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From Press staff reports

BRIDGETON - In conjunction with the American Institute of Architects, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development recognized the city's HOPE VI community earlier this year as one of 21 projects across the country that show exceptional architectural design.

The HUD Excellence in Affordable Housing Design award, which was announced in May and delivered at the Institute's annual exhibition in San Francisco, honored the work of the Torti Gallas and Partners architectural firm of Silver Spring, Md.

The Maryland firm was hired by the Ingerman Group, the HOPE VI project's Cherry Hill-based developer, to design the 304-unit affordable housing community now known as Bridgeton Commons.

Jim Haley, who served as Ingerman's architecture director at the time, said Friday that the design for Bridgeton Commons relied on the architectural legacy still evident in many of the city's blighted neighborhoods.

"Because Bridgeton has such a historical inventory of housing, we mostly picked up on the Victorian style of housing," Haley said. "The design was intended to be very contextual. It's sort of good, small-town design where you have front porches facing the street."

Penny Watson, principal of the Bridgeton-based Watson and Henry Associates architectural firm, said Friday that she was surprised to see the city mentioned in the recent issue of the institute's magazine.

"I had to do a double-take," Watson said. "You don't often see Bridgeton in the 'Architectural Record.' I'm really happy for the city to get the award. It should be a shot in the arm."

Bridgeton Commons shared the Institute's 2009 Affordable Housing Design award with the Irvington Terrace project, based in Fremont, Calif.

Other categories included commercial properties as well as single- and multifamily housing.

Haley, who now serves as principal in the Haley Donovan architectural firm, said the award was a great honor for the city.

"Very few projects get recognized by the AIA," Haley said. "It's only 21 projects across the country that were honored, and most of them were very high-end, single family houses on the West Coast."

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