Architectural Designer Patrick Ness and Frank Dittenhafer are turning a standard shop front in York into a standout showstopper.
Murphy & Dittenhafer Architects Architectural Designer Patrick Ness was given a unique proposition: Incorporate items from a warehouse full of architectural salvage items into the new facade for the Escape Games Live building.
The structure sits across the street from Murphy & Dittenhafer Architects’ York City office on West Market Street. Ness knew he’d be walking past it every day and looked forward to the opportunity to create a fun front facing pedestrians and motorists.
“One of the first things the client told us,” Ness says, “was to have fun.”
Respecting history with a twist
Half of it built of brick in the 1840s and the other half in an art deco style in the 1930s, the Escape Games Live building has a hodgepodge architectural heritage with elements from multiple eras.
With a requirement to present the project to York’s Historical Architectural Review Board (HARB), Ness and Principal Frank Dittenhafer FAIA LEED AP - knew they would have an easier time getting the new façade approval if they focused on the 1840s brick portion and left the period-sensitive art deco elements unaltered.
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The interior of the Escape Games Live building had been renovated recently, each room packed with themed pieces that make a visit memorable. Ness and Dittenhafer wanted to carry that same energy to the front of the building so customers could begin their experience before walking in the door.
“I think we approached it in a way that references history and respects HARB while also bringing the clients some interesting concepts,” says Ness.
A sign from the past
Throughout M&D’s research, Ness struggled to find historic photos of the building. He finally found a few taken during Tropical Storm Agnes in 1972, when it was Hochberger’s store.
While the photos focused on the Codorus Creek as it rose to nearly reach the base of the Market Street bridge, in the background stands Hochberger’s, graced by a lighted sign that spans the 1840s and 1930s buildings.
Using the photos as reference, Ness and Dittenhafer designed an Escape Games Live sign that pays homage to the old storefront and stretches across both buildings.
For the ground-level facade of the two buildings, Ness perused the owners’ warehouses full of architectural salvage pieces, incorporating stained-glass windows, ornate columns, antique doors, and a red London telephone booth into the design.
When M&D presented the eclectic design to HARB, it was surprised by the resounding positive response. The board endorsed the approach and approved the design. The project is currently in the review process for a building permit with construction planned for late this fall.
“I don’t think this is something that could have been done without a lot of sketching,” Ness says. “There were so many interesting pieces that needed to come together. It was really fun to go back and forth with [M&D President] Frank [Dittenhafer] and show new sketches.”
Ness is looking forward to the response from the community when the project is completed.
“I think it will become a little bit of a landmark,” he says. “With buildings and designs, if you approach it the right way, you can do things that are a little bit more unique and different.”
Murphy & Dittenhafer Architects took on the Architecture, Interior Design, & Overall Project Management for the new Bedford Elementary School, and the outcome is impactful.