June 2016
Esherick House Renovation Wins National Award
DOCOMOMO US, an international committee dedicated to the documentation and preservation of the Modern Movement recently awarded the Margaret Esherick House a Modernism in America Award, Citation of Merit.
The award is based upon the recent renovation and preservation efforts of the home’s new owners, Paul Savidge and Daniel Macey. One of only nine residences designed by Louis Kahn, the jury commented “a rare residence by the master architect Louis I. Kahn, this house has been restored by owners who painstakingly sought to have the genius of Kahn shape their approach to the restoration. Extraordinary sensitivity to the original details included the services of a paint conservator; restoration of the idiosyncratic, Wharton Esherick designed, original kitchen, long outdated, and made useful by today’s standards by adding contemporary components in an adjacent utility area; and cleverly adapting the spirit of the character-giving shutters during the winter months, allowing a sustainable future for the house.”
Keast & Hood was the original engineer of record for the home’s design in 1961 and was retained again in 2015 as a preservation consultant and for a structural conditions assessment of the landmark Louis I. Kahn structure.