Northshore Home magazine highlights the best in architectural design, new construction and renovations, interiors, and landscape design.
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/579535
94 along the Massachusetts shoreline, a Wellesley couple was casually perusing the Internet when they stumbled upon a 1920s estate on Folly Cove in Gloucester. After driving up to see it, they immediately knew they had found the house. "It was a one-of-a-kind—we had never seen anything like it anywhere," says the homeowner. "The views out to the ocean were magnificent." The massive stone manse—built as a summer home for Mrs. Leight, a member of a wealthy Salem merchant's family—was designed in 1927 by Frank William Crimp of the Boston architectural firm Adden, Parker, Clinch & Crimp. Believed to be inspired by houses designed by the renowned early-1900s British architect Edwin Lutyens, the structure is fashioned after English and French country estates of the same era—complete with a turret and great hall. The home's exterior stunned the couple with its original details. The interior—with the beautiful vocabulary of English Arts and Crafts style—pulled them in closer. But as veterans of four renovations of old houses, they knew this house could potentially be an enormous undertaking. Complicating matters were several previous renovations the home had endured. The couple contacted architect and relative Robert Day to see the house. Day, a graduate of Yale School of Architec- ture, is well-versed in historical architecture, having studied under renowned urban planner and architect Leon Krier in London. Day also had taught courses stateside in the history of American architecture. As the architect accompanied the couple through the house, the homeowner mentioned updating the kitchen, bathrooms, and floors. Day stopped them. "If you want to do this right, you need to upgrade the HVAC systems and insulate the house properly, along with a new kitchen and bathrooms," Day recalls saying. He also saw the need for an "everyday" entrance to the house. So what began as a sim- ple kitchen and bath renovation evolved into a renovation and restoration of the entire structure. First on the list was finding a contractor. They had worked previously with Architectural Kitchens in Wellesley and loved their work, so they asked Linda Davis from the company to bid on the project. Sheldon Knowles of Rocky Neck Associates, who had worked on the house for the for- mer owners for 12 years, was also in attendance. Rocky Neck Associates recalls taking the homeowner aside and saying, "You need to hire people from this community. Who are you going to call at 2 a.m. if some- thing happens, a contractor in Wellesley?" They agreed and hired Knowles as the general contractor, and selected Architectural Kitchens to design the kitchen and selected millwork. The project became a hybrid, equal parts renovation and restoration. The team met weekly to collaborate as well as iron out construction and design issues. "We were selec- tive in what we chose to demo and what to keep," says Day. "But ultimately we ended up Above, The original main entrance is through a turret where the walls are two feet thick.Opposite, The great hall received a complete restoration. AFTER A DECADE-LONG SEARCH FOR A COASTAL PROPERTY