Brooks Building
Location
Milford, PA
Size
5,800 sqft
Status
Complete
Years
2014
HERS
58
“After the fire damaged much of the building, we committed to restore the historic structure and improve it for our business needs including an office, retail space, and a rental apartment. RPA’s understanding of historic preservation guided us through the complex permit process with local officials. We could not be more pleased.”
Paul and Debra Brooks, owners
STORY
DESCRIPTION
Originally constructed as a service station, this commercial building is a rehabilitation and adaptive reuse of one of Milford’s registered historic structures. The building was mostly destroyed by fire, and the work required reconstruction using both historic fabric and new materials.DESIGN
Local historic district ordinances required rebuilding and retention of historic fabric to the extent possible and conformance to the Secretary of Interior’s Standards for Historic Preservation. Historic preservation goals necessitated a brick-by-brick restoration of the original street-side façade. This high performance historic preservation uses modern energy efficient technology including airtight construction, high performance insulation, and balanced ventilation for indoor air quality. The Pike County Historic Preservation Trust recently awarded it the 2015 Thomas W. Hoff Medallion as the most successful rehabilitation in the Milford Borough National Historic District. From the Pike County Historic Preservation Trust Part of the PCHPT mission is to recognize excellence in historic preservation. The Albert Brooks building is an exemplary example for the Rehabilitation of the Blitz Garage. Rehabilitation is a category in the Secretary of Interior’s Standards for Historic Preservation. When an historic structure is “adapted for a new use” while preserving its essential architectural character, it is termed rehabilitation. The other two categories are Preservation and Restoration. The Board of Directors of the Historic Preservation Trust views the Brooks building as the finest example of rehabilitation of an historic structure not only in our community, but also in the Commonwealth. All the elements show exceptional care for the details and the building’s proportions, materials, and scale which all work together to represent a model.
DETAILS
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