CONSTANCE STREET HOUSE
LOCATION: Uptown, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
PROGRAM: Home renovation + addition
CLIENT(S): Confidential
SIZE: 2,070 SF (Interior); 3,000 SF (Site)
STATUS: Complete
PROJECT TEAM: GOAT (Architecture, Interiors and Site); M&Z Renovations (Construction)
GOAT’s approach to historic restoration and adaptation is simple: historic elements that can be preserved or restored should be, while contemporary additions and modifications should be decidedly of their time.
Maintaining the front façade of this historic, 150-year-old Uptown shotgun house was critical to preserving the character of the neighborhood’s street front. The rest of the structure, however, did not provide enough space for the owner’s growing family and was not in salvageable condition. Rather than creating a facsimile of the house’s original façade for the expansion, GOAT designed the addition with its own contemporary character and developed a cohesive modern interior design.
GOAT team: Peter Spera III, Colin VanWingen
The form of the house is derived from the classic New Orleans camelback configuration; the single-story front maintains the scale of the street and the back addition expands upward with a second story. The detailing of the front façade was preserved where possible and carefully restored where needed. The addition’s board and batten cladding, and clean, simple detailing differentiate it from the original structure. The two are tied together with a bold new color palette reminiscent of the city’s famous technicolor street scenes.
The renovated interior and the new addition are stitched together with a sophisticated, contemporary finish palette on par with the classic luxury interiors common Uptown; dark hardwood floors, custom millwork, stone counters and splashes, and reclaimed wood accents taken from the original home make for a truly spectacular, one-of-a-kind space. New Energy Star appliances, high u-value windows, and spray foam insulation drastically improve the house’s performance, helping to ensure that it will endure well into its third century.
Photos by Marcus Burrell and Colin VanWingen
