When a pair of New Yorkers—a even now lifestyle photographer and a humanitarian help employee at the U.N.—were wanting for a spot to decompress in character, they stumbled on an not likely contender: an outdated iron foundry identified as the Clover Hill Foundry, unique constructed in the early 1890s.
Tucked on a hill in Somers, New York, the sequence of interconnected properties were being created to provide as element of an iron mine, but for good reasons that continue being to some degree of a mystery, they were being closed and deserted not lengthy after—”possibly,” in accordance to architect Ravi Raj—”due to a much larger rip-off procedure.” The properties fell into disrepair (and, according to the Somer Historical Culture, the mine shaft grew to become a nearby beloved swimming hole) right up until the 1940s, when a trio of artists transformed the buildings into independent residences, keeping—fortunately—many of the original aspects intact.
Quick forward to the 21st century: The New York few was taken by the spareness of the space and the way the windows framed views of the surrounding trees. To update the foundry for contemporary lifestyle, the duo enlisted a friend, Brooklyn-based mostly architect Ravi Raj, who had labored with Adjaye Associates prior to commencing his own studio.
With treatment, Ravi preserved the foundry’s authentic brick partitions and wooden beams, hewed to a stripped-back palette, then rearranged a number of essential areas and extra a “modern volume” suspended in just the soaring room. Be a part of us for a appear.
Pictures by Nick Glimenakis, courtesy of Ravi Raj Architect, besides where by famous.
It’s maybe value noting, provided that there are two wood-burning stoves in this residence, that cast iron stoves are extremely substantially a component of New York historical past: The cities of Albany and Troy, more upstate, had been at the time two of the most prolific producers of these stoves in the entire world. Examine a lot more about that history—and the often elaborate designs—via the Albany Institute of Background & Art.
For extra on the challenge and “before” shots—some courting again as far as the turn of the century—head to @clover_hill_foundry on Instagram.
And for much more historic structures redone as residences, see: