Westport’s Bedford Square is Underway

CENTERBROOK, Conn. -- Construction has begun on Bedford Square, a mixed use project in downtown Westport, Connecticut that encompasses new retail shops, offices, restaurants, residential units, and underground parking. The 110,000-square-foot redevelopment is slated to open in early 2017.

Centerbrook designed the project for Bedford Square Associates, which recently unveiled its anchor tenant, the national retailer Anthropologie, whose 40,000-square-foot “expanded concept store” will feature clothing, home furnishings, bridal and beauty accessories, and a salon.

Bedford Square is designed to serve as the “Gateway” to Westport. The development will invigorate its historic urban core and repurpose two iconic buildings to serve as the formal entrance to downtown. It also will establish community gathering spaces, public courtyards, tree-lined sidewalks, and connecting pedestrian alleyways.

The project entails the complete renovation and restoration of the stately 1924 Bedford Mansion and the circa 1920 Westport Firehouse, the removal and replacement of several structures, most significantly the large YMCA complex on a prominent site at the corner of Main Street and Boston Post Road. In place of these buildings will be an intelligent and historically sensitive arrangement of commercial uses, much needed residential units, and onsite parking underground.

The charm and integrity of the historic Bedford Mansion and Firehouse set the architectural tone, character and scale of the project. Centerbrook’s additions are a modern extension of that beloved aesthetic, and in keeping with the scale of the site, the downtown core, and its neighbors. Residential units occupy upper floors with rooftop decks affording views to the piazza and downtown.