Scout Releases Data on Economic Impact of Bok
Detailing a Decade of Growth, Inclusion, and Economic Mobility
Statistics reveal sustained growth in group of more than 200 tenants across sectors,
60% of them women- or minority-owned businesses
Philadelphia, PA (September 9, 2025) — Philadelphia design and development firm Scout has released topline data on the economic impact of the Bok Building over the decade since its redevelopment from the former Bok Vocational High School. The data reveals how Bok has become a national model for inclusive economic development, catalyzing growth for small, women-owned, and minority-owned businesses while reimagining how real estate can serve as infrastructure for economic mobility.
Since opening in 2015, Bok has transformed into a fully occupied mixed-use hub, proving that affordability and flexibility can fuel business success. Today, Bok is home to some of the city’s most notable cultural and creative forces, including BlackStar Film Festival, Machine Shop, Diadora, Remark Glass + Bottle Underground, Lightbox Film, Garces Foundation, Klip Collective, Redshift Sports, Streets Department, Studio Incamminati, and the Wyss Wellness Center / SEAMAC Partnership. The data further reveals a decade of measurable impact:
- Rapid tenant growth in early years: Between 2015 and 2018, 49 tenants expanded their physical footprints within the building, with tenants on average more than doubling their leased space (125.7% increase). Over half of these expansions came from creative professionals, small manufacturers, and nonprofit organizations—sectors often marginalized in real estate markets.
- Durable economic dynamism: By 2022, Bok reached 100% occupancy, with a waitlist of over 400 applications for space. Despite the lack of vacancy, many tenants continued to scale while remaining in the building through internal relocations, shared-space strategies, and collaborative partnerships.
- Diverse and flourishing: Today, more than 60% of Bok’s more than 200 tenants identify as women- or minority-owned businesses, far exceeding national averages. These businesses are not only remaining in place but thriving, reinvesting, and creating ripple effects in the community.
- Creative and community-centered ecosystem: Nearly three-quarters of Bok is home to artists, makers, and creative enterprises, while 20% of the building is leased to nonprofit organizations. The community also continues to renew itself—22% of businesses are less than five years old—ensuring a dynamic mix of established tenants and emerging voices.
- Local and next-generation workforce: Of the 673 people who work at Bok, nearly 40% live in South Philadelphia.
Scout’s mission-driven approach—short-term leases, affordable rents, and operational flexibility—has provided tenants with room to grow, while also generating long-term stability for the project itself. Unlike conventional developments, which rely on credit tenants and rigid lease structures, Scout has built resilience through inclusion. At a time when the broader commercial real estate sector faces steep headwinds, Bok remains fully leased and vibrant.
“Looking back over the data and growth statistics over the past decade, we are seeing evidence of what we’ve long believed—that real estate can be a tool for advancing economic mobility,” said Scout Director of Development Everett Abitbol. “By prioritizing affordability, flexibility, and equity, we’ve built an ecosystem where small and creative businesses thrive. In releasing this data now, we hope to support and encourage more widespread adoption of this model—locally, nationally, and internationally—as a model to build both community and industry.”
Looking ahead, Scout is applying the lessons from Bok to its next transformative project: the adaptive reuse of the former UArts Hamilton and Furness Halls on South Broad Street. This new development will bring the same mix of small businesses and creative tenants to South Broad, with the addition of affordable artist housing—an urgent need identified by the community.
Over the past decade, Scout has demonstrated that adaptive reuse can go beyond historic preservation to serve as a platform for economic and cultural vitality.
About Scout
Scout is an American design and development firm nationally recognized for transforming historic, underutilized buildings into vibrant, community-centered hubs. With a core philosophy of minimal intervention, Scout preserves architectural character while unlocking new creative and economic possibilities—demonstrating how adaptive reuse can serve as a tool for cultural revitalization, affordability, and inclusive growth.
Unlike traditional developers, Scout doesn’t just build spaces—they lead the design process and remain long-term stewards, actively managing their properties to cultivate thriving ecosystems of artists, entrepreneurs, and neighborhood partners. Their work balances preservation with progress, fostering collaborative environments that strengthen local communities and fuel creative economies.
This approach is exemplified by the Bok Building—a 340,000 sq ft former vocational high school in South Philadelphia—now home to over 200 tenants, including artists, nonprofits, small businesses, and food entrepreneurs. Scout’s flexible leasing model, phased renovation strategy, and ongoing programming have enabled tenants to grow in place: between 2015 and 2018, 49 tenants expanded their spaces by an average of 125%. Today, over 60% of Bok’s tenants are women- or minority-owned, far surpassing industry norms and affirming Scout’s commitment to equity as both a social and economic imperative.
Building on this success, Scout is developing a new 110,000 sq ft creative campus on Philadelphia’s Avenue of the Arts. Spanning 1.9 acres and anchored by two historic buildings (the former Hamilton and Furness Halls of the University of the Arts), the project is envisioned as a living, working community for artists, makers, and mission-driven organizations.
Founded in London in 2011 by Lindsey Scannapieco, Scout has grown into a nimble, multidisciplinary collective headquartered in Philadelphia. With expertise in design, planning, community engagement, hospitality, and operations, Scout takes a minimum viable product approach to real estate—rapidly activating spaces, testing ideas in real time, and evolving based on community need. As a nationally certified Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE), Scout prioritizes long-term impact over short-term return, designing and managing places that are resilient, inclusive, and culturally vibrant.
Beyond buildings, Scout engages in bold, participatory public art projects like the Ebba Sparre Sauna Collective in Philadelphia and Watch This Wall in London—installations that spark creativity, connection, and joy. What sets Scout apart is their commitment to working with the grain of existing architecture and neighborhood identity—preserving history while imagining new possibilities, and remaining deeply invested in the life of their projects long after the doors open.