News

CAM Construction is proud to share that The Lofts at Stehli Mill has been recognized by Novogradac with the Historic Rehabilitation award for Residential Development that Overcame Significant Obstacles!
This award is significant to our team because it honors not just the finished product, but everything it took to get there.

Originally built in 1897 and home to more than 2,000 female textile workers, the Stehli Mill complex sat abandoned for four decades. Today, we’re proud that this historic Lancaster, PA landmark has been transformed into 165 loft-style apartments, including a mix of studio, one-, and two-bedroom homes, while preserving the character that makes it irreplaceable.

Getting here wasn’t easy. A few of the obstacles our team navigated:
🔨 Century-old wood floors that had to be hand-scraped and sanded to remove generations of oils and coatings
🪟 More than 1,300 historically accurate replacement windows meeting National Park Service standards, including 400 factory window units weighing 500 pounds each
🏗️ Heavy-timber beams and tongue-and-groove decking requiring replacement due to significant rot and warping
🌧️ Complex underground stormwater facilities built around challenging low bedrock

The result? Restored wood flooring, brush-blasted exposed brick and beams, and modern wellness and lifestyle amenities, including a 2,500 sq. ft. fitness center and a 2,000 sq. ft. clubhouse that shifts from a daytime work-from-home lounge to an evening entertainment space.

None of this would have been possible without the state and federal Historic Tax Credit programs that provided the necessary funding to see this project through to completion. A huge thank you to Novogradac for this recognition, as well as our design partners Hammel Associates Architects, the civil engineering team at RETTEW, and every tradesperson and team member who helped bring Stehli Mill back to life. 👏

Check out the link below to read Novogradac’s write-ups on the award winners.

https://www.novoco.com/periodicals/articles/historic-rehabilitation-award-winners-illustrate-range-of-impacts-challenges