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The Union Park Residence creates a private home out of a former boarding house, restores the historic front facade and extends the rear of the building to create a new facade with a bold and sensitive modern design. Typically, row houses like this lavish all of the focus, attention, and detail on the main street front elevation of the building, leaving the rear facade to become a result of "form following fiasco." This is typical of the alleyways behind row houses throughout Boston, and creates a less than desirable urban environment for residents to view outside of their rear windows.
The new owners awanted to blend their individual passions for traditional and modern design. Just as in their personal relationship, the home needed to blend and balance their design passions and personalities. The historic front elevation of the building was restored along with the main parlour and entry hall that faced the urban oasis of downtown Boston called Union Park.
The rear facade of the building needed a dramatic architectural intervention to transform the entire residence. To achieve this goal, special zoning, historic, and neighbourhood committee approvals were required. The new building design proposed the removal and extension of the rear facade which was a dramatic new concept for the City of Boston, the Historical Commission, and the neighbours.
The design of a new building addition placed great importance on successfully integrating timeless traditional materials found in the neighbouring buildings to create the new modern facade. While the lines and detailing of the addition are minimal, the material choices of copper, bronze window frames, brick, and granite make the building a comfortable fit for the historic adjacent buildings.