One of the last remaining open lots in Chatham’s Old Village, the site for this house is constrained by its small size, limited access, and difficult topography. The lot has no street frontage and is reached via a long right-of-way. This house designed by Polhemus Savery DaSilva is set diagonally on the lot to take advantage of natural changes in grade. This accommodates a sizeable floor area occupying two levels at the front and three levels at the back.

Architectural elements and details from Chatham’s 19th century Old Village are recalled in our exterior design. The juxtaposition and reinterpretation of historic architectural elements echo the Gothic and Greek Revival styles prevalent in the neighborhood. Details here, however, are broad and flat — such as the columns that guard the porch. They are more representations (or perhaps memories) of the details of the historic models than they are replications of them. The details and the form make this house comfortable within the Old Village, yet it also feels new.

There is nothing in the village quite like it, but the house still feels related to its context and very much at home, the product of many years. For example, it is possible to imagine this house first built as a single building, with shapes that appear to result from the reductive carving of a solid block than the additive composition of individual parts. Over time, however, the family needed more space, so a two-car garage with a playroom above was added at a later date. The addition mimics the shapes of the original. An open porch connects the addition to the original and repeats the flat columns of the front porch.

Efficient planning was important to accommodate more than 4,000 square feet of living space in a compact form and at a reasonable cost. The living spaces we designed surround a central stair, and circulation on the first and second floors hugs this staircase, making for an economical floor plan.