Page 74 - ArchDC_Fall 2020

Chapter Design Award in Architecture Rear addition of the Renovation 1662 project.

Renovation 1662
Washington, DC

Robert M. Gurney, FAIA, Architect
Landscape Architects: Campion Hruby Landscape Architecture
Structural Engineers: United Structural Engineers, Inc.
General Contractor: Washington Landmark Construction

Georgetown’s reputation as one of the most glamorous
neighborhoods in DC belies the fact that many of its historic
houses are quite small, with compartmentalized interiors that
do not easily accommodate modern lifestyles. Such was the
case with this house, which before renovation had two modest
bedrooms, only one full bathroom, and an outmoded kitchen
tucked away in a tiny wing at the rear of the basement. The
current owners, a couple with two small children who were
attracted by the house’s location in a walkable, family-friendly
area, hired Robert M. Gurney, FAIA, to modernize and expand
it, as well as to enhance the relationship between the house and
its narrow but sizeable back yard.
The key to the renovation was a two-story addition to the
rear, with a new living room on the first floor and a master
bedroom suite above. Although the footprint of the addition
is longer and wider than the original kitchen wing, it does not
span the entire width of the site, so as to retain direct access
from the basement to the yard and to allow for a necessary
window in one of the existing bedrooms on the second floor.
The rear wall of the addition is almost entirely glass, with
sliding doors on the first floor, thus facilitating movement
between the living spaces and the yard, which has been
meticulously relandscaped.
The first floor of the original house now contains an open
kitchen and dining room, while the basement contains the
family room. On the second floor, the two existing bedrooms
are now much more spacious, as their ceilings were opened
up to the roof line. In the front bedroom, that allowed for the
front dormer to be incorporated into the room, brightening
it considerably. In the second bedroom, a skylight admits
abundant daylight.
Throughout the existing portion of the house, the original
masonry of the north party wall—stone in the basement and
brick above—has been left exposed. The dark color and rough
texture of these materials contrast with the sleekness of new
elements including Douglas fir floors, glass railings, and
recessed light fixtures. The south wall of the living room, which
runs beside the exterior path to the basement door, features
a horizontal band of windows set atop a low brick wall that
extends a few feet into the patio, simultaneously recalling the
brick of the original house and creating a strong visual link
between the interior and the landscape.

72 INNOVATION THROUGH RENOVATION Photo © Anice Hoachlander/Hoachlander Davis Photography