Divine Designs in Maryland Life Magazine - November/December 2007
June 13, 2007
Written by: Jennifer Mellace
Ridgely Commons
This past summer, architects from around Maryland and Washington, DC, were invited to enter their Maryland home designs in the inaugural Maryland Life/American Institute of Architects, Potomac Valley Chapter (AIA·PV) Residential Design Awards competition. From modest dwellings to $3-million manses, the entries were all outstanding. And the winners? Well, they were simply exceptional.
Honor Award
RIDGELY COMMONS
Baltimore
Architect: Peter Fillat Architects, Inc.
A pocket of serenity on a hectic city corner, Ridgely Commons maintains its historic past while offering a contemporary living space. Originally constructed in 1844, the building is nestled within the Ridgely’s Delight Historic District of Baltimore City. Within the walls of this former church, architect J. Eric Lowe has restored and converted an abandoned recreation space into four beautiful residential units.
But the project was not without challenges. “The site is located within a CHAP [Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation] district,” explains Lowe. “Demolition had to be approached with sensitivity to the architectural character of the neighborhood. We embraced the challenge and let it inform our decisions about how to move forward with the design.”
Restoring the church building and clearing the balance of the site for new construction enabled the team to design four units in the existing structure and two additional units in the new construction. Each offers modern amenities while maintaining the historic ambience of high ceilings, exposed original details, and large windows.
“In the historic building, we placed an open stair at the center of each unit and exposed the heavy timber roof trusses to make a dramatic procession of changing levels,” says Lowe. “The lower levels were left as open plans, with the kitchen/dining area on one side and living room on the other.” In addition, Lowe and his team dropped the existing windowsills to floor level, allowing the insertion of glass entry doors with large transoms above—a design that floods the living space with natural light.