Winner in the Best Sympathetic Addition category:
Jon Von Ohlsen and Carol Thompson for 3235 West 22nd Avenue
The 6th owners of 3235 West 22nd Avenue (and winners of the Best Sympathetic Addition), Jon Von Ohlsen and Carol Thompson, added a 2-story addition to the back of their home which had not been significantly altered since its construction in 1912. Self-proclaimed old house “purists”, they worked with architects Glen Palmer and Vaishali Rajput (who also helped them navigate the Historical Review process) to create an addition that would be integrated with, but not mimic, the original structure – a practice espoused by preservation architects. The reality is that many century-old floor plans do not adequately address the needs of the 21st century family, something posing a serious dilemma for the old house lover desiring more space and storage. Housing a new mudroom, bathroom and pantry downstairs and a study above, the perfectly scaled addition is an example of smart restraint and thoughtful choices. Though the exterior colors and lines are carried from the original building through to the addition, they are done so with the deliberately different use of materials. Though common or popular renovation practices drive many to try to marry as identically as possible an addition with the original house, preservationists prefer, instead, to know exactly where the old ends and the new begins. Achieving this while creating a cohesive overall appearance is the challenge with old house additions, one that was met at John and Carol’s expanded home. Inside, deciding how many elements and materials to “match” and how many to install in the spirit of or style of the original structure’s elements was also a challenge, since there is no hard and fast rule on this point. In their case, a balance was reached. The upstairs addition flooring was closely matched to the original hardwood flooring thanks to the serendipitous discovery of some clear vertical grain fir flooring with exact dimensions as that in the rest of the house. Jon and Carol hired a specialist at Stark Lumber to recreate the original home’s baseboards and window and door trim in the addition, something that harmonizes the space with the original. In the end, the house satisfies their modern desire for more space while maintaining a historically appropriate size and scale (especially evident when viewed from the street - thanks to its addition’s smart stepped-in design) and period feel in the new interior rooms. As far as historic house sympathetic additions go, this one is textbook.
