Restoration and adaptive reuse of 1890s mixed use commercial/residential building. Third floor light industrial space converted to artist’s studios. Second floor apartments are completely refurbished. The ground level hardware store is restored and refurbished. Fire safety improvements include, new exit stair, fire alarms, emergency lighting, and illuminated exit signs.
Since the late 1800s the Hardware Store with apartments on the second floor, and light manufacturing on the third floor has stood at 503 West Marshall Street in Norristown. This once thriving commercial street is at the heart of Norristown's West End Historic District, one of the largest State Historic Districts in Pennsylvania. The r ecent years have not been kind to this neighborhood, nor to the Hardware Store Building.
This building adaptive re-use and renovation is an attempt to reverse that trend. The vacant third floor manufacturing is converted into seven artist's studios with a common meeting lounge. The second floor apartments are completely refurbished to be more valuable rental units. The ground level Hardware Store is also refurbished with the existing tin ceilings, and ornamental woodwork preserved. The building roof is replaced, and the exterior cleaned and repainted in an historically appropriate color. Existing decorative wood trim is repaired and repainted. Existing plywood signs which were mounted over the original leaded glass building sign are removed, and the historic sign is repaired.
In recent years the Borough of Norristown has undertaken a revitalization initiative. The Serene Art Studios Building will make an important contribution to this, both by restoring a vital historic resource to a new life, and by introducing the influence of the Arts to this historic district - an influence that has yielded positive results in many revitalization projects.
