Urban Land Institute-Northern New Jersey has recognized The Bravitas Group and its team with a 2024 Excellence Award for The National. The building at 17 Watchung Plaza in Montclair won in the “Small Deal of the Year” category (construction costs of $15M or less.)
Bob Silver, the co-founder and CEO of The Bravitas Group, expressed excitement and pride in the team’s accomplishment.
“We are extremely proud of the team and all the skilled folks involved in this adaptive reuse project,” Silver said. “We repurposed this century-old former bank building into The National, the beautiful new home of Montclair Speech Therapy.”
Paul Sionas and Rick Jarzembowski from Sionas Architectures served as the project team. Jack Finn and Patrick McCarthy were general contractors. In addition, Rachael Grochowski of RHG A&D contributed interior design expertise, while Charlie Spademan showcased his skills as a metal artist.
In 2005, The Bravitas Group began repurposing buildings into bespoke boutique office spaces, starting with BrassWorks. The National is an innovative adaptive reuse of a historic bank building. It is the fifth bank built in the 1920s to be repurposed by The Bravitas Group. The National received the Bricks & Mortar Preservation Award from The Montclair Historic Preservation Commission in 2023.
The ULI-NNJ’s annual Awards for Excellence ceremony will take place on April 4 at the Westmount Country Club in Woodland Park, New Jersey. Since 1979, this program has recognized outstanding development efforts in the private, public and nonprofit sectors. Winning projects, like The National, represent the highest standards of achievement in the land use profession.
Congratulations! So well deserved.