Ambler Boiler House
In the early 2000's the Borough of Ambler established a Revitalization Committee to oversee preparation of a Redevelopment Area Plan for the rail corridor, which had been certified as “blighted” under Pennsylvania Urban Redevelopment Law. The Borough made it clear that it wanted to encourage development that complemented its preexisting Main Street Program, maintained the community’s historic structures, and addressed outstanding environmental contamination problems. The Rail Corridor Redevelopment Area Plan identified the former Keasbey and Mattison site as a target for reuse.
In coordination with the revitalization plans, Ambler BH Development Partners, LP was formed for the sole purpose of redeveloping the abandoned boiler house. The objective of this project was to reuse and preserve a historically significant building while incorporating innovative design features that represent smart growth initiatives and result in significant benefits to the community, both environmentally and economically.
With the successful applications of state and federal funding and the collaboration between committed community members and organizations, Ambler has risen beyond the stigma of its industrial past to earn recognition as a charming, quaint and welcoming Philadelphia suburb offering great food, shopping, and entertainment.
HISTORY
In 1881 the Keasbey and Mattison Company decided to move their manufacturing business from Philadelphia to Ambler, an already thriving farming and industrial community. Entrepreneurs Henry G. Keasbey and Dr. Richard V. Mattison began constructing factory buildings and warehouses, including what we know today to be the Ambler Boiler House.
REDEVELOPMENT
Through the combination of federal, state and county redevelopment programs that specifically target Brownfields and Transit Oriented Developments, we, along with the Redevelopment Authority of Montgomery County, purchased the abandoned site and commissioned an adaptive reuse design of the building by Heckendorn Shiles Architects.
ABH ACCOLADES
Grand Jury Award
Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia, 2014
Montgomery Award,
Excellence in Planning and Design
Montgomery County, 2013
Sustainability in Historic Preservation, Pennsylvania Historic Preservation Awards
Preservation Pennsylvania, 2014
Gold Award, Reconstruction Awards
Building Design & Construction Magazine, 2013