Almost always, location is the horse leading the cart in residential architecture. The clients typically have a notion of where they want to live prior to approaching an architect. In this case, the clients were so devoted to the Fishtown neighborhood of Philadelphia that they scoured Google Earth looking for the exact property that would fit their needs.
The task was more of a needle in the haystack than one might imagine, because what they wanted was the ample square footage and commodious outdoor spaces usually found only in far-flung suburbs—not dense urban areas like this one. “Our clients had a condo in Fishtown, but now with two little kids, they wanted more space—including room for a basketball court—and they were committed to staying in the city,” explains architect Kevin Rasmussen, AIA, who with partner Vivian Su took on the improbable project.
The clients’ search yielded several possibilities, including “a half-completed development project and another gut remodel,” says Kevin. “This property was formerly a number of small row home lots combined into one large property.” The grand total amounted to a third of an acre—about the size of a standard suburban lot.
However, this was no blank slate. It contained several existing structures that were too good to tear down but were also deficient in many respects. They asked Rasmussen/Su to expand and modernize the original 120-year-old row house and car barn, and to create a private outdoor living space large enough for rambunctious young children and elegant enough for adult entertaining. And with those young kids to consider, outdoor spaces and key indoor spaces needed strong visual and physical connections to each other.
Out, Not Up
It’s not unusual for urban row houses to grab their square footage by ascending vertically. And the existing house here once rose to three stories. “There was a fire, and the third story was never rebuilt,” says Kevin. “In a lot of situations, we would have considered putting on a third story, but our client has difficulty climbing stairs and needed as few transitions as possible.”
The solution, then, was to design a two-story addition and arrange it perpendicular to the original house. The maneuver allowed the architects to “fill in the missing tooth for the street” and to carve out those sought-after outdoor spaces. Says Vivian, “We like the shape of an L—it’s an embracing shape that creates a courtyard. That gave us the privacy and security the clients wanted.”
From the street, the old house and the new addition present a unified but not homogenous front. A thin continuous copper cornice unites them at the top, and brick coursing, 2-over-2 windows, and other façade details align. But there are subtle distinctions in the patina of the brick and an obvious color change in the basement level walls. Detailing on the new building is crisp and sparse, with a slim reveal showing where the two buildings are joined, and again where the typical row house width is exceeded.
When the new addition turns the corner into the courtyard, we see it’s a complete departure in style from the original historic row house. It’s the fresh, modern house the clients craved, albeit with pitched roof and lap siding. “The property is big enough in the back that it doesn’t feel very urban,” says Kevin. “We didn’t want to just wrap the brick around and make it seem like a continuation.” Still, key elements between new and old align and echo each other. They’re in dialogue, even if they’re speaking different languages.
A raised deck connects the two buildings, and window walls on both allow indoor-outdoor access for formal and casual entertaining. And parents can keep eyes on the kids from the kitchen and family room—or what the clients call “the sunroom.”
Keeping Things Light
Not surprisingly, getting light into both buildings was an important part of the design brief. Row houses are inherently dim, and this one had had a remodel that made the problem even worse. “The renovation in the 1960s or ’70s made the house very dark and inefficient,” says Vivian. “The stair started right inside the front door and the stair to the basement was in back. We had twice the footprint for vertical circulation.”
Moving the main stair to the center of the party wall and linking it to the lower and upper levels alleviated those pain points. The architects then positioned a new roof window array to bring light down through the stair hall and deep into the old building. They also trimmed room divisions to allow light to penetrate from front to back, and to provide easy, open circulation among the living room, dining room, and kitchen.
A new entry vestibule, marked by a windowed partition wall, provides a transition into the formal living area and a tidy place to stow coats, shoes, strollers, and other accoutrements before entering the main space.
Kevin and Vivian designed all the interior elements, striking an artful balance between Modern and what seems almost Moderne—crafted and streamlined, but as likely to embrace an archway as a right angle. Materials are lush, lovely, and livable. We could be in New York, Napa, or Naples (either one).
“Our clients have a modern aesthetic,” says Vivian. “So we wanted to marry their root aesthetic with grounded traditional elements. And we didn’t want the new addition to be just a drywall box.” Reclaimed materials—an ornate marble mantel sourced from Europe—mix with natural, lightly figured woods, Cle tiles, and hefty quartzite countertops. The firm also specified the furnishings and light fixtures, curating almost every touch. “The leather sofa is the only thing we reused,” she says.
Working within the historic fabric of one of the country’s oldest cities has honed Rasmussen/Su’s skills as a full-service residential firm—handling exteriors and interiors of any vintage with refinement and sensitivity. And their newly acquired talent? Pulling off a commodious country house in the middle of a bustling city.
Fishtown Residence
Philadelphia
Architect/Interior Designer: Kevin Rasmussen, AIA, and Vivian Su, principals, Rasmussen/Su, Philadelphia
Builder: McCoubrey/Overholser, Inc., Philadelphia
Landscape Architect: Digs Living, Philadelphia
Project Size: 4,625 square feet
Site Size: 0.32 acre
Construction Cost: Withheld
Photography: Jeffrey Totaro
KEY PRODUCTS
Cladding: James Hardie Plank Lap Siding
Cooktop/Range: Wolf
Cooking Ventilation: Best
Dishwasher: Cove
Countertops: Quartzite, Caesarstone
Decking: TimberTech
Entry Doors/Windows: Kolbe Windows & Doors
Faucets: Waterworks
Flooring: Live white oak; tumbled limestone; marble tile, porcelain, custom mosaic (foyer)
Insulation/Housewrap: Carlisle
Lighting Control: Lutron
Paints: Benjamin Moore
Photovoltaics: Solar States
Refrigerator: Sub-Zero
Roof Windows/Skylights: VELUX
Sinks/Toilets: TOTO; Kraus (kitchen)
Tile: Cle, marble
Tub: Crosswater London (primary); Hydro System (secondary)
Vanities: Custom; RH
Washer/Dryer: LG
Wine Refrigeration: Sub-Zero
