Homestead

Situated on the brow of an old hillside homesteader's farm in Northeastern Pennsylvania, this new residence blurs spare traditional 19th-century rural farmhouse forms with elements of a more modern residential vocabulary in an effort to develop a presence timeless in its appeal and yet quietly progressive.

A well-maintained 120-year old barn on site is the principal remnant of the long inactive homestead farm.  The appeal of the barn's airy interior is replicated in part in the home's living room space.  This two-and-a-half story volume is the central event in an open-plan interior whose character is hinted at on the home's exterior in various non-traditional fenestration patterns.

Recovered hardwood floor joists are exposed at the kitchen ceiling to help define that area as a separate space within the interior; these joist traverse over the separating living room wall in an expression of their cantilevered nature as they support second floor spaces above.

The project received an Honor Award for Design from the Northeastern Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Institute of Architects in 2002.