Restoration of Century Inn wins People’s Choice at AIA awards
Restoration of The Century Inn, a beloved Washington County landmark, received the People’s Choice award in the American Institute of Architects Design Pittsburgh competition.
Margittai Architects, a South Side firm, spent two and a half years working with a contractor and craftsmen to restore the historic tavern, which was badly damaged in a fire in August 2015. Operating since 1788, the Scenery Hill inn has hosted Andrew Jackson, Marquis de Lafayette and Abraham Lincoln. With stone walls and hand-hewn, beamed ceilings, the historic landmark has nine guest rooms, four dining rooms, a tap room and outdoor gazebo. Its longtime owner is Megin Harrington.
Margittai Architects also received an honor award for its work on the Century Inn restoration. The awards, given annually by the AIA Pittsburgh chapter, were presented Thursday night at Nova Place on the North Side.
The architectural firm of Bohlin Cywinski Jackson received the coveted silver medal for its design of a private home that overlooks the water on Long Island, N.Y. Hidden Path House, which has views of Peconic Bay, was designed for a Manhattan-based chef and his partner.
Bohlin Cywinski Jackson also received honor awards for creation of a design studio in a historic midcentury building and for turning a garage into High Meadow Studio on the grounds of Fallingwater, the Frank Lloyd Wright house in Bear Run, Fayette County. Instead of demolishing the garage, architects created a new seasonal studio that houses a fabrication shop, review space, storage, support services, a covered outdoor work area and a strong connection to nature.
Another honor award winner went to evolve environment :: architecture for its design of a park to improve air quality in Millvale.
In the small projects category, Fisher ARCHitecture received an honor award for its design of a house with three outdoor courts, a den and living area, all visible from the central kitchen.
Pfaffmann + Associates received two awards for its design of a municipal building in Forest Hills: an honor award in sustainability and resilience and a certificate of merit in architecture.
Wildman Chalmers Design received an honor award for its creation of a custom wood storefront for The Mediterra Cafe in Sewickley.
Urban Design Build Studio received an honor award in the design and innovation category for a mobile classroom. The REACH cart is deployed to Carnegie Library branches to facilitate computer literacy courses for poor and elderly people. It allows any space larger than 9 by 18 feet to become a learning center for up to eight students.
Certificates of merit were awarded to evolve environment :: architecture for its design of the Penn Station Transit Plaza for the Port Authority of Allegheny County; IKM Architecture for its design of Chartiers Valley Middle School; and Pfaffmann + Associates for its adaptive reuse of a historic manufacturing building. The firm turned the former Katsefanas Coffee Co. building on the North Side into offices for Q Development.