Bedford Municipal Complex

Three civic facilities in a new environment with a classic look and feel

Bowen provided architectural, civil, structural, mechanical and electrical engineering for this new municipal center that reflects the architecture and tradition of Bedford. This dynamic new civic facility features council chambers, four state-of-the-art courtrooms, a five-day detention center, a police firing range and a 24-hour fire station. Administrative offices sit at the first level.

The most difficult challenge was the site’s limited street frontage, coupled with a program requirement that called for multiple buildings. The design had to address the primary street, yet turn inward to create a pleasing campus around which the buildings could interact with one another.

The site is located in the middle of a residential neighborhood, on parcels originally occupied by single-family residences and a former library. The City acquired these properties in order to develop the new municipal center in the heart of the community. The site is also in close proximity to the Central Business District and University Hospitals Bedford Medical Center.