Linode’s new HQ got an architectural review

It has taken a couple of years, but cloud services company Linode is finally settling into its revamped neoclassical HQ on the corner of 3rd and Arch.

Known to many as the “Real World House” for serving as the set to the MTV reality show in 2004, the building’s history gets richer the further back you go. Inga Saffron, architecture critic for the Inquirer, recently chronicled the 15,000-square-foot building’s past lives as a bank and corn exchange:

The ornate neoclassical bank has always stood out in Old City, which is dominated by hardworking, cast-iron warehouses and factories. Maybe the Corn Exchange oddball appearance is what helped it survive. Over more than a century, it has continued to attract innovative users — first the Real World crew, now Linode.

Thanks @MissionBBQ for an awesome first lunch at our new Philly headquarters! #phillyeats #linodelunch #foodcoma pic.twitter.com/OEuay07l8C

— Linode (@linode) March 14, 2018

For the company, formerly scattered in three buildings in Haddonfield, N.J., the Philly-proper location will help in further tapping into the local talent pool. Just last month the company launched a N3rd Street breakfast event in partnership with Indy Hall in a push to connect with its new neighborhood. A grand opening event is expected later this year as work on the sidewalks is completed.