HARRISBURGH, PA _— Continued growth fueled a major expansion for a new 8-story tower and renovations to the historic Hickok House adjacent to the headquarters of the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency (PHFA). Both were integrated with the original building, no small challenge given the site constraints. Murray Associates Architects, PC was selected for the addition, as they designed PHFA’s original LEED Gold corporate headquarters in 2004. This unique addition meets Passive House and LEED Platinum sustainability standards—a first for a corporate building in the United States.
This project has been recognized statewide with multiple awards which are listed below.
• 2020 – Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protections Governor’s Environmental Excellence Award
• 2020 - The Committee on the Environment (COTE) Award of Excellence, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Pennsylvania’s most distinguished COTE honor
• 2020 – AIA Pennsylvania Central Region Citation Award
• 2020 – Green Building United Groundbreaker Project Honoree Award
• 2019 – The Historic Harrisburg Association Preservation Award
According to Mark Hand, Director of the Pennsylvania GreenGov Council within the Department of General Services , “Murray Associates Architects has created a lead-by-example, high-performance building project that is both unique and a first of its kind. This project is a clear example of the sustainability pathway in which we must invest for commercial building spaces as well as affordable housing options within the commonwealth.”
Combining Venerable
and Visionary
The project protected three historical buildings, one being the adjacent Hickok House, built in 1904 within the National Register Historic District of the city. The building was deteriorating and in 2011, the Historic Harrisburg Association Board (HARB) placed it on its list of endangered properties. PHFA purchased it and incorporated it into its expansion project.