This antique house presented a rare renovation and expansion challenge: not only is the exterior an Historic Landmark, but a portion of the interior is as well.  Like many of our projects, the entry sequence and kitchen were principal areas of concern.  In this case, the primary entry, which is on the side of the house, had a beautiful glass door with sidelights, but it looked straight into the house and couldn’t be changed due to landmarks regulations.  The solution: add a focus wall just inside the door.  The wall created a beautiful vestibule that could be seen from the street while protecting the privacy of daily life behind.  A new larger mudroom was created on the other side of the wall.

The other major challenge was the kitchen – it was cut off from the entry by an exterior basement access stair, and isolated from other living spaces.  The solution was small but significant — we moved the exterior basement access stair to the far side of the house, moved the interior basement stair to under the existing stair, and added a 4 foot sliver onto the back of the house to create a free area of circulation from entry to kitchen. Structural modification allowed us to open up the entire back of the house, connecting kitchen to living space, while new steel doors flood the space with light and allow back yard access.  The reconfigured rear of the house stays connected to the historic (landmarked) front spaces, which were protected and minimally impacted by the work.  Additional work in the basement lowered the floor and removed massive brick piers to gain a playroom, and a garden renovation transformed the outdoor space.