Larken Associates Celebrates 60 Years of Excellence in Real Estate Development, Creating Great Spaces to Live and Work
Larken Associates, a regional leader in real estate building, development and management, is proud to celebrate its 60th anniversary in 2025.
Founded by Lawrence W. Gardner in 1965, Larken Associates began with a straightforward vision: build quality properties in prime locations and treat people right. What started with single-family homes soon grew into a respected business recognized for its commitment to quality and innovation.
As the region experienced tremendous growth, Lawrence identified opportunities to expand the company’s footprint with more ambitious residential and commercial development projects. Its diversification was powered by the addition of Lawrence’s son, David, the current President and CEO of Larken Associates, in 1985. Working together, Lawrence and David expanded the business into new asset classes including multifamily, self-storage, flex/industrial, retail, and professional and medical office space.
Today, Lawrence’s founding ideals remain the cornerstone of Larken Associates’ success, inspiring its ongoing commitment to exceptional workmanship, creative planning, and innovative thinking. Guided by David’s visionary leadership, the firm’s portfolio now spans nearly 3,000 residential units across 20 communities and 4M square feet of commercial space across New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
Looking ahead, the company remains focused on expanding its portfolio through strategic acquisitions and ground-up development. Its largest multifamily investment to date, the 21-building, 420-unit Trailside Village in Forks, Pennsylvania, is already underway. Beyond Trailside Village, the firm is also in the planning stages for additional projects across New Jersey and Pennsylvania, encompassing 1,500 multifamily units and 200,000 square feet of commercial space.
Although our buildings might be the most visible example of our success over the past 60 years, we believe that the lasting impact we have made on our communities, our residents and commercial tenants is truly what matters most. I want to thank our employees and tenants for their support over the last 60 years. Together, we’ve built something truly special, and I look forward to the next chapter of our journey.
The firm’s Larken Living portfolio is built to offer thoughtfully designed homes for every stage of life. Residents enjoy budget-friendly living in Larken Smart Living communities. For anyone looking for resort-style amenities and premier finishes, its Larken Luxury Living properties are second to none and Larken Senior Living communities are meticulously designed around the needs of active adults to ensure they can tap into an unmatched Larken Living experience.
The firm’s commercial portfolio offers adaptable and modern spaces tailored to meet the needs of businesses at any stage of their journey. From small startups seeking their first office to large distributors requiring industrial flex space or national retailers looking to expand, its portfolio provides flexible solutions for virtually any business.
The firm has also built a community-building reputation through its Larken Cares initiative, which encourages every employee to take pride in enriching and enhancing their local communities. Members of the Larken Associates team are proud to support a wide range of global and local charities including From Houses to Homes, America’s Grow-A-Row, Norwescap New Jersey, Whitehall-Coplay Hunger Initiative, Second Harvest Food Bank of Lehigh Valley and Northeast Pennsylvania and YWCA York.
To learn more about Larken Associates’ legacy of creating great spaces to live, work and play, check out their brand-new video here.
About Larken Associates
Larken Associates is a regional leader in real estate building, development and management. Leveraging 60 years of experience, they are dedicated to bringing great spaces to live and work to life through a long-term ownership strategy and full suite of in-house capabilities. With a diverse commercial portfolio consisting of nearly four million square feet and 1,000 tenants across office, industrial, retail and mixed-use and approximately 2,800 owned and managed residential units across 20 unique communities with another 1,500 in the development pipeline, Larken Associates is deeply committed to the communities in which they work as well as the tenants and residents who call their buildings home. To learn more about Larken Associates, please visit us at https://www.larkenassociates.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, X and Instagram.
