Professional Center At 25 Church Hill Undergoes A Yearlong Transformation

By John Voket

When Dr Joseph Young, who operated Village Eye Care in Newtown for many years, decided he wanted to establish his own presence instead of working from someone else’s storefront, he set his sights on a building a stone’s throw from his original office space adjacent to the Big Y. And then he let his imagination run wild — with only the watchful eye of a local architect and the constraints of local zoning and setback guidelines to limit the possibilities.

What he ended up with is a showpiece professional center, with all the charm and compatible looks of a building that had been on the 25 Church Hill Road site for nearly a century, but with all the modern amenities and utility infrastructure that a cutting-edge professional or medical practice would demand.

“Some kids go for toy trains, always wanting to grow up and drive a real one. But I always wanted my own elevator,” Dr Young told The Bee during the most recent of several visits made during the buildings renovation and transformation.

“And I finally got my own elevator,” he said, pointing to the gleaming silver door that soon opens to whisk the doctor up to offices including the last, vast available space on the second floor with its views overlooking the rear yard and playing fields at Hawley School.

Originally constructed in 1920 as a residence, and converted to a commercial building many years ago, the building’s renovations were completed in late 2010. With a financing package administered by Pat Kelly at Newtown Savings Bank successfully completed, Dr Young established an important partnerships with architect Jonathon Kost and contractor Gerald Roche, whose collaborations yielded the expansion of square footage from about 3,500 to 6,500 square feet, and the complex installation of Dr Young’s handicap accessible elevator.

Through the entire process, Dr Young said the goal was to, more than anything, preserve the original look of the 1920s-era Arts and Crafts character, complementing the Borough of Newtown’s historic architecture.

The design and renovation process took special care and consideration of all future visitors who may need to come to offices at 25 Church Hill Road.

“Senior citizens, parents with strollers, handicapped individuals, or anyone that may need more helpful access can easily traverse a ramp directly off the parking lot to gain access to the facility. All of the halls and doorways are designed to accommodate the needs of individuals who may be wheelchair-bound, and each level offers ADA-compliant exam rooms, offices, and bathrooms,” he said.

Besides Dr Young’s well-established optometric practice, 25 Church Hill Road is also home to Health & Hope Clinic, an expanding psychiatry and therapy/counseling practice and several other professionals.

“As a former residence, I wanted the updates to reflect the same type of welcoming atmosphere,” Dr Young said. “I really love this new place, because so many new professional buildings are like concrete bunkers. This harkens back to the days when doctors lived in the same buildings as their practice.”

As the architect, Mr Kost said he worked to mimic some of the existing features in the newly designed spaces.

“This was almost like an original Sears catalog house with some nicer optional trim and interior decorations,” Mr Kost said.

“Jonathon understood what we wanted to do here, and we gave him the leeway — we let him in on our dream and he made it happen,” Dr Young said. “And what we got was way more than we envisioned.”

“It was all a matter of defining the space to work into, and then defining how the interior would roll out into that space,” Mr Kost added. “The whole finished design is really based on a number of rough sketches I made during a couple of initial walk-throughs.”

According to Dr Young, much of the goal involved first making the original 1920s-era structure and the 1980s-era additions complement the new 21st Century construction features.

“The second floor of the 1980s addition was one foot lower than the floor level of the original second floor,” Mr Kost explained. “So the biggest challenge in the interior was making all the connections compatible. And in doing so we determined that we would place the elevator right between where the two previous structures fit together.”

“We really let the building lead the design,” Dr Young said.

To learn more about the new facility and available space for tenants, visit www.youngprofcenter.com.