WHEN THE LOCAL YMCA decided to move out of the historic Bedford Building and adjacent firehouse in Westport, Conn., Bedford Square Associates purchased the property and an adjacent lot to create a 1 1/2-acre site for a 110,000-sf complex.Bedford Square-a mix of retail, office, restaurant, residential spaces, and a new public piazza-creates an urban environment in a suburban location. The Westport historic district required the developer to preserve the public street fagades-Tudor-style architecture in brick, half-timber, and stucco. The back portion of the Bedford Building underwent selective demolition to repurpose the structure as a retail store, restaurant, and offices.The firehouse was converted into a restaurant and office suite with a rooftop terrace. Its large doors open southward to Church Lane, where two-story residential townhouses were added above retail shops.A YMCA pool expansion (circa 1977) was demolished to clear the site for new residential units, a communitygathering space,public courtyards, pedestrian alleyways, tree-lined sidewalks, and underground parking. The private residential terraces, although visible from the street, were set back to maintain a human scale.
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