As murphy & Dittenhafer architects approaches 25 years in our building, we can’t help but look at how far the space has come.
Creekside view of the Hotel Codorus
As Murphy & Dittenhafer Architects approaches a whopping 25 years in our current building — the Hotel Codorus, located at 226 West Market Street in downtown York — we can’t help but look back on the building’s history both before and after our occupancy.
This summer, we painted the entire exterior of the building with the help of Ausherman Painting. It was a massive lift and helped preserve the building’s aesthetics for the long haul. But that’s just the latest of a series of changes we’ve made since moving into the building. And even before the turn of the century when we completed our initial renovations, the structure had multiple lives of its own.
The hotel before M&D
The oldest portion of the Hotel Codorus building, nestled on the banks of the Codorus Creek, dates all the way back to the mid-1800s. In 1904, the building was extended by two floors to become its namesake, the Hotel Codorus.
However, in less than 10 years, the hotel closed down and was later put to use for retail and residential purposes. The building survived the 1933 Chesapeake-Potomac Hurricane, which dropped 17 inches of rain on the area and caused the Codorus Creek to flood, in addition to Hurricane Agnes in 1972, which also flooded downtown York with 16 inches of rain.
By the time M&D got involved with the building in 1997 (after Army Corps of Engineers Flood Control implemented measures along the Codorus in York City), it was safe to say the more than 160-year-old building had fallen into disrepair (and with an Adult Bookstore dubbed “Swingers” occupying the Market Street storefront).
Part of its comeback is thanks to the City of York Cornerstone redevelopment initiative, which helped connect M&D with the building by selecting us to complete a stabilization and test-fit re-use study of the building (our interest in occupying the space came later).
Restoration started in 1998. Dorgan & Zuck Builders renovated the building and M&D officially moved in by January 2000.
The hotel as M&D’s York headquarters
This building's adaptive reuse into Architectural and design offices took into consideration some of the following features: reconstruction of over 50 historical counter-weighted double hung windows, 14 exterior paneled wood doors, two-story porches facing the Codorus Creek with custom turned columns and carved railings, installation and restoration of historic interior trim and plaster finishes, and a four-story open main central stair.
According to Frank Dittenhafer II, President of Murphy & Dittenhafer Architects, in a 2020 article, “We were probably a bit naive and didn’t know everything that we were getting into, but here was a chance for us to be in a prominent location on the York waterfront. We were open to the adventure.”
That adventure ultimately panned out. Nearly a quarter of a century later, M&D not only completed the initial adaptive reuse of the building, but also renovated the backyard, purchased and renovated the building and interior spaces next door into “c o d” (for Murphy & Dittenhafer Interiors, an art gallery, and a large mixed-use conference/collaboration room), and kept the Hotel Codorus updated.
As for what the next quarter century will bring, it’s too soon to say, but M&D looks forward to continuing to honor history’s best while readying for a memorable future.
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As Murphy & Dittenhafer architects approaches 25 years in our building, we can’t help but look at how far the space has come.