Town House in Washington, DC by Robert Gurney Architect

Built like its neighbors, over a century ago and part of a continuous network of buildings in a historical district, this town house has been completely renovated. Regulations required that the traditional limestone facade remain intact. The bottom floor of the facade has been reworked within the existing limestone composition in an effort to provide a separate entrance and storefront for a commercial tenant in the lower level. The rear facade, located in an alley has been completely reworked to provide more light into the building.

Town House ©Paul Warchol

• Architect and Entrant : Robert M. Gurney, FAIA, Architect
• Project Architect: John Riordan
• Location: Washington, DC
• Contractor: Prill Construction
• Engineer: D. Anthony Beale LLC
• Photographer: Paul Warchol

Town House ©Paul Warchol

The building was previously used as commercial space on all three floors. The eighteen foot wide by one hundred foot long structure occupies the entire site. Interior spaces were typically dark with nine foot high ceilings, the result of a previous renovation.

In this new renovation the majority of existing floor joists are retained in an effort to reuse the existing structural system and not disturb the historical limestone facade. To change the redundancy of continuous nine feet high ceilings, a 12 foot wide section of the third floor, the width of the row house, is removed. Located directly above this opening, a similar sized skylight infuses the interior with light. Similarly, another section of the third floor is removed to accommodate a stair system. Above the new steel and aluminum stairs, a rooftop addition opens to adjacent terraces and provides outdoor living spaces with rooftop views.

Exposed brick walls, painted white are juxtaposed to blue epoxy floors. Floor openings with bridges, skylights, and a three story galvanized steel wall animate the spaces and integrate the floors vertically. Glass and steel elements compose the spaces and unify a diverse but consistent palette of materials, resulting in a modern spatial quality within a traditional town house typology.

Blue Epoxy Floors Juxtapose Existing White-Painted Brick Walls ©Paul Warchol

Dining Area with Living Area and Hearth Beyond. ©Paul Warchol

Dining Area with Living Area and Stair Beyond ©Paul Warchol

Entry Stair ©Paul Warchol

Custom Stainless Steel Bar ©Paul Warchol

Bridge to Master Suite ©Paul Warchol

Master Bathroom and Bedroom Beyond ©Paul Warchol

Shower ©Paul Warchol

Three Stories of Floor Openings with Skylight Above. ©Paul Warchol

Steel Bridge ©Paul Warchol

Rooftop Addition ©Paul Warchol

Alley Facade ©Paul Warchol

Street Facade ©Paul Warchol

Town House Axonometric

Town House Site Plan

Before - Town House Plans

After Town House Plans

After - Town House Section

After - Town House Street Elevation

After - Town House Site Section

After - Town House Alley Elevation

Tags: Washington DC

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