Icon - Arrow LeftAn icon we use to indicate a rightwards action. Icon - Arrow RightAn icon we use to indicate a leftwards action. Icon - External LinkAn icon we use to indicate a button link is external. Icon - MessageThe icon we use to represent an email action. Icon - Down ChevronUsed to indicate a dropdown. Icon - CloseUsed to indicate a close action. Icon - Dropdown ArrowUsed to indicate a dropdown. Icon - Location PinUsed to showcase a location on a map. Icon - Zoom OutUsed to indicate a zoom out action on a map. Icon - Zoom InUsed to indicate a zoom in action on a map. Icon - SearchUsed to indicate a search action. Icon - EmailUsed to indicate an emai action. Icon - FacebookFacebooks brand mark for use in social sharing icons. flipboard Icon - InstagramInstagrams brand mark for use in social sharing icons. Icon - PinterestPinterests brand mark for use in social sharing icons. Icon - TwitterTwitters brand mark for use in social sharing icons. Icon - Check MarkA check mark for checkbox buttons.
You are reading

A New York Story: The Stunning Revival of a Landmarked Townhouse with an Intriguing History

Search

Start typing to search...

Search
BrownstonesIssue 46 — The Urbanites

A New York Story: The Stunning Revival of a Landmarked Townhouse with an Intriguing History

November 16, 2018

Buildings, like cats and the Dalai Lama, can have multiple lives. And in the case of this Manhattan brownstone in the Upper West Side, its past four lives have been particularly interesting.

Currently occupied by real estate agent Sam Sullivan and his partner, David Moench, the townhouse was once a synagogue. After a fire (possibly set by the rabbi himself), Sam’s grandmother bought the property and had it converted into multiple apartments. She later renovated the bottom two floors for her daughter (Sam’s mother), who would go on to marry Billy Sullivan, a well-respected artist whose paintings are in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art. Billy used the duplex as an art studio while he lived there.

“A lot of films by Warhol were filmed in Billy’s studio,” says Devin O’Neill, of Brooklyn-based O’Neill Rose Architects. Sam hired O’Neill’s firm to rehab the exterior and turn the building, now enjoying its fourth life with the Sullivans, into an airy, modern home with a layout conducive to entertaining. To that end, O’Neill focused on two objectives: bringing in more light and creating better flow on each floor and between the two floors (Sam and his partner live in the bottom two floors; the upper three floors are now rentals).

That last bit would ultimately become the architect’s biggest challenge: figuring out a staircase design that would align with his client’s wish for openness. What they ultimately landed on is a show-stopper: cantilevered blackened-steel stairs with a handrail suspended by rods that extend all the way up to the second-floor ceiling. The result is bold but refined—just like the rest of the project. Come take a tour.

Photography by Michael Moran, courtesy of O’Neill Rose Architects.

an open kitchen and dining area, perfect for entertaining, looks out onto the t 17
Above: An open kitchen and dining area, perfect for entertaining, looks out onto the terrace. Built-in shelves display the couple’s collection of Pre-Columbian and ancient Egyptian ceramics. A breakfast nook is tucked into a corner just beyond the kitchen.
fostering a relationship between the outdoors and the interior is always a prio 18
Above: Fostering a relationship between the outdoors and the interior is always a priority for O’Neill. A clever feature: The custom breakfast table features a base that’s inset into the floor so that it’s flush.
o&#8\2\17;neill&#8\2\17;s firm oversaw the architectural elements and t 19
Above: O’Neill’s firm oversaw the architectural elements and the hardware, but Sam and his partner decorated the home themselves with vintage finds and modern art. The quartet of drawings is by Sam’s father. The vintage dining chairs were designed by Roland Rainer for the Vienna City Hall.
high on the clients&#8\2\17; wish list was a hard working kitchen (sam used 20
Above: High on the clients’ wish list was a hard-working kitchen (Sam used to be a chef). The gray and purple cabinets were made by ABR Molding, a general contractor that O’Neill frequently works with. “We’re always trying to find color to make a space special. We don’t coat the whole project in color, just single moments,” says O’Neill. The faucet is by Dornbracht.
art plays a central role in the home, both past and present. above the living r 21
Above: Art plays a central role in the home, both past and present. Above the living room fireplace is a work by Robert Harms; to the right is a Malcolm Morley painting; behind the sofa is a Julian Schnabel; and next to the window is a piece by Jean Dubuffet.
a window seat with a view. street side zinc planters and a potted dogwood tree 22
Above: A window seat with a view. Street-side zinc planters and a potted dogwood tree provide privacy.
near the front door is a suspended bench, echoing the stairway design, for putt 23
Above: Near the front door is a suspended bench, echoing the stairway design, for putting on and taking off shoes. ABR Molding fabricated the entire thing—stairs, rail, and bench—on site.
the view from the second floor landing. just ahead is the den. 24
Above: The view from the second floor landing. Just ahead is the den.
from the den is access to a small terrace. 25
Above: From the den is access to a small terrace.
the master bedroom features floor to ceiling windows and access to a small deck 26
Above: The master bedroom features floor-to-ceiling windows and access to a small deck that overlooks the backyard. Note the niftily hidden blinds.
all the bathrooms in the home are clad in subway tiles, including the master ba 27
Above: All the bathrooms in the home are clad in subway tiles, including the master bath, which also features chic black sconces by Areti lighting and stone-like porcelain tile flooring from the Graffiti line at Stone Source.
an oversized awning window provides ample light and air circulation in the stea 28
Above: An oversized awning window provides ample light and air circulation in the steam shower room. The bathtub is clad in Carrara marble.
the view from the outside into the breakfast nook. the bluestone patio in the b 29
Above: The view from the outside into the breakfast nook. The bluestone patio in the back offers another space to entertain guests.
&#8\2\20;we essentially built the garden around the wisteria,&#8\2\2\1; 30
Above: “We essentially built the garden around the wisteria,” O’Neill says, of the tree on the left. It’s the only plant they kept from the original backyard. The walls are made from sheets of corten steel, the same type of metal favored by artist Richard Serra. “Sam likes the way it weathers.”
the outdoor space is anchored by a custom steel trellis. 31
Above: The outdoor space is anchored by a custom steel trellis.
the rehabbed front exterior. note the jewish stars, vestiges from the building& 32
Above: The rehabbed front exterior. Note the Jewish stars, vestiges from the building’s former life, just above the second floor.
before the renovation. 33
Above: Before the renovation.

For more NYC townhouse inspiration, see:

(Visited 2,644 times, 1 visits today)
You need to login or register to view and manage your bookmarks.
Add to Collection
New Collection

Explore Deeper Into These Areas

Previous Post

The Siren Hotel: A Detroit Landmark with a Musical Soul, Saved from Abandonment

November 16, 2018
Next Post

Current Obsessions: At the Table

November 17, 2018

Have a Question or Comment About This Post?

Join the conversation

Related Stories

Read all recent posts

join us on A New York Story The Stunning Revival of a Landmarked Townhouse with an Intriguing History portrait 7 34

This error message is only visible to WordPress admins

Error: No connected account.

Please go to the Instagram Feed settings page to connect an account.

v5.0

×
Join the Remodelista Family of Websites

Become a Member at no charge

When you register as a free Member of the Remodelista family of websites (Remodelista, Gardenista, and The Organized Home), you gain access to all current posts plus 10 archived posts per month, our internal bookmarking tool, and the community bulletin board.

Member benefits include:

  • Access to all posts published in the past year
  • Access 10 archived posts (older than one year) per month on each site
  • Use of our internal bookmark tool, so you can save products, posts, and other pages for quick reference
  • Access to our community bulletin board so you can ask and answer design-related questions
  • Unlimited access to the Product Catalogs, Design Travel sources, and Architect & Designer Directory listings
  • Choose from our ten newsletters to keep up with the latest on the sites

Or Subscribe for Maximum Value!

For $5/month ($59.99 paid annually) you'll enjoy unlimited, ad-free access to Remodelista, Gardenista, and The Organized Home and all the benefits of Membership.



Subscriber benefits include:

  • Unlimited access to all three sites
  • Weekly access to subscriber-only content
  • Ad-free browsing environment
  • Unrestricted access to 30,000+ archived posts
  • Receive the full-text daily newsletters
  • All features that Members have access to
  • Annual subscribers pay 50% off the monthly subscription price of $9.99
×
Subscribe to the Remodelista family of websites

For $5/month ($59.99 paid annually) you'll enjoy unlimited, ad-free access to Remodelista, Gardenista, and The Organized Home and all the benefits of Membership.



Subscriber benefits include:

  • Unlimited access to all three sites
  • Weekly access to subscriber-only content
  • Ad-free browsing environment
  • Unrestricted access to 30,000+ archived posts
  • Receive the full-text daily newsletters
  • All features that Members have access to
  • Annual subscribers pay 50% off the monthly subscription price of $9.99
×
Sorry! As a registered member you get 10 free posts from our archive (posts more than a year old) every 30 days. You have reached your limit for this 30-day period. If you would like to access unlimited posts from the archive (ad free, too), become a subscriber today, and keep reading as many articles as you want.

Full Access Individual Subscription

Benefits include:

  • Unlimited access to Remodelista, Gardenista, and The Organized Home sites
  • Ad-free browsing environment
  • Unrestricted access to 30,000+ archived posts
  • Receive the full-text daily newsletters
  • All features that Members have access to
  • Annual subscribers pay just 50% off the monthly subscription price of $9.99


×
Sorry! You have reached your limit of three (3) free posts from our archive every 30 days. You can increase this to 10 posts by joining as a free Member, or read unlimited posts with no ads by becoming a paid Subscriber.

Subscribe to the Remodelista family of websites

For $5/month ($59.99 paid annually) you'll enjoy unlimited, ad-free access to Remodelista, Gardenista, and The Organized Home and all the benefits of Membership.



Subscriber benefits include:

  • Unlimited access to all three sites
  • Weekly access to subscriber-only content
  • Unrestricted access to 30,000+ archived posts
  • Receive the full-text daily newsletters
  • All features that Members have access to
  • Annual subscribers pay 50% off the monthly subscription price of $9.99

Become a Member at no charge

When you register as a free Member of the Remodelista family of websites (Remodelista, Gardenista, and The Organized Home), you gain access to all current posts plus 10 archived posts per month, our internal bookmarking tool, and the community bulletin board.

Member benefits include:

  • Access to all posts published in the past year
  • Access 10 archived posts (older than one year) per month on each site
  • Use of our internal bookmark tool, so you can save products, posts, and other pages for quick reference
  • Access to our community bulletin board so you can ask and answer design-related questions
  • Unlimited access to the Product Catalogs, Design Travel sources, and Architect & Designer Directory listings
  • Choose from our ten newsletters to keep up with the latest on the sites

My Account

Your member profile is powered by memberstack