This project is a historic renovation and addition to a mid century modern home. The house was originally designed by the Kansas City firm of Kivett and Meyers in 1957. Multiple additions over the years had modified the original structure in unfortunate ways. It was the priority of the project to bring back the clarity of the original design, while updating it to meet twenty first century needs.
The existing structure is a stepped split level moving downhill. There are five levels to the structure. Working from highest to lowest. The design for the house reconfigures the bedroom floor to have 3 bedrooms and two baths from what was essentially a one-bedroom U shaped room.
On the entry level, an addition to the front of the house of a sunroom and new front door had been added. This space is five steps in elevation higher than the original entry. This addition was reworked to better match the original design of the home. The original front door on the lower level was removed and reworked into the existing wood panel room to make it appear as this entry addition had always been there. In the sitting room a small Barnicle like bar was removed and the window wall to the street was completely rebuild and refined from the original intent. The existing built-in seating and storage were restored and remain. A new large window was added to provide views to the site.
The main living space in on the lower level and due to additions felt like a basement, with a centered column and dropped beams at the original footprint of the house. The kitchen was small and closed off from the remainder of the living spaces. The reconfigured floor takes advantage of views to the rear yard while cleaning up the additions. The lowered beams that were the previous exterior wall of the house were upturned into the floor package, and the center column was shifted of center to define the new kitchen which runs North south on the West side. The kitchen it treated like midcentury furniture with the exception of the appliance wall and pantries. The Living area and Dining area occupy the East side of the plan. The original fireplace and stair were restored.
On the rear of the house a three foot by 28’ addition was added to unify the rear elevation of the house and provide a contemporary wall of glass to the wooded rear yard. On the kitchen side of this addition is access to a small service patio with an outdoor kitchen. The East side of the addition provides access to a raised deck and trellis pavilion with outdoor entertaining space. This deck and its screen wall was developed to provide privacy to the new wall of glass. It was positioned to no obscure the views from the living room, but to define the edge of the rear yard.
Thoughtful interventions combined with a sensitivity for the original structure allowed for the home to appear as if it has only one addition to the rear that is clearly expressed as such, meeting the secretary of the interiors standards for work with Historic Structures. The entire project looked to work within the vocabulary of the original home, updating to 21st century standards while maintaining the historic fabric of the house intact.
Photography Copyright Bob Greenspan Photography