Murphy & Dittenhafer Completes St. Francis Commons Project

Murphy & Dittenhafer Architects has completed work on a new three-story building on Penn Avenue in downtown Scranton. St. Francis Commons was commissioned by Catholic Social Services of the Diocese of Scranton and constructed on a site adjacent to the St. Francis Kitchen.

This housing facility is utilized primarily by veterans discharged from the nearby VA hospital suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and in need of transitional housing. The upper two floors of The Commons now include 30 single room occupant dormitory rooms with shared kitchen and lounge spaces. The first floor is comprised of an intake desk and offices for the residential facility, a self-select food pantry, and a community relief clothing store.

Construction on the $4.6 million, 24,000 square foot building began in April 2013 and was completed in May 2014. Catholic Social Services hosted a dedication and blessing ceremony in July.

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Murphy & Dittenhafer Architects is an award-winning architectural firm that focuses on planning, interior, and architectural design projects involving new construction, renovation, restoration, and adaptive reuse for historic properties, churches, urban housing, nonprofit organizations, higher education, and libraries. The firm’s offices are located in York, Pennsylvania and Baltimore, Maryland. Visit their website at murphdittarch.com.

Construction Begins on Catonsville Presbyterian Church Steps

Murphy & Dittenhafer Architects was commissioned by Catonsville Presbyterian Church (Catonsville, MD) to design and coordinate the replacement construction of the church’s North Beechwood Avenue entrance stairs, façade repairs, and site enhancements.

Construction began in August 2014 with demolition of the existing reinforced concrete and brick masonry entrance stair, and will continue with installation of a new stair, new lighting, decorative steel railings, planter boxes, and repairs/painting of the historic columns and pedimented façade. The finished entrance stair will be 45’x23’ (1,035 square feet).

Murphy & Dittenhafer expects to complete this $350,000 project in November 2014.

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Murphy & Dittenhafer Architects is an award-winning architectural firm that focuses on planning, interior, and architectural design projects involving new construction, renovation, restoration, and adaptive reuse for historic properties, churches, urban housing, nonprofit organizations, higher education, and libraries. The firm’s offices are located in York, Pennsylvania and Baltimore, Maryland. Visit their website at murphdittarch.com.

Murphy & Dittenhafer Returns to Sparks Elementary

Murphy & Dittenhafer Architects was commissioned by Baltimore County Public Schools to design an addition for Sparks Elementary School (Catonsville, MD), a building Murphy & Dittenhafer originally designed in 1998.

The addition will provide nine new classrooms for third, fourth, and fifth grades, to accommodate a growing student population that has exceeded the original capacity, forcing the need for modular classrooms on the site. It will also include new faculty support areas, storage and utility rooms.

This project is comprised of two phases; the first phase was a comprehensive study of the existing building, systems, and site conditions to determine the feasibility of accommodating the increased student capacity in an addition/renovation. Phase two, which includes final design and construction administration, is underway.

“The approximately 200-seat addition was designed with an aesthetic that is complementary to the existing building while also promoting a 21st century learning environment,” says project manager Lauren Merrill, “with careful consideration of building materials, use of smart technology, design of efficient building systems with ample daylighting, and selection of sustainable and economical finishes.”

Construction on the $2.3 million, 12,134 square foot building addition began in July 2014 and Murphy & Dittenhafer expects construction to be completed in July 2015.

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Murphy & Dittenhafer Architects is an award-winning architectural firm that focuses on planning, interior, and architectural design projects involving new construction, renovation, restoration, and adaptive reuse for historic properties, churches, urban housing, nonprofit organizations, higher education, and libraries. The firm’s offices are located in York, Pennsylvania and Baltimore, Maryland. Visit their website at murphdittarch.com.