Chesco architecture firm Bernardon receives national award

WEST CHESTER — A project designed by architecture, interior design and landscape architecture firm Bernardon — has been awarded the Grand Project of the Year in the Mid-Rise category (4-7 stories) by Multifamily Executive.

Bernardon, which has offices in West Chester, Philadelphia and Wilmington, Del., was recognized by the publication for its 520 Lofts project, a mixed-use, multifamily residential community in Allentown. The award was presented Oct. 3 during the 2019 MFE Awards in Las Vegas, Nev.

520 Lofts is located near Allentown’s museum and arts district, and was designed to appeal to “creative types seeking the downtown lifestyle,” being cultivated by City Center Investment Corp, the real estate development company helping to revitalize downtown Allentown, the company said in a press release.

“There’s a bit of an urban renaissance happening in Allentown right now, and we’ve had the opportunity to create a residential building that not only provides luxury living space, but also fosters seamless interaction with the commercial businesses, retailers, and artists that are arriving in the city,” Michael McCloskey, principal at Bernardon, said in the release. “With 520 Lofts we were able to create architecture that truly responds to Allentown’s rich history in a contemporary yet complementary way.”

The first floor of the building includes 11,000 square feet of office space and three artists’ garages at the street level. Sixty-eight residential units are included in the building’s five stories. The building features a white brick exterior and double-height lofted units inside a mansard roof with diamond metal shingles.

On the top floor is a double-height community lounge and rooftop deck, while a steel-and-glass pedestrian bridge connects the building to an existing parking garage. Visible from the street is downtown Allentown’s tallest mural, a 19-foot-by-89-foot piece that can be seen through the building’s main stair tower’s seven-story curtain wall.

Founded in Chester County in 1973 by Arthur A. Bernardon, the 80-person firm provides architecture, interior design and landscape architecture services to a wide range of clients. In July 2017, Bernardon relocated its Chester County base from Kennett Square to an office at 10 North High Street in West Chester, adjacent to the Chester County Courthouse.

Some of Bernardon’s projects include: the Chester County Justice Center, the restoration of the Historic Courthouse, Chestnut Square Apartments, Darlington Commons, 121 N. Walnut St., and 313 W. Market St. — all in West Chester — as well as the Turn5 headquarters in Paoli, the Genesis Healthcare Corp. headquarters in Kennett Square, Providence Town Center in Upper Providence and Centre Square Commons in Whitpain.

Multifamily Executive presents the awards annually, recognizing projects in 14 categories including: executive of the year, high-rise, mid-rise, adaptive reuse, mixed-use, mixed-income, affordable, senior, student and community service and others. A total of 28 winners were named this year —14 Grand and 14 Merit — from more than 300 entries, according to information on the Multifamily Executive website.

Written by Donna Rovins; Originally published in The Daily Local.