This project refreshes an existing home built in the 1990’s to support a growing family’s lifestyle by adding versatile spaces for entertaining and relaxing, along with improved outdoor connections. Anchored by two thoughtfully designed additions, the reimagined layout now offers a seamless connection to outdoor amenities, including a pool and outdoor kitchen, ideal for year-round enjoyment.

The two additions expand the home’s footprint with a new mudroom and primary suite from the previous garage, and a dedicated entertainment wing. New patio spaces and a pool offer ample outdoor amenities, and the exterior was re-clad with updated materials to reflect homeowners vision and unite the new additions with the existing structure.

At the heart of the new entertainment space, a central fireplace serves as a focal point, enhancing the warmth and ambiance of the room. The new wing features an immersive home theater, space for table games, and a kitchenette with direct connections to the outdoors for a seamless flow to the new patio, pool, and outdoor kitchen. These features, combined with high-quality finishes, offer a welcoming environment for year-round entertainment and family living.

Juror’s Comments

We love the way this project breathes new life into the existing home while addressing the pragmatic concerns of a growing household. The Mud Road Residence provides a range of spaces that increase a sense community, affords individual privacy, and choreographs an intimate play between the architecture and its natural surroundings with thoughtful additions, efficient programming, refined detailing, and elegant color palette. The renovation unifies new and existing elements into a cohesive architectural statement that is at once both modern and timeless.

Honor Awards

Honor Award – 50 N Main – Ralph C. Fey, AIA Architects

This restoration project was a significant effort to restore the building’s historic prominence within the community, aiming to return it to its original character while * expanding its functionality. The stucco was carefully removed and replaced with handmade Glen-Gery brick, selected to reflect the historic texture of the façade. The restored colonnaded façade and arches pay homage to the original ornamentation of 450 N, while the reimagined street front, with large operable glass doors and windows, reconnects the building to the pedestrian scale at ground level. A substantial addition, doubling the building’s square footage, was seamlessly integrated with the same ornamental detailing as the restored structure. The addition’s colonnaded design mirrors the building’s historic proportions and complements the surrounding context. This expansion accommodates a larger commercial space on the street level and six luxury apartments.

The primary focus in the historic units was to celebrate exposure. Original brick, trim, beams, and structural elements were intentionally left visible and highlighted in the front building. The existing wood structure was reinforced with exposed, bolted steel channels, while original wood was upcycled wherever possible for decorative trim, preserving the character.

The addition was constructed using a steel beam and CMU deck system, with exposed steel beams featured in the contemporary units. These rear units are designed with larger windows and rooftop terraces, with accents and fixtures reflecting a modern aesthetic.

Juror’s Comments

We commend this sensitive restoration that breathes new life into a charming, if neglected 19th-century structure as it enlivens the surrounding streetscape with a vibrant mix of retail and residential space. Throughout, the architects deftly integrate new construction with the historic fabric and have produced elegant interiors that balance the authenticity of traditional tectonics with the realities of contemporary construction with style.