Holliday Architects
It was Brigantine’s small, tight-knit community that convinced Scott Nehring to purchase a second home in this seaside town in 2020 – but it was the ample opportunity to design beautiful, one-of-a-kind homes across the island that led the Holliday Architects principal/partner to make Brigantine his primary home one short year later.
“I’m not the typical architect. I think I’m very grounded, very down to earth,” Scott said. “I try to listen very carefully and give people what they need and what they want.”
The Medford-based Holliday Architects has an expansive portfolio, from residential custom homes to commercial builds and everything in between. The company opened its second office in 2021 in Brigantine, where it primarily focuses on customized, single-family homes.
Regardless of what the project is, Scott said, the client always comes first.
The process of building a home is “ a lot of back and forth and soul searching for a lot of people,” according to Scott. His job is to help guide them to the perfect plan – and sometimes to play mediator a bit along the way.
“Some people have no idea what they want. Some people know exactly what they want. Some people are undecided between the husband and wife and you’ve got to pull them together,” Scott said.
Scott loved architecture as a kid growing up in Moorestown, which is what led him to earn his associates degree in specialized technology at the American Institute of Design in Philadelphia right out of high school in the early ’90s.
After working for a couple years at homebuilder Toll Brothers and then 18 years at another firm, Scott reached out to Holliday Architects founder and president Jim Holliday, with whom he already had a working relationship. He took a chance to get his foot in the door.
“It just skyrocketed from there,” Scott said.
The first house the team worked on in Brigantine was in 2011, and Holliday Architects started pursuing more jobs down the shore. They developed relationships with local custom builders, such as Ralph Busco of AlisonPaul Builders, and started to establish themselves as a top architectural firm for beach builds.
Brigantine was desirable because it was a more affordable market when compared to its southern neighbors, such as Avalon or Stone Harbor. During COVID, that secret got out, and Brigantine “kind of exploded,” Scott said. The firm has completed about 120 houses in Brigantine since opening the local office, both in renovations and new houses.
“I could probably keep the whole office busy with Brigantine consistently,” Scott said.
Renovations can be simple, such as opening up the floor plan of a one-floor beach cottage, to much more complex, like adding an entire floor to an existing structure.
“And then there’s the new market which is really a lot of fun. That’s what I’ve enjoyed,” Scott said.
He likes the challenge of the tighter lots in Brigantine and figuring out how to work within the size restraints and building requirements – all while making a client’s dream home become a reality.
“I love everything about it,” Scott said. “It’s like a puzzle. And we’re dealing with views.”
At only a few blocks wide, the views in Brigantine are plentiful, whether it’s the bay, the ocean or the Atlantic City skyline. Determining the best view for the lot is how the whole design process starts out.
“Views are gold,” Scott said. “There’s a lot of opportunity with how to lay the house out.”
When walking through the finished house with a client, seeing their excitement and happiness is a boon for Scott. He always likes to ask what they would have done differently, but thanks to the customized nature of Holliday Architects, the clients usually say not much, if anything.
And that, in and of itself, is perhaps the greatest compliment.
Holliday Architects
3212 ATLANTIC BRIGANTINE BLVD., BRIGANTINE, NJ
609-953-5373
609-953-5737 (FAX)