Haddonfield’s Artwalk celebrates ‘The Art of Architecture’

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An exhibit at the Artwalk on Mechanic Street in Haddonfield’s historic district salutes the blending of classic and contemporary architecture in South Jersey.

“Space, Materiality and Light: The Art of Architecture,” which will be on display through next spring, features the work of two local architects and examines how they approach blending current building trends while keeping the borough’s historic character.

Joseph Sikora, president of the Haddonfield Outdoor Trust, said the two architects, Jay Reinert and Thomas B. Wagner, were “all over it” when asked if they were interested in participating.

“After several meetings and kind of brainstorming of how to do this, we came up with this theme of space, materiality and art into the display,” he said. “They went through their work and then categorized those topics to celebrate certain spaces, materiality and light in terms of how their work really speaks to those aspects.”

Sikora said Wagner’s background is a little more classical, with more historic architecture, while Reinert leans more toward the contemporary. But both, he said, have a sense of listening to their clients and blending the fabric of architecture in Haddonfield for the next century.

“They know the community really well,” he added. “It is a special community with mostly historic architecture as a base.”

Reinert said his team’s approach to changing existing buildings differs from that of creating a modern home in a traditional neighborhood.

“For me, there’s homes that really are important to protect, and maybe of a period are historically or architecturally relevant, have been well-maintained and really reflect the society that built them at the time that they were built,” he said.

Reinert and Wagner each have three boards displaying their work. When the exhibit launched Dec. 5, there was a discussion on the future of architecture in Haddonfield where the two professionals shared their thoughts on integrating modern homes into a historic community. Reinert said he hopes the exhibit sparks at least one conversation about contemporary homes in traditional neighborhoods.

“It’s kind of a silly conversation because, really, the conversation is, ‘How do we document our time on the earth as a society through our buildings?’” he said. “I’m hoping that it continues a conversation about what’s the right thing to do.”

Siroka hopes the exhibit will encourage people to be “more forward-thinking” when it comes to architecture.

“Even though some of these historic spaces and details are beautiful, I think there can be beauty and sort of simplicity,” he said. “That’s really understanding the basic nature of what a space can be with light and detail.”