Village of Industry & Arts Hosts First-Ever Open Studios October 16; Bok Open Studios returns during DesignPhiladelphia on October 9
One week after Bok’s Open Studios on October 9 — this year coinciding with DesignPhiladelphia — the Village of Industry & Art opens its doors to the public with its first open studios event, built around a live performance at its heart
Free, Open to the Public, Family-Friendly
Philadelphia, PA—October 1, 2026 — This month, Scout's two Philadelphia creative hubs open their doors to the public with dynamic open studio evenings. On Friday, October 16, 5-9 p.m. , the Village of Industry & Art— Scout's newest project, reactivating the former University of the Arts buildings on the Avenue of the Arts — hosts its first-ever Open Studios, opening its historic halls to the public for the first time and anchoring the evening around exploration of the new creative world and community taking shape with performance, art, and more to discover along the way. One week earlier, on Friday, October 9, 5-9 p.m. , Bok, the nine-story former vocational high school in South Philadelphia, welcomes back its signature Open Studios — this year timed to DesignPhiladelphia's citywide festival (October 1–11, 2026).
THE VILLAGE OF INDUSTRY & ART OPEN STUDIOS: A FIRST LOOK
October 16 marks the first-ever Open Studios at the Village of Industry & Art, Scout's newest creative campus at Broad and Pine Streets. Spanning more than 110,000 square feet across two reactivated historic structures — the 1826 John Haviland-designed Hamilton Hall and the Frank Furness building on 15th Street — the Village of Industry & Art is a living ecosystem for artists, makers, and mission-driven organizations at the intersection of culture, craft, and civic life. Since its soft launch in fall 2025, VIA has grown a roster of founding tenants including BlackStar Projects, DesignPhiladelphia, AIA Philadelphia, CraftNOW, The Weaving Circle, The Ceramics Dept., The Stained Glass Project and many more.
This first-ever Open Studios marks the public's first full look inside the various spaces of the building, now that Haviland Hall on Broad Street is nearly completely occupied. At the heart of the evening featured in The Great Hall guests will experience performance music and dance by Opera Philadelphia, Rowan University’s String Ensemble, + more! Expect bites + sips from Frankies Summer Club, Film curation by People’s Cinema Club, an installation by fiber artist Aubrie Costello, and DesignPhiladelphia’s Architecture of Us gallery exhibition setting the tone for how the Village of Industry & Art intends to bring people into the building going forward: not just to look, but to experience it.
BOK OPEN STUDIOS: A NEW SEASON, DURING DESIGNPHILADELPHIA
Bok opens its doors on October 9th for its bi-annual Open Studios. Visitors are invited to explore all nine floors of the building and experience firsthand the energy of a thriving creative ecosystem. More than 100 businesses, artists, and community organizations call Bok home, including painters, glassblowers, ceramicists, bakers, jewelers, musicians, designers, and photographers. Open Studios offers a unique opportunity to glimpse the dynamic community shaping Philadelphia’s cultural landscape while shopping, sipping, and connecting with the makers behind it all.
Highlights of the evening include a dynamic lineup of activities and experience:
- Pop-up performance in the West Gym by DJ Lady Problems;
- Film screenings by Lightbox Film Center;
- Live painting demo on the 7th floor with Studio Incamminati;
- Engaging activations from Free Dating Advice, Soul Fly Club, Kelechi Azu, East Passyunk Tree Tenders, and Office of State Senator Nikil Saval.
Attendees can also shop exclusive Bok merchandise and visit the Community Food Hall in the West Gym, featuring local favorites like Bok Bar, South Philly Barbacoa, Philly Hummus Girl, Taqueria Morales, The Underbite Bites, Glory line, and the Burrito Feliz Food Truck.
Bok’s rooftop Sicilian restaurant, Irwin’s, will be taking dinner reservations all night, or drop by Bok Bar and grab a drink or a bite from the bar’s food partner for the month, Darnel’s Cakes—no reservation required!
The main entrance to Open Studios is 1901 S. 9th Street. Doors at 821 Dudley Street and 800 Mifflin Street will also be open. This event is all ages, but if you are 21+ and plan to drink, you’ll need to show your ID at the door.
See the full list of participating studios at www.buildingbok.com/open-studios.
About Bok
The Bok Building in South Philadelphia stands as a powerful model of adaptive reuse and mission-driven development. The project transformed a 1936 historic vocational high school into a thriving, nine-story hub for creativity, entrepreneurship, and community life. Led by Scout, the project reimagines the school's original infrastructure — terrazzo floors, lockers, and shop equipment — preserved through a light-touch renovation that prioritizes accessibility, affordability, and cultural continuity. Today, Bok is home to over 200 tenants, including artists, nonprofits, creative small businesses, and manufacturers. Former classrooms now house everything from clarinet repairers to tattoo studios, while the ground-floor WKSHP marketplace — formerly the auto shop — buzzes with activity from a bakery, ceramics studios, a coffee shop, artisan boutiques, and more.
Scout's flexible leasing model has enabled remarkable tenant growth, and even after reaching 100% occupancy in 2019, tenants have continued to scale through internal moves, space-sharing, and collaboration. Over 60% of Bok's tenants are women- or minority-owned, far surpassing industry norms. The building's rooftop venues — Bok Bar and Irwin's, an award-winning Sicilian restaurant — along with biannual Open Studios and community and civic programming, have turned Bok into a destination as much as a workspace.
About the Village of Industry & Art
The Village of Industry & Art is a new creative campus rising on Philadelphia’s Avenue of the Arts—an evolving ecosystem for artists, makers, and mission-driven organizations at the intersection of culture, craft, and civic life. Developed by Scout, the project spans over 110,000 square feet across 1.9 acres, reactivating two iconic buildings—formerly Hamilton and Furness Halls of the University of the Arts—through an adaptive reuse approach that prioritizes affordability, minimal intervention, and community-first design.
The Village of Industry & Art is taking shape through early activations and collaborative occupancy, inviting tenants to help shape the campus from within. The Village of Industry & Art’s tenants include BlackStar Projects, Monument Lab, DesignPhiladelphia, and the Stained Glass Project, alongside 45+ local artists, makers, and small-scale retailers. Public-facing studios, workshops, and storefronts will activate the ground floor, fostering interaction between artists and the broader public.
Inspired by Scout’s Bok Building model, the Village of Industry & Art is not just a redevelopment—it is a living village for cultural production, where residential life, creativity, and civic infrastructure coexist.
About Scout
Scout is a Philadelphia-based design and development firm nationally recognized for transforming underutilized buildings into vibrant, community-centered hubs. Guided by a philosophy of minimal intervention, Scout preserves architectural character while unlocking new creative and economic possibilities through adaptive reuse.
Unlike traditional developers, Scout remains a long-term steward of its projects, actively managing properties to cultivate ecosystems of artists, entrepreneurs, and community partners. Its work balances preservation with progress, demonstrating how design-led development can support affordability, equity, and cultural vitality. Scout’s approach is exemplified by the Bok Building in South Philadelphia and continues with the Village of Industry & Art on the Avenue of the Arts.
Media contact:
Scout – Sara Griffin; sara@griffinprny.com; +1-917-656-6348