The fundamental dilemma, how do you build for today in an historic district?
The Whitehill Residence is a single family conversion of an existing 1960’s duplex on the historic street of Janssen Place in Kansas City, MO. Rather than mimicking the old neighborhood we chose to reflect the modern, essential lifestyle of the family. Our approach was to respect the historic context of the street through the use of natural materials and scale relationships, as well as embrace the beautiful, private nature of the street allowing for the house to “open up”. A sustainable approach to window placement and overhang design maximizes seasonal efficiency while creating extended views. The interior is stripped to essential core elements, dedicating most of the house to communal family spaces and minimizing the size of private rooms with built-in millwork storage.
