Project Tour: Brownstone Townhouse Renovation

Please join the AIANY Women in Architecture (WIA) for a tour of a brownstone townhouse renovation in the Upper West Side, hosted by WIA members Ada Ko of Ogawa Depardon Architects and Ingrid Sletten of X-Act Contracting.

The project is the restoration of and addition to a Neo-Grec townhouse located in the Central Park Historic District. Originally designed by prolific rowhouse architect M. Grenell and constructed from 1883 to 1884, the building is being transformed into a six-level home for a family of four. The design intent was to create expansive loft-like spaces in a 17-foot-wide structure where the main entry/living/dining/kitchen spaces flow into each other horizontally and vertically, with transparent and translucent glass defining the public zones. At the back of the house is a new three-story glass and steel addition with a double-height space and a double-height, triple-panel window facing the garden. The garden is entered through a walkable glass skylight that lets in natural light to the new space in the cellar. The house is crowned with a new sky-lit penthouse. The challenge, however, to realize the design scheme called for excavating, using a process called drilling and splitting. Excavation through a rock ledge of granite and quartz achieved a 10-foot clearance in the cellar, which was then extended 27 feet into the backyard. The three-story extension sits atop the cellar. The project was in the planning stages for a year-and-a-half, followed 18 months of construction, to date. Multiple onsite discussions between the two teams allowed the project to proceed at a steady pace and the collaboration between creative architects and a general contractor with vast experience working on both renovations and additions have enabled the owners’ dream townhouse to be realized. Bring your hard hats!

Tour Guides:
Ada Ko, Project Architect, Ogawa Depardon Architects
Ingrid Sletten, Director of Sales, X-Act Contracting

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