We have grown to an office of 8 with 4 experienced licensed architects. CDA has also been working on refining the quality of our service by surveying clients and employees – taking stock of the office as we approach our 10 year anniversary this fall. We work hard to make architecture easy to understand and bring to life by taking an inherently collaborative approach, sharing ideas early and often, and removing the mystery from the process.

Elementary Coffee is the best coffee in Harrisburg. They began operating in the historic Broad Street Market in Midtown in 2015 and created a loyal audience that appreciate their craft coffee and commitment to the community. They added a roastery to the market but demand for their products has continued to increase. By 2017 Andrea Grove, the founder, was looking for a brick and mortar storefront to expand her operations. CDA helped Andrea consider multiple locations before she settled on a dilapidated building on North Street in the Capitol District of Harrisburg. In its use of walnut and dark countertops with simple details, our design roots itself in the tone of the market stand, where Elementary got its start. We located the roastery behind the serving counter to display the beautiful machinery and ideally help customers begin to think about the process and people behind their coffee. Connecting the coffee shop to the street with a large new storefront window and sidewalk seating was critically important as was creating a lounge area for those that want to linger at the shop. We used bright white paint to not only help the natural wood, cork, and stone materials pop visually in the space but to also make the space feel bigger. Elementary Coffee’s new flagship shop will allow their customers access to the products and people of Elementary outside of the limited weekend market hours and Andrea to grow her business.

Flythrough Animation

Constructed in 1964 as a mixed-use building with the Hershey Drug Store on the first floor and offices above the building is located prominently at the heart of Hershey where Chocolate and Cocoa Avenues intersect. The beautiful Hershey Trust Company building sits close by to the west and the Hershey Company’s 19 East Chocolate Avenue Offices is the neighbor to the east occupied by more then 1,200 employees in what was once the world’s largest chocolate factory and where Hershey Kisses were made for more then 100 years. Chris Dawson Architect (CDA) worked with JSDC Law Offices to develop design concepts for renovations of the 2nd and 3rd floors of 11 East Chocolate Avenue in downtown Hershey, PA for their new home. We crafted a vision for the new JSDC Law Offices that balances a respect for the redeeming qualities of the mid-century modern building with the demands of a 21st century law firm. Meltspa by Hershey occupies the ground floor beyond the new public face of the building comprised of a canopy and storefront windows designed by CDA. Working directly with HE&R on the Meltspa exterior improvements, we designed the internally lit and prominent blade sign at the southwest corner of the building to be in step with the mid-century language of the building.

Chris led a group of local AIA member volunteers in meeting with community members in New Cumberland, PA last winter to develop design concepts for revitalization efforts via an AIA PA pilot program called Design for Better. CDA staff (Rob, Darius, Sam, Jim, & Sara in addition to Chris) donated their time and crafted exciting concepts for a pocket park next to the West Shore Theatre, reactivating a 2 block area at the historic center of town known as Market Square, and boldly suggesting consideration be given to connecting to the Susquehanna River via a viewing platform and riverwalk.

The 4,680sf West Shore Theatre was a classic single screen Streamlined Art Moderne style theatre in the heart of downtown New Cumberland and is now being transformed into a flexible venue that can accommodate a variety of events from movies to concerts to private events. It is named the West Shore theater because it is on the west shore of the Susquehanna River, across from Harrisburg and an institution within the community. As New Cumberland is being revitalized the Theatre is at the heart of these efforts. The West Shore Theatre opened on January 20, 1940 with the movie “The Secret Life of Dr Kildare” and admission of 25 cents for adults, 15 cents for children. Interior wall coverings were in an old rose shade with beautiful gold ornamentation above a wood wainscot that will be retained in the proposed renovations. The auditorium is furnished with walnut paneling on the side and rear walls with a new concessions stand and accessible restrooms being finished in oak acoustic wood panels. The new Theatre concept includes a high top seating area in the rear, booth seating along the sides, and accommodations for a dance floor in front of the new stage.

CDA led a team of lighting consultants from New York City charged with modernizing the Forum Auditorium (1931) stage and green room lights and controls. The footcandle levels were doubled, color rendition on the stage was enhanced, and sophisticated controls were added for the first time. Being sensitive to the architectural details and character of this historically valuable space drove the system implementation. CDA coordinated the work not only with the Department of General Services but also the likes of the principal user the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra as their use of the space and stage has evolved with their programming.

The Environmental Education Center project at Camp Small Valley for Girl Scouts in the Heart of Pennsylvania was completed earlier this year and the adjacent Amphitheater construction will occur this fall. Transforming a horse barn into an open and flexible learning space with strong connections to the surrounding landscape created a valuable new space to support activities at this bucolic Central Pennsylvania camp.

Everyone in our Czech office got married earlier this year as well as Sara in our Harrisburg office and I wish them all a lifetime of happiness. To toast Jan, Klara, and Vladimir in person and join in the celebrations I took my family to Europe starting in Prague and doing a loop that ended in Paris. We saw sights and had experiences that will nourish us for a long time including visiting many Carlo Scarpa projects (photo of Castelvecchio above). As an office we make a point to often visit inspiring architecture and this summer was exceptional. Sara got married in May and enjoyed a 9-day trip to Prague with her wife Katie in July. Prague is a city steeped in history, culture and architecture and Sara only just began to scratch the surface of Cubism; a focused return trip is a definite. Both also enjoyed many Budweiser’s while there -the real Budweiser mind you.

CDA believes that collaboration always works. We believe in working closely with our clients, first to understand their hopes, ideas, and dreams, then to make them a reality. This kind of collaboration is, in our experience, how the best work gets built. We took such an approach with the AIA PA Design for Better effort that we led. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is an organization I’ve belonged to my entire professional career starting by chairing the local lecture committee and then becoming a local board director and president. I’ve been a state board director for the last 5 years and this year began serving on the national small firm exchange committee as PA’s representative. AIA lobbies for legislation to improve our built environment, provides continuing education to its members (PA is one of only a few states that doesn’t require architects to continue their education to maintain an architect license), and is committed to sponsoring exciting events at great locations.

I am pleased to be co-chairing the AIA Central PA Lecture Series this year and am excited to have Peter Bohlin, FAIA coming to Harrisburg to speak at the Keystone Building on the evening of November 7th and hope we will have a strong turnout for this American Legend.

11/7 7pm PETER BOHLIN Nature of Circumstance AIA Central PA Lecture

Chris Dawson, AIA