(Credit: Montgomery County)
The County is seeking to receive proposals by April 15 from highly qualified real estate developers or redevelopment teams to envision the future design and adaptive reuse of two county-owned lots
Montgomery County has released a Request for Expression of Interest (RFEI) for the County's Airy Street Prison Preservation and Redevelopment Initiative.
The County is seeking to receive proposals by April 15 from highly qualified real estate developers or redevelopment teams to envision the future design and adaptive reuse of two county-owned lots at the corner of DeKalb and Airy Streets in Norristown. These lots currently encompass the vacant historic Airy Street Prison (35 E. Airy Street) and the adjacent 192-space county parking lot, totaling 2.8 acres for the entire tract.
The former Montgomery County Prison, also known as Airy Street Prison, was built in 1851. It consists of the entrance and original cell block. The prison was designed by Napoleon LeBrun, the renowned architect known for his designs of the Philadelphia Academy of Music and the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Peter and Saint Paul. The prison’s Gothic-style architecture was heavily influenced by the Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia.
The purpose of the RFEI is to identify respondents who have a creative vision for solutions that are practical and sustainable, demonstrated experience, and the organizational and financial capacity to transform the site into a combination of economically viable uses and county facilities while maintaining historic architectural features of the prison. Ideal development teams will have extensive experience in the substantial rehabilitation and reuse of historic structures, as well as commercial development in Pennsylvania.
Montgomery County has committed to redevelopment efforts that are considerate of the historical significance of the prison, alongside the desire to advance economic development and public policy goals of both Norristown and Montgomery County. The County hopes to enter into a public-private partnership agreement with the selected redevelopment team to find a solution related to ownership and operations of portions of the project site. The County will provide the land and maintain ownership through the development process. The developer will provide the design and construction.
Those interested in submitting an RFEI can apply at the county’s Procurement Portal, which is located on Bonfire at https://montcopa.bonfirehub.com/opportunities/166410.
The deadline for applications is April 15.
The public can learn about and keep updated on this initiative on the County’s citizen engagement platform, Engage Montgomery County. Other County projects and initiatives are also available on this platform.
