The HS Residence is a single-family home & carriage house in Cleveland, OH. The site, located in Cleveland’s historic Tremont neighborhood, stretches an entire neighborhood block (2 parcels consolidated), approximately twice the depth of its neighbors. The client, a couple seeking to age in place, requested that all primary living spaces be located on the ground floor. In addition, they requested a private yard for pets, an outdoor patio for entertaining, an exclusive wing for guests, & a detached carriage house for short & long-term lodging.

The long & narrow site is nestled between newly constructed townhomes & century-old steel worker cottages. The height of the adjacent homes significantly limited the amount of natural light that could penetrate into the deep floor plan. Therefore, the home was conceived as a collection of interconnected volumes, organized around a series of courtyards.  Two-story volumes flank each end of the site (the main house & the carriage house) & contribute to the contextual fabric of their respective street. The main house contains the public spaces of the home (kitchen, living room & dining room) on the first floor & guest quarters occupy the second floor, while the carriage house contains a single-bedroom apartment atop garage access for both the owners & guests. In between, single-story volumes are strategically placed to define a series of courtyards. The courtyards allow for varying degrees of daylighting & privacy depending on their solar orientation & proximity to the adjacent homes.

The double height living room forges a direct connection to the primary courtyard through floor-to-ceiling glazing that continues along the hallway and terminates at a drop in the ceiling plane, delineating the threshold between public and private.  Modestly scaled apertures surround the smaller courtyards (which serve as gardens), while the windows facing the public street are elevated above eye level to offer limited glimpses of the interior. 

The formal articulation and surface application of the home alludes to the rich history of the neighborhood. The masonry detailing of the main house pays homage to the dozens of brick churches located within a half-mile radius. On the opposite end, the carriage house references the humble steel worker cottages through the application of clapboard siding and vertical battens. Within the courtyards, the Cor-ten steel panels and Western red cedar siding were selected for their ability to weather over time. The cedar was treated with a bleaching oil to accelerate the weathering process.

The long, slender plan with its meandering footprint allows the clients to live independently and comfortably, regardless of age or ability level.