This ground up single-family townhouse in exclusive Brooklyn Heights was the first new townhouse built in the Landmarked area in a 20 year period. The elegant glass and brick façade is composed as a panelized facade, informed in part by the building’s landmark designation. While no attempt was made to ape the period details of the neighboring brownstones, wood frame windows and doors tie it into the rest of the block. The steel beam header is one of many subtle references to the original structure.

Within the dwelling, a cantilevered metal staircase in the dining area posed a particular challenge for the architect. Dramatically poised on the floating mezzanine, the effect is one of lightness and buoyancy. Glass rails and a polished concrete floor reinforce this impression. Rusted gears set into the black concrete countertop are witty mementos of the site’s pedigree.

A particularly remarkable feature of this distinctive residence is the walled in garden to the rear of the house. A curved concrete platform, paved with slate, serves as the backdrop for this urban oasis. Tranquil waterfalls are housed in niches excavated from the retaining wall. A multi-level bluestone walkway wends its way through the garden over languid pools strewn with water lilies and replete with colorful fish. Exotic plantings like bamboo and Japanese maple evoke a pastoral ideal.

Material Used :

1. Marvin windows

2. Belden Bricks – Roman brick

3. Lightolier downlights

4. Century mirror

5. GE profile refrigerator

6. Viking range

7. Kohler & Toto Plumbing fixture

8. Lutron lighting controls