31 West 76th Residence

This National Register brownstone in New York City’s first historic district was built in 1887. During the 1900s the house was converted to apartments. With the exception of the front facade, parlor-level, and stairwell, original detail was missing. The client’s desire was to return the house to a single-family residence in keeping with its historic character and contemporary lifestyles.

The design restores historic woodwork on the parlor level. New insulating windows match historic profiles and stone work was repaired and repointed. A new family kitchen is placed next to the downstairs entry for easy access and service from the sidewalk. Adjacent to this area a dining room opens onto a rear garden. To facilitate entertaining, the floor of a rear annex was removed. Within the resulting two-story space, a new spiral staircase directly connects the dining room to the parlor level. On the upper floors, bedrooms, baths, and a family room cluster around the restored stairwell. New details utilize materials and proportions similar to the existing but render them in a simple manner to distinguish old from new.

OMNI Architects of New York City were responsible for permit plans. John Kaliski, AIA was responsible for schematic design, design development, preservation and construction observation.