Today, an official ribbon cutting ceremony celebrated the re-tenanting of a well-known office building at 1888 North Market Street.
The building will serve as the new home of the Frederick County Department of Social Services - an agency that provides critical medical, financial, and family assistance to children and vulnerable adults of our community.
After sitting vacant for nearly three years, the building was transformed to a move-in ready state remarkably quickly following the cost-driven decision by the Maryland Board of Public Works to relocate the Department within the City.
In mid-September of just last year, the Frederick-based firm, Bates Architects, was selected for the project and tasked with entirely redesigning the interior of the gutted 40,000+ sq. ft building shell.
The building's courtyard was preserved during renovation to promote natural light within the building and provide a tranquil break area for employees throughout their work day.
Bates Architects' renovation plans focused on space efficiency -- seeking to open the space to allow more flow and natural light, while also accommodating the increased work-space need of the approximately 200 employees to be relocated. Due to the sensitive nature of the Department's social work, unique security considerations were also required during planning - including the installation of secure file storage, visitation rooms, and entrance security to allow clients to safely obtain the help they need.
Bates Architect, Forrest Popkin peeks out over a clever floor plan of offices. "The project presented lots of little puzzles, but that kept it fun."
Final designs and permitting were submitted in early March of this year, and construction was completed just four short months later. The Department of Social Services was impressively able to open the doors to the new space on July 31, 2017 -- just a year after the decision to move had been made official.
Congratulations to Bates Architects and Keystone Realty Company on the incredible transformations to the building. And best of luck to the Department of Social Services at your new home!