One of Blumberg Associates’ earliest and longest running projects, the complete renovation of this Atlantic City “alley” spanned a 20-year period. The client, the creative Raphel-Gordon family, originally purchased the parking lot in the alley, and then began the campaign to develop an inner-city shopping district, along the lines of San Francisco’s Ghiradelli Square.
Using an English village as a model, we began developing a downtown pedestrian mall filled with two-story shops. The Alley, which once contained Ralph Lauren Polo, an art shop, an antique store, a children’s shop and several others, has now become completely office-based.
It formerly was the home for the Blumberg-designed office for New Jersey’s second largest law firm, as well as Blumberg Associates own office. The alley is a prime example of the adaptive re-use of deteriorating urban structures. The Alley was recently rededicated by the City of Atlantic City and its success in spawning retail and urban redevelopment.