Page 80 - ArchDC_Fall 2020

The Bray House complex, with the restored historic
structure at center left.
Photo © Jonathan Reese
Chapter Design Award in Architecture
Bray House

Kittery Point, ME
Jacobsen Architecture, LLC

Structural Engineers: Becker Structural Engineers, Inc.
Civil Engineers: Pinkham & Greer, Civil Engineers
Geotechnical Engineers: R.W. Gillespie & Associates
Surveyors: North Easterly Surveying, Inc.
General Contractor: Wright-Ryan Homes

The exact age of the historic Bray House in Kittery Point, Maine,
is the subject of ongoing debate, but it may have been built as
early as 1662. Regardless of the specific year, it is undoubtedly
one of the oldest extant buildings in the state. The house was
added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, but its
preservation remained uncertain until singer/songwriter Daryl
Hall, of the venerable pop duo Hall & Oates, bought it in 2007
and began a partial restoration. Interior of kitchen/dining pavilion. Photo © Jonathan Reese
The current owners bought the waterfront property in 2014,
and hired Jacobsen Architecture of Washington, DC, to oversee the new pavilions to the historic house, allowing its proportions
a comprehensive renovation. The choice of the Jacobsen firm and form to remain clearly distinguishable.
seems apt, given the affinity between the simple, gabled form of As was the case in the original structure, detailing in
this classic Colonial-era New England house and the “Monopoly the new pavilions is deliberately sparse. The most notable
house” pavilions that have been a signature of the firm’s designs contrast between the new and old portions of the complex is
for decades. The architects immediately suggested tearing down the introduction of huge windows—some of which include the
a series of unsympathetic additions built between 1885 and 1955, largest panes of glass obtainable in the area—to dematerialize
and constructing a “little village” of new pavilions that would the corners of the new pavilions, opening them up to views
accommodate the owners’ needs without upstaging the historic of the water. Low-E glass (which reduces solar heat gain),
house, which would be faithfully restored. thoughtful shading strategies, and radiant heating all help to
The cluster of discrete pavilions not only breaks down minimize energy consumption throughout the year.
the apparent scale of the new construction, but also creates an With the restoration of the original structure and removal
unusually wide variety of sizes and types of spaces within the of the clumsy additions that had smothered it over the centuries,
complex. Larger rooms adjacent to the Bray House allow for both the owners and the architects hope that the future of the
communal gatherings, but there are also “pockets of creative historic Bray House is now secure.
private spaces” throughout the house. Glass-lined hyphens link

78 INNOVATION THROUGH RENOVATION