Located in the heart of Greenwich Village, this 1829 townhouse has a long history of renovation and addition. Late in the nineteenth century a floor was added to the original two-story Federal-style house, and the façade updated. During the 1940s the building was largely gutted and converted to a rooming house. Conceived as the next chapter in the building’s history, our design takes advantage of several unique site conditions to restore the structure to use as a single-family residence adapted for contemporary living.

In order to comply with current building codes, we built an entirely new structure behind the landmarked façade. Due to its small footprint, our design focuses on expanding the house vertically. Excavating the garden level, we created a generous ceiling height for a family room, while a rooftop addition equipped with an outdoor fireplace and cooking area provides expansive views of the city. By opening a former boiler room below the rear garden we are creating a multi-level green space which offers views from the parlor-level kitchen and elevator landings, lending a sense of seclusion. A new cantilevered wood stair graciously winds up through the 5-story house.

The design for the rooftop addition required a public hearing of the Landmarks Preservation Commission due to the building’s visibility from 8th Avenue. We looked at the precedent of the artist’s studio - a common method of building additions during the mid-twentieth century - for a language in keeping with the character of the neighborhood. Setbacks from the front and rear facades were an opportunity to create landscaped terraces that function as extensions of the interior living spaces.