On the Boards: Salem Training Center for the Old Building Arts
A K Architecture is leading the design process with the Stand Up for Salem! organization to stabilize and restore the historic J C Penney store building for use as a training facility for the community to learn old building trades and skills such as plaster, ornamental brickwork, and wood window restoration.
AKA is collaborating with J&M Preservation Studio on the technical preservation aspects of the repurposing of this Main Street retail building which was built in 1924 on land leased by the Salem Friends Meeting whose meeting house is directly across the street and whose schoolhouse was also located on this site set back from the ‘L’ shaped brick retail building with street fronts along East Broadway and Walnut Street. The design approach is to balance rehabilitation preservation guidelines with energy efficiency, resource conservation goals, and owner operational needs and budget. The building is in the Salem Historic District and the NJ Historic Trust is a partner. The adaptive re-use of the building will demonstrate the synergies between preservation and sustainability.