MURPHY & DITTENHAFER ARCHITECTS RECEIVES DESIGN AWARDS FOR 20th CONSECUTIVE YEAR

Murphy & Dittenhafer Architects were recognized with design excellence awards from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Central Pennsylvania Chapter for the twentieth consecutive year.

AIA Central PA presented three of their eight annual Design Excellence Awards in October 2015 to projects led by Murphy & Dittenhafer Architects.

This brings Murphy & Dittenhafer’s total awards received for architectural design, historic preservation, and craftsmanship since 1993 to 177 - including 20 years of continuous project recognition at state and local levels by the AIA. The firm has received 46 total awards during that period from AIA Central Pennsylvania, with 30 of those projects located in York, including such well-known sites as the Susan P. Byrnes Health Education Center, Lofts on George Street, CODO 241 and CODO 28, Pullo Center performing arts center on Penn State’s York campus, and the East Market Street Garage parking structure.

The 2015 Awards

The Seminary Ridge Museum on the campus of the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Gettysburg, PA was recognized with the Merit Award, given annually to recognize projects achieving a higher level of design. The jury was impressed by Murphy & Dittenhafer’s “very skillful conversion/restoration that modernizes the building while retaining its historic character,” and praised their “painstaking accuracy.”

Seminary Ridge Museum also received the Good Design is Good Business Award. This is the second time the Central PA chapter has given this particular award to Murphy & Dittenhafer Architects; the first was in 2013 for their work on the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts in Hagerstown, MD.

The firm’s preservation, conservation, and restoration work on the historic Forum Auditorium in Harrisburg, PA received an Honor Award from the AIA chapter, given for projects that exemplify the highest design quality. The jury noted that “the commitment of the design team to be true to the original architecture is clear. They were incredibly meticulous in their research and the final restoration of the facility is a testimony to their efforts.”

The Chapter held the design awards event in October at Susquehanna Art Museum (Harrisburg, PA), where Murphy & Dittenhafer was one of ten architectural firms from across the United States included in an exhibition titled, “Towards A New/Old Architecture,” featuring exemplary projects across Pennsylvania that employ a contemporary addition as a counterpoint to a historic building. The exhibit ran through January 17.

Murphy & Dittenhafer Architects Recognized for York Central Market Historic Renovation

Murphy & Dittenhafer Architects was recognized in December 2015 with a prestigious Commonwealth Award from 10,000 Friends of Pennsylvania for their work on the York Central Market Historic Renovation.

The annual awards honor and celebrate leading development projects that utilize best practices that promote smart growth, sustainability, green space, and walkable communities. The recognition goes beyond architectural design and historic preservation, honoring projects that make a significant contribution to the city where they’re located.

The renovation included new lighting for customer shopping, as well as accent lighting that added an element of elegance to the historic facility built by Baltimore shipbuilders in 1888. New doors eliminated the one-inch gaps at the entrances, and matched the original J.A. Dempwolf panel and glass lite door designs. A new seating area was added along the market’s Beaver Street side and the underutilized mezzanine got a warm makeover with new stairs, rails, and lighting. Additionally, all heating, plumbing, and electrical systems within Central Market were replaced with more energy efficient installations, including a new fire protection system throughout.

The reverent consideration that went into the Central Market renovation project has been recognized with several other awards, including one of Historic York’s annual Preservation Awards in 2014. That award celebrated Murphy & Dittenhafer’s stewardship and careful decision-making, and acknowledged the reality that the market had to change in order to remain relevant and useful to the community.

Murphy & Dittenhafer Architects Receives State Award for Forum Auditorium Renovation

Murphy & Dittenhafer Architects were recognized with an Architectural Excellence Award from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Pennsylvania for their work on the Forum Auditorium in Harrisburg, PA.

Over 35 firms and individuals across the Commonwealth were honored for excellence in design and innovation, contributions to the profession of Architecture and commitment to the quality of life in the built environment. The Architectural Excellence recipients were selected by a jury panel from AIA New York City, chaired by internationally acclaimed architect, Thomas Phifer, FAIA. The winners were selected from over 150 project submissions. Murphy & Dittenhafer was the only Central Pennsylvania-based firm to receive a State Design Award.

Murphy & Dittenhafer’s work included interior and exterior renovations/restorations to the historic Forum Building at Fifth and Walnut Streets in Harrisburg, PA - within the Capitol Complex. The Forum Auditorium, a 17,000-square foot space within the 300,000-square foot Forum Building, is a historically-significant part of the structure, originally conceived as the Commonwealth’s education building, and now serving as the State Library. The Auditorium, originally used as a lecture hall, has more recently been home to the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra, and used as an adjunct performance venue for the Whitaker Center to accommodate larger audiences and provide a unique venue within the City of Harrisburg for special events.

The Forum project is a quintessential example of Murphy & Dittenhafer’s detailed approach to renovations/restorations to historic landmarks: providing a high-quality result on time, under budget, and with careful consideration for preserving the past while accommodating current needs.

“The Forum Auditorium is one of the most magnificent assembly and performance spaces anywhere in the United States - on par with architectural landmark venues in cities much larger than Harrisburg,” says Frank Dittenhafer II, FAIA, LEED AP, owner and co-founder of Murphy & Dittenhafer Architects. “It has been a privilege for Murphy & Dittenhafer to contribute our talents to the restoration and rehabilitation of this art deco masterpiece. This project was definitely a labor of love, where we collaborated with artisans, contractors, craftsmen, and the PA Department of General Services to significantly improve the audience and performer experience within this remarkable space in a very sensitive and deferential manner. We worked very hard to ensure that the final outcome of this restoration seamlessly enhanced the majesty and brilliance of the original 1931 design.”

AIA Pennsylvania hosted their Architectural Excellence Gala in October 2015 at the Philadelphia Academy of Fine Arts. Murphy & Dittenhafer was the only firm from Central Pennsylvania to receive a State Design Award in this year’s awards program.