HISTORIC TOWNHOUSE
New York, NY renovationConsultant with Michael Rabin Architect
Currently under construction
This over 8,000 square foot, historic townhome was built by Clarence True in 1898, in an Elizabethan Rennaisance Revival style, and has gone through many transformations: it was originally a private home built for the Carroll family, then the location of numerous political and cultural organizations, then a consulate, a school, and now back to a private residence. This layering of histories posed particular challenges due to the disrepair of some spaces, the overpainting and damage to molding and other important details, and the removal of some interior character for its various uses over time.
The design brief was to restore the home’s interior, to bring back the character, but for a family of today. It had to be a home that behaved as a collection of spaces for modern-day living, future-proofed for further life changes, while occupying a 19th Century shell. Most often, we incorporated these features in concealed ways, both physically and visually, utilizing materials that blended characteristics of the old and new. Occasionally, in spaces like dressing rooms, bathrooms, custom millwork pieces and lighting solutions, the elements expressed themselves to compliment their historic counterparts, but not fit into a time period or color palette. This was the ultimate challenge: honor the past but create a newness that does not feel too other.
The design brief was to restore the home’s interior, to bring back the character, but for a family of today. It had to be a home that behaved as a collection of spaces for modern-day living, future-proofed for further life changes, while occupying a 19th Century shell. Most often, we incorporated these features in concealed ways, both physically and visually, utilizing materials that blended characteristics of the old and new. Occasionally, in spaces like dressing rooms, bathrooms, custom millwork pieces and lighting solutions, the elements expressed themselves to compliment their historic counterparts, but not fit into a time period or color palette. This was the ultimate challenge: honor the past but create a newness that does not feel too other.
What can we salvage from this space?
What can we borrow from the old to influence our new design language?
CUSTOM CHANDELIER BUILDING SECTION THIRD FLOOR PLAN