Now and Then #2
This house is a little known part of the Darwin Martin House complex. Of course it was not designed by Frank Lloyd Wright but it does form an interesting piece of the major renovation project which is on going at Jewett Parkway site. It was recently restored to mint condition by the Martin House Restoration Corporation for use as their offices. It sits adjacent to the west side of the Martin House. The spectacular renovation designed by Hamilton Houston and Lownie Architects also serves as a great example of the more common type of house that was likely to be built by the elite in the early part of the 1900's. The contrast in style between this house and the Martin House is striking, giving stark evidence of Wright's mastery and genius.
This house is quite fine in its own right and the renovation provides a wonderful example of how nicely these big houses can be polished up. The house in its previous life was not in horrible condition but it had become a bit dowdy. Removal of its grand porch and ill conceived additions had wrecked its refined proportions and compositional balance. The architects brought back that delicate balance of form and proportion with a new front porch and second floor bay window. They restored roof top balustrades and installed new windows. All of this is tied together with a subtle new color scheme of yellow creme and black. Exacting care was used to bring back all of its Victorian charm. The "now" picture does not do the house justice. I recommend going to see for yourself, 127 Jewett Parkway.
Images by Hamilton Houston and Lownie Architects
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angela
What an incredible transformation!
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BIA Mod.
More evidence that it is architectural suicide to "modernize" or "update" old buildings. Beware: the more you spend at Home Depot, the less your house will be worth. Don't spend your "home improvement" dollars until you've indentified tradespeople who understand and admire pre-WWII buildings and their interior integrity, and until you've found sources for reproduction fixtures, wallpapers, etc.
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