Meltzer/Mandl lends a hand with Harlem revitalization.

Bradhurst Court recently opened to great acclaim. The attractive, moderately priced apartments and townhouses were in great demand among Harlem buyers, where too little new housing is affordable to local residents.

The $50 million, 260,000 s/f Bradhurst Court, which took six years to design and build, also contains Harlem's first full-size supermarket; a 45,000 s/f Pathmark. Few of the shoppers and residents who use the building every day realize the design challenges its architects had to overcome to make it possible.

"There is a reason that this project took six years to design and build," says Marvin H. Meltzer, vice president of Meltzer/Mandl Architects, the firm that designed Bradhurst Court. The project occupies an entire city block at 145th Street and Bradhurst Avenue in Harlem.

Simply accommodating three major uses (a full-sized supermarket, 126 living units and 46,000 s/f of parking) was a victory for Meltzer/ Mandl. It was also a challenge to salvage an attractive and livable design from the consistent pressures to reduce costs to meet ever lower budget requirements.

"One way we reduced costs without compromising the architecture was by eliminating the large structural members typical of masonry construction," says Meltzer. The firm's final design utilizes a steel structural system and lightweight prefabricated facade panels.

In addition, Meltzer/Mandl accommodated local community groups' design input, which included adding townhouses to the Bradhurst Avenue side of the building--echoing the structures across the street--and incorporating into the design a large, attractive outdoor terrace in a neighborhood with very few parks or recreational facilities.