A Thoughtful Restoration Resurrects one of Philadelphia’s Grandest Hotels

Opening Shot is a column that peeks inside new hotels, restaurants, bars, and shops with dreamy interiors.

The Bellevue

Location: Philadelphia

Designer: LUCID, Ward + Gray, Anouska Hempel, and Grace Song Studio

On Offer: 

When the doors of The Bellevue-Stratford opened in 1904, the French-Renaissance-style hotel was lauded as a beacon of Philadelphia’s Gilded Age. Now, a thoughtful renovation has reawakened the “Grand Dame of Broad Street” as The Bellevue. 

Artifacts of the past remain—an ornately carved four-time-zone clock, restored by local analog clock masters; a gold letter box bearing William Shakespeare’s likeness; original Edison-era electric panels—melding seamlessly with contemporary amenities. The 184 guest rooms, of which one moody suite has been christened the “Dark and Stormy,” follow suit, with intricate millwork and classical fireplaces calling to Parisian pieds-à-terre alongside marble-tiled bathrooms stocked with violet leaf and blonde cedar-scented products.

Standout Features: 

Once an open-air rooftop dotted with greenery, the 19th floor now hosts Pergola, an airy all-day restaurant whose expansive murals evoke the pastoral beauty of the Delaware River. An oak table from 1913 anchors the space, where guests pass around plates of cheesesteak empanadas or linger over yuzu-flecked martinis. 

Downstairs, a seven-story atrium conservatory welcomes natural light through a dutifully restored glass ceiling and bathes in the glow of suspended glass lanterns by night. Up next for the historic landmark: Mr. Edison, a dining concept nodding to the American inventor and designer of the original property’s lighting.