Events held here are for and about the people of Pennsylvania, says Murphy & Dittenhafer Architects’ Frank Dittenhafer. “This is the Commonwealth’s front door.”
For Murphy & Dittenhafer Architects, making a project an integral part of its community is always important – especially when that space is the public entrance to the official residence of your state’s chief executive.
While the Pennsylvania Governor’s Residence is a prominent and significant place as the home of the governor, it’s also where many official functions happen.
“Our firm always wants to give back to our community,” says Frank Dittenhafer, II, FAIA, LEED AP, President of Murphy & Dittenhafer Architects. “In this case, the community is the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.”
Making a parking lot a welcome mat
M&D’s role in their current project involves redoing the paved courtyard on the east side of the Governor’s Residence, where the public enters from Second Street. Now used for parking cars, the goal is to make this a “greener place” and a place for people.
“This was initiated on a couple fronts,” Johnson says. “First Lady Frances Wolf wanted to make improvements, and the facilities folks also wanted this.”
Because this is the Governor’s ceremonial residence, many public functions take place here. People arrive through the gate from Second Street, onto the existing cobblestone drive. “It’s not comfortable to walk on, is challenging in winter with ice and snow that’s hard to remove, and there are problems with accessibility,” Johnson notes.
This is not a new idea, having a green event space versus a hardscape parking area, Dittenhafer says. But, the change has to happen in a tasteful and responsible way.
“We can’t have too much hardscape, or it will create more runoff issues,” he notes, citing the need to retain some parking area for staff and security while creating an inviting public meeting area.
Going green
State officials didn’t dictate how the change should happen.
“They left it open for the Murphy & Dittenhafer design team to define, just describing the plan as a re-working of the cobblestone court,” Dittenhafer says. “The State then left it up to the creative people.”
M&D’s creative folks decided making much of this area green space would be more inviting for the public and more environmentally responsible.
“The priority was to get more green space on this side of the residence, reducing the impact of vehicles and paving, and make it a free and open area,” Johnson says.
The plan calls for a 16-by-80-foot lawn to be placed in the center of the current parking area, where tents can be erected to stage events.
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The existing island in the middle of the driveway will be removed as it obstructs the view of the residence from Second Street. From a functional standpoint, this improves safety and ease of pedestrian access, Johnson says.
While the lawn is the centerpiece of the new public area, a 16-foot-deep entry terrace will also be built just outside the main building entrance.
“This will define where to stand as you wait to enter the building,” Dittenhafer says, noting people now often wait in the paved parking lot to go through security.
Benches will be placed here. Both the lawn and new brick walkways leading to the entry terrace will gently slope up toward the residence, increasing accessibility while sensitively fitting in with the home’s elegant look. A snow and ice-melt system will be installed beneath the walkways.
‘Flag garden’ adds official touch
While making the space “simple and elegant,” as Dittenhafer phrases it, the subtle message that this is the Governor’s official residence is important.
This will be accomplished by creating a “flag garden” for the U.S. and Pennsylvania flags between the Second Street entrance gate and the new lawn area.
“Where the flags are now people don’t notice them,” Johnson says. “Putting them in a new location sets it off.”
Dittenhafer says moving the flag garden right inside the fence creates a strong threshold that everyone will pass through and see. The flags will be set on a new concrete shaped keystone.
A sense of place
Both Johnson and Dittenhafer say State officials, from the First Lady through those who manage the residence day-to-day, shared their vision and worked cooperatively to achieve the project’s dual purpose.
Dittenhafer also credits M&D’s consulting Landscape Architects – Floura Teeter for their collaborative design efforts on the high-profile project – and quick development of several appropriate concepts.
“The structure is the governor’s home,” Johnson says. “But, the building serves a greater purpose.”
It’s this greater purpose that so attracted Dittenhafer.
“The theme from the First Lady, creating a user-friendly, soft, green space for events, is truly the spirit of the building. We are creating a sense of place that events held here are for and about the people of the Commonwealth,” Dittenhafer says. “This is the Commonwealth’s front door.”
President of Murphy & Dittenhafer Architects, Frank Dittenhafer II, spoke about the company’s contribution to York-area revitalization at the Pennsylvania Downtown Center’s Premier Revitalization Conference in June 2024. Here are the highlights.
The Pullo Center welcomed a range of student musicians in its 1,016-seat theater with full production capabilities.
“Interior designs being integral from the beginning of a project capitalize on things that make it special in the long run.”
Digital animations help Murphy & Dittenhafer Architects and clients see designs in a new light.
Frank Dittenhafer and his firm work alongside the nonprofit to fulfill the local landscape from various perspectives.
From Farquhar Park to south of the Codorus Creek, Murphy & Dittenhafer Architects help revamp York’s Penn Street.
Designs for LaVale Library, Intergenerational Center, and Beth Tfiloh Sanctuary show the value of third places.
The Annapolis Department of Legislative Services Building is under construction, reflecting the state capital’s Georgian aesthetic with modern amenities.
For the past two years, the co-founder and president of Murphy & Dittenhafer Architects has led the university’s College of Arts and Architecture Alumni Society.
The firm recently worked with St. Vincent de Paul of Baltimore to renovate an old elementary school for a Head Start pre-k program.
The market house, an 1888 Romanesque Revival brick structure designed by local Architect John A. Dempwolf, long has stood out as one of York’s premier examples of Architecture. Architect Frank Dittenhafer is passing the legacy of serving on its board to Architectural Designer Harper Brockway.
At Murphy & Dittenhafer Architects, there is a deep-rooted belief in the power of combining history and adaptive reuse with creativity.
University of Maryland Global Campus explores modernizing its administration building, which serves staffers and students enrolled in virtual classes.
The Wilkens and Essex precincts of Baltimore County are receiving solutions-based ideas for renovating or reconstructing their police stations.
The firm has earned the designation annually since 2016 in recognition of its commitment to supporting newer professionals in the field.
Murphy & Dittenhafer Architects recently completed the Design Development phase for a 20,000-square-foot building for Crispus Attucks York. Construction should begin in August.
The facility in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, is re-envisioning its focus with the help of Murphy & Dittenhafer Architects.
Murphy & Dittenhafer Architects received numerous awards from AIA Pennsylvania, AIA Central Pennsylvania, AIA Baltimore, and ABC Keystone.
Since 2019, the firm has designed a number of protected entryways for Anne Arundel County Public Schools.
A business lunch at an iconic building sparked an awakening whose effects continue to ripple down the city thoroughfare.
Since its founding in 1985, Murphy & Dittenhafer Architects often has sought out community-oriented projects that have a lasting impact.
The university’s Arts and Architecture Alumni Society Board President — and a past award recipient himself — handed out this year’s awards to seven recipients.
After an extensive evaluation of a Maryland state building in Annapolis, the architectural firm recommended demolishing it and erecting a new structure.
Six members of M&D’s team of creative professionals are advancing their careers within the firm.
Murphy & Dittenhafer Architects is part of a team tasked with designing and renovating the burned-out Horn Farm Center farmhouse to be a sustainable building at the regenerative farm.
The memorial’s groundbreaking took place in June, and the dedication is set to take place on November 11, 2024, or Veterans Day.