Doylestown's First Apartment Building In A Generation Opens Its Doors

DOYLESTOWN, PA — The Martin, the first apartment building constructed in Doylestown Borough in a generation, has opened its doors on North Main Street.

Residents began moving in last week at the four-story, 59-unit luxury apartment building built on the site of the former Thompson Toyota building and named after Oscar Martin, a renowned architect in Doylestown who designed the Doylestown Fire Station No. 1 and the old Moose Lodge.

Developed by Arcadia Land Company and built by HOW General Contracting of Conshohocken, the building boasts common gathering areas, a fitness center, a street-level garage, EV charging stations, a dog park, and a common rooftop terrace boasting spectacular views of the north side of Doylestown, including the Bucks County Courthouse and Our Lady of Czestochowa in the distance.

Patch was invited on an exclusive tour of Doylestown’s newest addition by Jason Duckworth, president of Arcadia Land Company in Philadelphia; Ben Altman of Altman Management, the company that will manage the building; and leasing consultant Randi Schlotterer.

“One of the nice things about being on this side of the borough is that you have all the amenities of the shopping centers, but you also have access to the historic center of town with the County Theatre and all the restaurants and shops,” said Duckworth. "You can go to the new Broad Commons Park where there are concerts going on.

"When we were planning this project, I used to joke that this is the only place in the Philadelphia suburbs where you can walk to two different Starbucks in 10 minutes. That doesn't exist anywhere in the Philadelphia suburbs," he said.

According to Duckworth, planning and then building The Martin has been a five-year process from land acquisition to opening.

“Jason led that charge and had the vision. It’s been amazing to see him get to this point,” said Altman, whose company will be managing the project.

The lobby of The Martin. (photo by Jeff Werner)

The mailroom on the first floor. (photo by Jeff Werner)

The fourth floor community room. (photo by Jeff Werner)

Views of the Bucks County Justice Center and the Bucks County Administration Building from the fourth-floor community terrace. (photo by Jeff Werner)

The fourth-floor community terrace boasts a view of Our Lady of Czestochowa in the distance. (photo by Jeff Werner)

“We’re going to be long-term owners here and we’re looking forward to becoming enmeshed in the Doylestown community,” said Duckworth.

Residents and guests will enter the building through a secured lobby area on the western end of the building. An app on your phone will allow for easy entry.

“This space is available for residents and their guests to hang out,” said Duckworth of the lobby, which also includes a fitness studio, a coffee bar, and a mailroom where everyone will pick up their mail and packages.

A quick elevator ride to the top of The Martin takes you to the building’s fourth-floor Community Room offering living room seating, a fireplace nook, a refrigerator/freezer, a warming drawer, and a big screen TV.

“It’s nice because you come right out of the elevator and into the space,” says Schlotterer. “This is just another beautiful space - a change of scenery if you want to get out of your apartment but you don’t want to leave the building.”

“If you want to do a baby shower or have a birthday party, we can arrange for its exclusive use,” adds Altman.

Just off the community room is The Martin's spacious community rooftop terrace overlooking the historic Borough of Doylestown from four flights up. The terrace features patio seating, pergolas, a fireplace, and an outdoor kitchen and barbecue pit area.

“Straight ahead you see Czestochowa,” points out Schlotterer. “That’s my favorite fun fact up here. It’s a gorgeous view.”

Duckworth points out that in addition to the common rooftop terrace, eight units have their own private terraces while three units boast private patios at grade.

At the heart of The Martin are its 59 spacious one- and two-bedroom apartments offering unique floor plans, stainless steel appliances, full-size GE smart washer/dryer in every home, bedroom ceiling fans, custom-designed closets, quartz countertops, smart thermostats, keyless entry locks, kitchen islands, Pella windows, custom paint and gas ranges.

“Everything is fresh and modern,” said Schlotterer. “And there are multiple different floor plans available.”

Living area in one of the apartments. (photos by Jeff Werner)

The Master Bedroom in one of the apartments. (photo by Jeff Werner)

Bathroom with a bathtub in one of the apartments. (photo by Jeff Werner)

A spacious closet in one of the units. (photos by Jeff Werner)

The largest unit at The Martin boasts 1,585 square feet with 2-bedrooms, 2-baths and a den. (photo by Jeff Werner)

A spacious private terrace with views of Doylestown. (photo by Jeff Werner)

The units range in size from the Arch, a 766-square-foot one-bedroom unit, up to the Rake, a two-bedroom unit with two baths and a den totaling 1,585 square feet.

One-bedroom units range from $2,500 up to $3,700 a month while two-bedroom units are in the $3,698 to $5200 price range.

“One feature that everyone likes and is rare in an apartment is a full-size washer and dryer. That’s a big deal,” said Schlotterer.

While Duckworth said they welcome move-ins from every situation, suburban apartment buildings such as The Martin tend to attract smaller households - younger professionals or empty-nesters who are downsizing.

“You generally see very few families with children simply because families prefer having more space in a more traditional single-family home,” he said. “I suspect we will be welcoming a lot of long-time Doylestown folks who are looking to have a turnkey lifestyle and be closer to the center of the action.”

According to Schlotterer, the building is currently 25 percent rented. “There’s a lot of interest. For those people downsizing, it’s a beautiful luxurious space with no maintenance.”

“We are excited to become part of the neighborhood," said Duckworth. "It was a long haul getting us here. The process of bringing something like this to fruition always takes more time than you expect, but we’re delighted with how the architecture has come out. If you hold the renderings up, you’ll find that we really implemented what we had promised.

"Our hope is that we get all the new families moved in, make them part of the community and we'll hopefully be here indefinitely and become a fixture in the Doylestown community," said Duckworth.

For more information about The Martin, click here.