Frankie’s Summer Club Pops Up at Former UArts Property in Center City

A new outdoor pop-up bar is set to open on the former University of the Arts campus in Center City beginning Friday, June 20.

Frankie's Summer Club, named after the former school's Frank Furness building, will feature natural wines, seasonal bites, and soft-serve ice cream created by Michael Ferreri, the chef at Irwin's in the Bok building. Frankie's will stay open throughout the summer in the courtyard of the Furness building, 355 S. 15th St., on Wednesday from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., Thursday and Saturday from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., and Sunday from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.

According to a PhillyVoice report, the plan for the courtyard includes a bar inspired by a previous design by architect Louis Kahn. In 1975, Khan suggested expanding the school's footprint to the current site of the Kimmel Center.

Kahn's design revealed multi-story, tube-shaped shaft structures that offer consistent, diffused northern light, a preference favored by artists in the school's studios. The sculptures were meant to run the length of the building's interior and curve slightly at the base to emphasize the natural light. 

Frankie's will mirror Khan's design with a similar setup for the bar in the courtyard. Winding, curved tables will carry forth the geometric shapes of Kahn's plan. Developer Scout, the new owner of the former University of Arts property, collaborated with studio ISA to develop the design. 

"Frankie's is more than a pop-up — it is a prelude for what is to come and an invitation,” Lindsey Scannapieco, managing partner at Scout, said in a statement shared with the PhillyVoice, “an invitation to reconnect with this historic space, to celebrate Philly's creative energy, and to get a glimpse of what's coming next as we begin a new chapter in these remarkable buildings.”