transforming South Philly\u2019s Edward W. Bok Technical High School at 9th and Mifflin St, shuttered<\/a> and sold off<\/a> by the school district in 2015, into the Bok Building<\/a>, a thriving makerspace with over 220 tenants and a rooftop bar that\u2019s become a Philly destination.<\/p>\n

The redevelopment was initially controversial<\/a>. But more than a decade later, Bok has become something of a model <\/a>for breathing new life into the city\u2019s old buildings, with occupants ranging from artists and designers to a James Beard Award-nominated bakery<\/a>, a ballet studio, and a health clinic<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Now, Scannapieco is bringing a similar vision to South Broad Street<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe view from the top of the Bok Building, which Scannapieco helped transform from an abandoned school into a vibrant makers space with 220+ tenants.Yong Kim \/ Staff Photographer<\/p>\n

Earlier this year, Scout opened the Village of Industry and Arts<\/a> (VIA) inside Hamilton Hall, the former home of the University of the Arts<\/a>. Scout acquired the building and the adjoining Furness Hall in a dramatic bankruptcy auction<\/a>, beating out a New York-based real estate firm<\/a>. Furness Hall, once a UArts dormitory, is currently being transformed into 45 units of affordable housing for local artists. Set to be complete next summer, Scannapieco called it the \u201clargest affordable housing [development] for artists ever done\u201d in Philly.<\/p>\n

\"NowNow called the Village of Industry and Arts, Scout and Scannapieco have transformed UArts’ iconic Hamilton Hall into another makers space with a focus on artists.Elizabeth Robertson \/ Staff Photographer<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not a copy-and-paste of Bok,\u201d Scannapieco said. \u201cThe buildings are different. The location is different. The tenants will be a bit different … I feel very indebted to the history and legacy of the artists who came through this space before us.\u201d<\/p>\n

In an ideal world, Scannapieco\u2019s next project would be revitalizing the abandoned bathhouses in the southeast corner of FDR Park, where Scannapieco \u2014 who grew up in New Hope \u2014 said her grandparents went swimming as teens. <\/p>\n

Admittedly, Scannapieco wasn\u2019t always sold on building a life in Philly. After attending college at the University of Southern California, Scannapieco moved to London, where she worked on the Summer 2012 Olympics<\/a> and fashioned an outdoor movie theater from a pile of discarded fridges<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It took years of convincing from Scannapieco\u2019s father, also a real estate developer, to see Philly in a new light. On trips home, he\u2019d show Scannapieco places like Global Dye Works<\/a> as proof that Philly has its own brand of cool.<\/p>\n

\"LindseyLindsey Scannapiecco, who lives in Queen Village, and her son browse the shelves inside Brickbat Books.Tyger Williams \/ Staff Photographer<\/p>\n

Now 40, Scannapieco can\u2019t imagine having settled anywhere else. <\/p>\n

\u201cYou can take a risk here,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd everyone participates. There\u2019s a lot of passion for shaping our future here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s how Scannapieco gets the most out of a perfect Saturday off in Philly \u2014 which, naturally, involves a Bok Bar sunset.<\/p>\n

I wake up early to get in some snuggles with my 11-month-old, baby George. One of my favorite parts of the morning is just hanging out in bed with him. He\u2019s always so smiley and happy. <\/p>\n

Then, I try to get in at least 15 minutes of movement and 15 minutes of reading before the day really starts. Right now, I\u2019m making my way through Don\u2019t Build, Rebuild<\/a> by Aaron Betsky \u2014 an adaptive reuse expert<\/a> who just so happens to live in Philly \u2014 and The Twilight of Bohemia<\/a>, about an affordable housing project for artists in NYC.<\/p>\n

When it comes to movement, I\u2019m lucky to get through a YouTube workout during the week, so I like to indulge on the weekend with a cardio box class at Together Athletics with [owner] Kate Connelly<\/a> or a pilates private at The Balance Room<\/a> in Queen Village. Both places are just bundles of wonderful energy.<\/p>\n

\"LindseyLindsey Scannapiecco and her son shop inside Queen Village’s Brickbat Books, one of her favorite local bookstores.Tyger Williams \/ Staff Photographer<\/p>\n

I love an aimless wander, so my dream weekend involves traipsing around Queen Village without a destination.<\/p>\n

First, I pop into Ace Outpost<\/a> for an oat milk cappuccino. I am \u201chot drinks, always\u201d person, regardless of the weather, which I\u2019ve been told is a little crazy. Then, I\u2019ll probably head over to this children\u2019s boutique called Nesting House<\/a> to shop for George. Right now, I\u2019m on the hunt for rompers and overalls.<\/p>\n

After, it\u2019s time to shop for myself. I love to peruse the selection at Brickbat Books<\/a>, but that\u2019s really the warm-up for the main event: Second Street Thrift<\/a>. <\/p>\n

I love the search, so I prefer to thrift at places that require you to really dig for gems. I actually picked up the find of my life at Second Street: A pair black Christian Louboutin leather ballet flats. They had never been worn before, too. When I saw them, I gasped. <\/p>\n

\"LindseyLindsey Scannapiecco prefers to thrift at Second Street Vintage’s South Street location, where she once found a pair of unworn Christian Louboutin shoes.Tyger Williams \/ Staff Photographer<\/p>\n

My husband, Sandy, and I are going to go on a bike ride with baby George to the Southeast Asian Market<\/a> at FDR Park<\/a>. Biking around Philly is probably my favorite thing in the world \u2014 you\u2019re kind of just breezing through the city. It\u2019s freeing.<\/p>\n

The Southeast Asian Market is one of those places where you have to go with a whole group to divide and conquer. There\u2019s just too many things to try<\/a>, but our non-negotiables are the beef skewers, the salted lemonade, and the [khao lam], or sticky rice in bamboo that you crack open.<\/p>\n

Afterward, we\u2019ll probably meander around the park. It\u2019s such a special place for me. Sandy and I got married there<\/a>. It was during COVID, so we had a picnic in the meadows. It was lovely.<\/p>\n

\"BeefBeef skewers \u2014 one of Scannpieco’s favorite snacks \u2014 on the grill at the Southeast Asian Market at FDR Park.Monica Herndon \/ Staff Photographer<\/p>\n

On the way home from the park, we stop at Sao<\/a>, which I think is the best restaurant in Philadelphia. I wish I could just go there casually because it takes quite a bit of hustle to get a reservation<\/a>. I could eat the oysters with the fish sauce mignonette endlessly. Same with the chirashi bowls.<\/p>\n

I know it\u2019s corny, but I would go to Bok Bar to see the sunset<\/a>. It still brings me so much joy. I love the feeling I get when I\u2019m in the elevator and I overhear people say, \u2018Did you know this used to be a school?\u2019, or \u201cWow,\u201d when they see the view for the first time. There\u2019s just a magic in the air.<\/p>\n

\"AA sunset over Bok Bar when it first opened in 2015 under the name Le Bok Fin.Michelle Gustafson<\/p>\n

The best Bok Bar sunsets are always the day after it rains. I used to say that Bok Bar was like a kid for me because I\u2019d just flip through my camera roll like a proud mom, pointing at indistinguishable sunset photos and saying each was more amazing than the next.<\/p>\n

Bok is just this space where you see people from all over. Old people. Young people. People from South Jersey. I really want to see more places like that.<\/p>\n

We end the night with ice cream at Milk Jawn<\/a><\/a> on Passyunk Avenue. I love the fact that their vegan ice cream is just as good as their regular ice cream, if not better.<\/p>\n

\"MilkMilk Jawn ice cream served in a cup, just the way Scannapieco prefers.Courtesy of Milk Jawn<\/p>\n

Not that I\u2019m a vegan though \u2014 I just like knowing I have the option. I tend to go for the Earl Grey ice cream with honeycomb, and my husband gets the Tahini Fudge Swirl flavor.<\/p>\n

We are cup people. I want to be cone person so bad, but I like to spend time with my ice cream. You can\u2019t rush ice cream.<\/p>\n

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.<\/p>\n

\"Beatrice<\/a><\/p>\n

I’m a food writer who covers how trends are reshaping Philadelphia’s dynamic food scene, from the growth of Philly’s restaurant merch to why venture capital-backed chains can’t stop coming to our city. I also cover labor dynamics \u2014 and changes to the workplace \u2014 within the hospitality industry. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Lindsey Scannapieco is obsessed with unearthing the \u201cdirty workspaces\u201d hidden within Philly\u2019s historical architecture. Her requirements: Good bones…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":303773,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[124902,69,71,70],"class_list":["post-303772","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-philadelphia","tag-lindsey-scannapieco-perfect-philly-day-bok","tag-philadelphia","tag-philadelphia-headlines","tag-philadelphia-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/303772","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=303772"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/303772\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/303773"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=303772"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=303772"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=303772"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}