Our tryst with the Carriage House began at the height of the pandemic. The owners who had bought a dilapidated building knew it would make a great single-family home and wanted to harness its full potential. Being a commercial property from the late 19th century, the building footprint covered the entire lot, a rare occurrence among Brooklyn Brownstones. As a first step, we did a deep dive into the history of the project. The old Sanborn maps showed how the property evolved over the last century, starting as a commercial carriage house and evolving into a junk shop in the middle of the 20th century and finally as a live-work artist's space. Much of the original structure remained a double-height single-story structure at the front for the horses and a 2-story building at the back of the property connected by a courtyard, which was eventually roofed over. A kitchen was added to the rear with living quarters for the artist who owned the property prior to its sale. Our clients, a young couple with two kids, wanted to convert the commercial property into a forever home, with space for their aging parents and guests, private areas for contemplation and work and family rooms for congregation. The house is separated vertically, with the public spaces on the ground floor, the sleeping areas on the 2nd and the work, private spaces on the top. Being over a century-old, the structure had noticeable leaks at the roof and facades, crumbling brick walls and cavernous interiors deprived of natural light. One of the first design interventions we made was to insert a 15' x 15' courtyard into the heart of the 100' long building to bring much needed light and ventilation to the inner core. Two sides of the courtyard enclosure were designed to open with sliding-folding door systems. This not only facilitated natural ventilation through stack effect but also created an open plan feel for the first floor, that was ideal for social gatherings. A two-story addition was proposed above the first floor, supported on carefully threaded structural framing that brought the building up to the current code. New mechanical, plumbing & sprinkler systems were installed. Along with the courtyard, the stair features prominently in the space, tying the vertical addition together. A generous amount of outdoor space was provided, with the courtyard and a 5 foot wide rear
Brooklyn, NY
In progress
3000 SQ. FT.
Residential
JGA & Associates
LERA
MRCE
Alan Tansey