Designer’s Notebook: Historic Remake
A Philadelphia home on the city’s historical registry receives a tasteful reimagining.
Our client, previously living in a cramped three-story condo in Philadelphia, jumped at the chance to purchase this historic home from the 1860s. Listed on the Philadelphia Historical Registry, the house required thoughtful updates to balance preservation with modern comfort. We redesigned the floor plan to create space for their three children and enhance areas for entertainment, ensuring the home was both functional and true to its historic charm. 
The home was divided into separate condominium units between the first and second floors when the client first discovered the building. At the time they initially approached us, only the first-floor unit was for sale. But they approached the second-floor owner and were able to buy the second floor with the aim of joining the discrete living areas, which introduced the challenge of creating an internal staircase to connect the floors.
In addition to reworking the layout, we focused on preserving key architectural features while integrating contemporary finishes. The result is a harmonious blend of old and new, creating a spacious and welcoming environment for the family. This transformation allowed the home to maintain its historical significance while offering the modern amenities our clients desired.
One of the main challenges of this historic renovation was navigating strict preservation codes, which required us to submit plans beforehand for review. Any changes to the exterior, like the paint color and windows, required approval from the local historical commission, limiting the scope for visual alterations. The building had likely changed significantly from its original 19th-century appearance and layout, and we worked to strip back the work of later renovations to return the building to a more original appearance. It was important to both the client and us to keep the vaulted ceilings and as many of the original timber trusses, which we were able to accomplish for them. As in any city, parking is at a premium in downtown Philadelphia, so the client was intent on keeping that feature of the home’s design. In addition to these constraints, we encountered several structural issues, including a large crack in the stone wall.
Construction began during the Pandemic, which introduced its own set of challenges to the site. Working inside a small footprint on a tight urban corner was another
factor we had to innovate around to keep the project moving smoothly for the client.
To open up the space between the two-story townhouse and the attached carriage barn, we had to carefully remove load-bearing walls and install steel beams and columns for support. We also reimagined the layout to find a suitable location for a staircase to the second floor and incorporated a full bathroom upstairs—all while respecting the home’s historical integrity.
On the exterior, we applied fresh paint, completed structural repairs to the original 1860s load-bearing stone wall, added a new entrance, and enclosed the small patio and courtyard for added privacy and usability.
Inside, we shifted the kitchen layout to eliminate existing steel posts that were in the middle of the kitchen aisle and create access to a new outdoor patio. We also installed the new staircase connecting the first and second floors and expanded the entertainment space to include a 10-person bar. Despite the home’s compact footprint, we successfully carved out space for a cozy den/music room, an exercise room, and a powder room.