On the street directly behind my parent's house in Newport, RI there is a firehouse that was built in 1887. A few years ago, to my great dismay, someone dismantled the thing entirely. As I sobbed over the empty lot, I didn't dare dream that this was just one stage in a complete renovation/reimagining of what the firehouse could be. Eventually they rebuilt the facade brick by brick to retain its historical appearance while reconfiguring the rear of the building into a modern living space. From the street it looks largely as it did before; albeit cleaner and shinier:
And they even retained their Historical certification:
But there are modern windows, and a roof deck!
This project is exactly the kind of work that I dream about one day doing. Being involved in transforming the function of a pre-existing structure so that it can continue to exist in the context of modern life would be a dream. Sigh...someday
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