Inspired by the “grand inns and gathering places” that have defined Allentown, Pa.’s architecture, 520 Lofts owner City Center Allentown envisioned the property with “a distinctly creative urban vibe accented with graceful nods to classic Victorian motifs.”
Architect Bernardon accomplishes this mix of aesthetics with a white brick exterior, window grilles reminiscent of divided lights, and double-height lofted units inside a mansard roof with diamond metal shingles. The massing shifts slightly to modern at the stairwell facing the street, with longer window grilles and a flat rooftop that extends above the mansard portion.
PROJECT DETAILS
Location: Allentown, Pa.
Developer: City Center Investment Corp.
Architect: Bernardon
Builder: Serfass Construction Co.
Opened: October 2018
Number of units: 68
Unit mix: Studios, one- and two-bedrooms, studio lofts, and one- and two-bedroom lofts
Rents: $975 to $1,775
The community sits on a narrow, sloping lot and covers 11,000 square feet of first-floor office space, three artists’ studios on the basement level, and 68 residential units across five stories. Due to the constraints of the site, each of these uses has a separate entrance with its own access control, one on each of its bordering streets.
Units range from 528 square feet to 1,437 square feet, with studios and one- and two-bedroom apartments. All of the top-level units are double-height lofts, designed to maximize the building’s height while keeping under a six-story limit. A double-height community lounge is also located on the top floor, offering views of the city and the surrounding Lehigh Valley from a rooftop deck.
Don Pearse Photographers
A steel-and-glass pedestrian bridge connects the new building to an existing parking garage and includes a few stairs and a wheelchair lift to accommodate a difference in height at either end. This allows residents to enter and exit the building without the need to widen the existing sidewalk below.
With its close proximity to several Allentown arts and cultural institutions, the community aims to appeal to artists and other creatives looking to live in the area. The artists’ studios connect to the public sidewalk through glass overhead garage doors, giving artists in residence an easily accessible space to work on-site. Perks for all residents include a complimentary membership to the Allentown Art Museum, discount tickets to Miller Symphony Hall, and discounts on classes at the Baum School of Art.
Passersby can also view Allentown’s tallest mural through the main stair tower’s seven-story curtain wall, a 19-foot-by-89-foot piece inspired by the look of classic graphic rock posters and art collages. The mural incorporates a number of nods to Allentown’s history, including the Crocodile Rock Café, a music venue that previously occupied the site. Community groups, Baum School of Art students, and 520 Lofts residents joined artist Matt Halm to execute the full piece.