The organization is one of many non-profit and faith-based groups that Murphy & Dittenhafer partners with while injecting an extra measure of care with each project and the people it serves.
M&D staff and their families at the 2018 Empty Bowls fundraiser
Clients of Murphy & Dittenhafer Architects know that their finished projects will match or exceed their expectations, the result of thoughtful conversations with Architects and Designers who listen, assess, and offer expert guidance.
What a client might not expect is the firm’s practice of going the extra mile, which might be summed up in one word: caring.
One of the firm’s longtime clients, St. Vincent de Paul of Baltimore, has benefited from that attitude many times. The social services provider has partnered with Murphy & Dittenhafer Architects for nearly three decades to improve the facilities where it shelters homeless families and furnishes medical services and job counseling.
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For many years, Murphy & Dittenhafer has been a sponsor of the agency’s Empty Bowls fundraiser, where guests sample soups from Baltimore-area restaurants and bid on auction items to support the charity’s work.
“St. Vincent has been a client of ours back to the late 1990s. We’ve worked on a number of projects with them,” explains architect and firm principal, Lauren Myatt. “So when an opportunity like Empty Bowls comes up, we were interested in being part of it.”
Underscoring Murphy & Dittenhafer’s support, Myatt and other representatives of the firm would be on hand for the event. But this year, as with so many gatherings, the March 21 fundraiser was canceled because of concerns about the spread of the coronavirus.
That extra measure of caring is built into the firm’s approach to clients, says architectural designer Kyle Giumento, who with Myatt has designed several recent projects for the agency.
“Commonly, throughout the year there are at least five or six functions where Murphy & Dittenhafer sponsors and helps benefit local charities in York, PA, or Baltimore,” he says.
A history of helping
The Empty Bowls fundraiser is just the latest example of the architectural firm seeing a critical need at St. Vincent de Paul and stepping up to help. Under tight deadlines, Myatt and Giumento recently designed interior renovations at three SVDP facilities operated by the agency.
“The intention was for all renovations at the three projects to be done by June of this year,” Myatt says. “A lot had to happen in a short amount of time.”
At Innterim House in Pikesville, a homeless shelter, the Architects designed a new family kitchen, dining area, and lounge. At the St. Vincent de Paul Center in North Baltimore, which provides career services, they designed a large hub where adults can talk with advisers and a play space where children can keep busy.
At the Beans and Bread Center in Baltimore, a homeless day facility, the Architects created a family-oriented area where adults can meet with counselors and research employment opportunities.
“We were extra responsive because of our relationship with St. Vincent,” Myatt says of the firm’s quick turnaround.
Giumento has described that work as “the more humanistic side of design.”
A focus on dignity
Perhaps the most striking example of the firm’s over-the-top approach is its work at Sarah’s Hope, a St. Vincent de Paul emergency homeless shelter that was at capacity serving mothers and children. With the renovations, completed in 2017, Baltimore’s largest shelter doubled its size and now has private living spaces for individual families, including those headed by single fathers.
The renovations, designed by Myatt, required relocating the families during construction, which took about a year. Again, Murphy & Dittenhafer stepped in, investigating possible sites that could house the families.
“Multiple teams of Murphy & Dittenhafer staffers moved quickly to evaluate various buildings as design efforts moved forward,” Myatt says.
The firm also designed minor improvements at the temporary site. It was just a matter of providing the assistance needed, Myatt points out.
“Simply designing a building is important but doing it in a way that works for them is important, too,” she notes.
Helping with the relocation didn’t just aid St. Vincent de Paul. It showed respect for the families involved.
“They’ve already been uprooted from their home,” Myatt says. “Being uprooted again could be very disrupting during a very down time for them. We try to do it in a way that is the least disruptive and provides the most dignity.”
Going above and beyond
Myatt’s work at Sarah’s Hope earned Murphy & Dittenhafer the Good Design = Good Business Award from the American Institute of Architects.
St. Vincent de Paul is one of many non-profit and faith-based groups that Murphy & Dittenhafer partners with as the agencies carry out their missions for the needy, Myatt says.
“It’s always important for us to recognize and go above and beyond to meet what those goals are,” she says.
The Pullo Center welcomed a range of student musicians in its 1,016-seat theater with full production capabilities.