Restoration and addition to private residence, Newton, MA

Design Challenge:

Upgrade a unique 1870's masonry cottage to the clients’ desire for a 21st century market savvy home while preserving the original architectural statement.

Solution:

Respect and maintain the elegantly simple form of the house. Take a preservation approach to restoring the façade to original intent, stripping the ‘eclectic’ embellishments applied in the 1960’s.

Concentrate the majority of new program elements in one new form to the rear of the cottage. While preserving the existing landscaping, a new garage is set detached in the front yard, creating a new auto court. This was necessitated by environmental constraints of the flood plain to the rear. The use of gravel for the driveway surface helps establish an old world charm.

The façades of the new addition, as visible from the street, echo forms from the old cottage in a complementary and understated way.

Photography: Architects 2

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