- Location: near Mount Holly Springs, PA
- Client: Pennsylvania Department of Conservation & Natural Resources
Kings Gap Environmental Education Center consists of 1,454 acres of forest on South Mountain near Mt. Holly Springs in Central Pennsylvania. Sixteen miles of hiking trails connect the Mansion, Pine Plantation, and Pond Day Use Areas. The property was acquired by the Commonwealth through The Nature Conservancy in 1973. Today, it is operated by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation & Natural Resources’ Bureau of State Parks as a meeting center for government agencies and as an environmental education facility.
The centerpiece of the park is a 32-room, native Antietam quartzite stone mansion built in 1908 by James McCormick Cameron. Cameron’s “summer home” was originally designed to resemble an Italian villa with its flat roof, huge windows, and flagstone terrace. The structure is believed to be the first application of steel- reinforced concrete structure built in this geographic area; Cameron insisted on this type of construction to make the mansion as fireproof as possible.
SMB&R was awarded the design contract for the restoration and expansion of Kings Gap to allow the facility to be used for conferences and to provide overnight accommodations for guests. Renovations to the existing first floor provided ADA-compliant accessibility to all areas, including installation of a lift to access sunken meeting rooms and addition of accessible restroom facilities. A two-story addition houses a staff lounge, laundry, and storage area. A new dining room and new two bedroom suite were constructed on the upper floor. The existing kitchen and food prep area were expanded to comply with DCNR guidelines for kitchen facilities and provide space for a new chef’s office, while the path between the kitchen and the new dining room was reorganized to improve circulation. A glass-enclosed emergency exit stair tower was constructed at the west end of the facility, carefully designed to contrast with the 1908 construction. Lighting, heating, electrical, plumbing, and emergency systems were upgraded and new finishes were installed throughout.
