Summit Avenue Accessibility

While reviewing accessibility issues, the long-time owners of this Brick Georgian home on Summit Avenue considered relocating to single level living, but decided their home and neighborhood were too wonderful to leave. For the design team, the challenge of making a historic home accessible evolved into an opportunity to update the home for modern living.

The whole-house renovation and addition created much more accessible space featuring all the conveniences of a new home with a strong connection to the outdoors. The accessible elements of the project include an attached tuck-under garage with a heated drive, a 3-stop elevator, new and remodeled bathrooms, exterior wheelchair-accessible spaces and minimized thresholds. Many spaces are designed to be easily altered for complete wheelchair accessibility if or when the owners desire.

The addition creates a breakfast room with panoptic views of the yard and neighborhood, a tuck-under attached garage and rooftop garden terrace. The design is deferential to the existing historic sunroom at the opposite side of the home. Every detail of the addition was scrutinized and approved by the Historic Preservation Commission.