Crown Heights Renaissance Revival

This Renaissance Revival brownstone forms part of a dignified row shaped by New York’s layered architectural history. Designed by prolific rowhouse architect Axel Hedman around 1900, the three-story home opens onto a streetscape redesigned by I. M. Pei in 1967.

Though subdivided overtime, the house retained much of its historic detail. Our clients, a young couple planning for a growing family, asked us to restore the building’s single-family identity while adapting it for modern life. Working to recover the home’s graceful proportions, we removed interventions that obscured original detail, and carefully threaded new plumbing, electrical, and HVAC systems throughout.

The upper level was reshaped as a private family retreat, while the parlor and garden floors were organized to support gathering and connection. Relocated to the parlor floor, the kitchen opens to the dining room and adjacent living spaces, creating a light-filled sequence for everyday life and hosting. Below, a garden-facing den and a moody home office—formerly the oak-paneled dining room—provide quieter spaces while preserving original detailing.

Together, these interventions carry the home forward, allowing it to serve contemporary family life. Meanwhile, the bay of this brownstone’s restored façade continues to contribute to the same dignified street wall rhythm it has been a part of for generations.