Funded through FDR’s Public Works Administration, Bok was built in 1936 to accommodate 3,000 students studying subjects from wallpapering to cosmetology to auto mechanics to bricklaying. Many of the classrooms were purpose-built to accommodate trade-specific study — like the welding workshop or culinary arts training kitchen. In 2013, with under 1,000 students enrolled, the School District of Philadelphia closed the school and put it up for public auction — one of over 20 schools put up for auction in Philadelphia that year. Unfortunately, this follows a narrative playing out across the country — around the same time, over 55 schools were put up for sale in Chicago, and over 120 schools were closed in Detroit. Although there were some cosmetic changes over Bok’s 75-year history, the building remained largely unchanged. Scout responded to a public RFP to purchase the building in 2014 and received keys in July 2015. Scout felt that it was important for quick action to re-engage the surrounding neighborhood and, within 30 days, opened a temporary pop-up bar on the roof of the building as the first gesture of invitation. The goal of the bar was to provide a non-traditional forum for community engagement and generate project momentum. The bar’s success led to the creation of an anchor tenant and enabled the building to secure an initial construction loan. From 2015 to 2022, the building was gradually repaired, financed, and tenanted with a wide range of different businesses that could reuse the existing infrastructure and materiality of the building.

Rarely are walls removed or new infrastructure installed, but rather tenants are matched with classrooms that fulfill their size and infrastructure requirements. For example, a wholesale bakery that required concrete floors and high electrical capacity for their ovens ultimately found a perfect fit in the old machine shop — and found inspiration for their name, ‘Machine Shop Boulangerie.’ In addition to the 220 tenant units, all occupied, there are an additional five multipurpose spaces across the building where everything from weddings to free community events are hosted. The design approach included a materials catalog that outlined the different conditions found within each space. Thoughtful reuse approaches included a ‘lending library’ of old school furniture left by the School District which tenants can use for free during their tenancy.