Hickey Architects Inc. Carol Hickey and Carol Donten will tell you that their work and their relationships with clients are first and foremost. But it’s not lost on them that they are successful women in what is still a man’s domain — architecture. Hickey and Donten, partners at Hickey Architects Inc. in Mt. Gretna, also know that the field is shifting favorably for women. “Very much so,” Hickey responded, when asked if she was proud to be a woman in architecture. “It’s an interesting field, it’s challenging. There’s more women in this field now than when I started. Every firm I know has at least one woman.” Hickey, a graduate of Lebanon Catholic High School and Catholic University in Washington, D.C., has been a registered architect in Pennsylvania since 1977. “When I graduated there were just two women in my (architecture) class,” Hickey said. Donten, who is younger, graduated from Cedar Crest High School and Penn State. She estimates that one-third of the students in the Penn State architecture program at the time were women. Hickey and Donten have completed a wide variety of projects, including historic preservation, barns, public libraries, municipal facilities, child-care facilities, office and retail space, restaurants, movie theater, streetscape and downtown design, public housing, and private residences. Their projects are all over the map, and that’s the way they like it. “I think because we don’t specialize — like we just don’t do health-care or schools — we’re always learning,” Donten said. “Each job is a unique experience.” Their signature work — from a high-profile standpoint — is arguably the Allen Theatre in Annville. In the mid-1990s, Hickey Architects totally renovated the old theater for new owner Skip Hicks, blending an art-deco style with a retro-theater charm. “If people don’t know us and you say we did the Allen Theatre,” Hickey said, “they instantly know that project.” Twenty years later, the Allen Theatre remains a popular destination and visitors continue to marvel at its beauty and charm. Hickey and Donten enjoy historical preservation work. “It’s about restoring the historic fabric of the building,” said Hickey, adding that when contemporary features are added to a design, “You strive for a mix.”
14
By Bill Warner
cts.com eyarchite www.hick
Carol Hickey, left, and Carol Donten admire 3-D models of private residences that they created.
In 2015, they completed a project on King Street in Lancaster, converting a building that had stood vacant for about 50 years into a beautiful event space. Noting that the job is “more than meets the eye,” many architects working on historical projects spend a lot of time on research before they ever sit at their desk and draw, Hickey said. Such was the case with the Union Canal Tunnel project in Lebanon years ago. The south side of the oldest transportation tunnel in the U.S., of course, is a local tourist attraction. But the north portal, which draws few visitors, was in disrepair. “We put together the team to restore the north side of the tunnel,” Hickey said. “We did all of the historical research.” Another rewarding, but time-consuming, project was a historic stone house in Maytown, Lancaster County, that was dismantled and shipped to Omagh, Northern Ireland. Hickey and Donten researched and found timbers that were true to the originals for the restoration. And then there were the stones from the 20-inch-thick walls. “We were on site every day, basically numbering the stones,” Hickey said. “We had a mason chipping out the stones.” Donten does her architectural drawings with computer-aided design, or CAD, programs. But Hickey is “old school” and does all of her drawings by hand. “I just think it’s the eye-hand coordination,” Hickey explained. “It makes you constantly think about the drawing.”
Regardless of the method, the partners review each other’s work, and that’s invaluable, both said. “I think it’s really important to go back and forth between hand and computer,” Donten said, “because you see things that the other person might miss.” Hickey Architects is located at 499 Route 117 in a quaint Mt. Gretna cottage-style building that formerly served as a store and newsstand. Hickey and Donten incorporated the business in 2003. Hickey and Donten are community-minded and have been involved in initiatives in Lebanon and Lancaster counties. They are members of the Lebanon Valley Chamber of Commerce and the Mt. Gretna Area Historical Society. They participate in Mt. Gretna’s First Friday celebration of the arts by hosting a local artist’s works monthly, May to October. “We joined the Chamber to meet more people and to promote our business,” Hickey said. “If you want people to hire you, they have to get to know you. I just think it’s important to be a part of the community.” What is the most rewarding part of being an architect? “Seeing (a project) completed and seeing people enjoying it,” Hickey said. “And seeing the clients being happy with the finished product. When a client gets excited about a design, that’s fun. That’s the rewarding part.” Added Donten: “I think most of our clients have become friends.”
Lebanon Valley Chamber of Commerce | www.lvchamber.org