Institutional Commercial Planning Residential
Cohen Residence
Cambridge, MA 1980-2004
The Cohens are old friends. CLA has been progressively renovating their house since they bought it 25 years ago. The 1890s Queen Anne exterior was worn but standing; the interior, student housing for a long period, was a wreck. The first floor became a single space with kitchen, dining, and living areas surrounding a central, four sided fireplace.
Five years later, an addition to the third floor in the rear was constructed. What had been an attic space was raised up to become a playroom and guest suite. This project was followed by the removal of the existing clapboard, windows and roofing and their replacement with new. The original Queen Anne details were all maintained.
The last campaign was in 2004 when the kitchen was touched up with new appliances and some new materials and the master bath redone. Twenty four years later, the basic design still holds up but the periodic tweaking keeps it all looking fresh.