Project Description
The owners of this 1840’s townhouse wished to create a comfortable modern home intimately connected to the rear garden, while respecting the historic fabric of its Cobble Hill Historic District neighborhood.
One of four identical sister buildings each with substantial changes over the years, this townhouse had been converted into an apartment building. Beginning with the restoration of the front stoop, masonry openings, and brownstone detailing, the goal was to visually relink the sister houses with a hybrid style consisting of subtle modern ironwork elements blended into the Greek Revival and Italianate language.
On the interior, the client wished to unify the shared living areas so the family can feel connected even while in different parts of the house. This was accomplished with a double-height space that exposes the original brick of the rear façade and opens the casual living spaces on the ground floor to the more formal entertainment areas above.
In the rear, a glass and steel addition was carefully cantilevered and stepped around two mature London plane trees to protect tree roots and to project the kitchen and dining area into the garden. This new space—which inhabits the zone between interior and exterior– is reached from the parlor floor by a bridge. The resulting rear facade unifies the neighboring rear additions, while providing floor to ceiling glass to bring southern light and garden views deep into the house.
Working on site as both architect and builder allowed us to understand the nuances of the existing structure, expose elements with the most character, and better harmonize the modern interventions with the original fabric of the building.