The owners of this early twentieth-century foursquare on a generous, sloped Forest Hills property wanted a house that would remain faithful to its history while fitting the needs of their family and considering the garden landscape. Setting the house slightly above street level, we maintained a three-storey presence on the street. A welcoming porch, bay window indicating living spaces of the second story, and dormer highlighting an attic storey capped by a cedar shake roof follow the traditional foursquare articulation. Wrapped in cedar shingles, the elevation also signals the three-storey rear expansion of the footprint. The gently expanded interior, executed in close collaboration with interior designer Andrew Law, reflects the timelessness of such classic style. Clean lines, understated decorative elements, and soft hues create spaces of bright warmth. The expansion required the removal of a previous unfortunate intervention to make way for the charming three-storey addition. Our overall visual approach played off Vincent Scully’s celebration of shingle style. We applied stepped, stacked volumes to create a cohesive sense of whimsical, artful massing. To address the particulars of the property’s terrain, a stone base supports the rising volumes while integrating the house with pool and landscape. A graceful arch creates transition between  the poolside veranda and the broad terrace above, and the third-storey post-and-lintel loggia recalls a widow’s walk, a coy reference to New England coastal style. Here, traditional forms merge with modernist interpretation to create a fresh, joyful interpretation of foursquare architecture and Americana aesthetic.

Photography by Gordon Beall