Holbrook Center
Gaithersburg, MD
The Holbrook Center is located on Route 355, Old Frederick Road, directly across from the Gaithersburg High School. This prime retail spot had been occupied by a two-story building, which housed numerous successful retail and professional businesses. A devastating fire burned the entire second floor resulting in the necessary demolition of more than 60% before any re-building effort could be started. The building’s foundations were still in great shape, but were set too far back from the street to meet the newly established design standards constructed for street setback. Stephens Architectural Associates was able to capture the City’s goal of “live /work feel” while keeping the original footprint and street setback. By engaging the site and reaching out to the street with pedestrian access and events, Stephens Architectural Associates convinced the City planners that this would not only meet their goals, but would result in a better solution.
The new facades capture the old town feeling that were desired by the City’s ordinances. The live/work feeling was accomplished through the use of covered walks and retail fronts at the lower level, topped by a residential window pattern with balconies at the upper level. The length of the building was “broken-up” by designing it as a series of individual buildings.