Morewood
A new home sprouts from a Morewood ruin.
A local business owner and his wife have purchased a hundred and twenty-five year old gatehouse in one of Pittsburgh’s nicest neighborhoods. We were planning to renovate the home until a tree fell on it and destroyed it just after the closing. Really, you can’t make these things up!
However, we want to save as much of the existing building as we can. Old buildings form tangible connections to Pittsburgh’s history. Preserving these connections makes the experience of our city richer. Here is our lecture on the topic, which we presented at the AIA National Convention.
Read More >So, what to do?
Our plan has been to save the stone walls of an old Morewood Avenue home—they represent old Pittsburgh at its best—and then to add the fiollowing:
1) An exterior garden courtyard that preserves the outline of the old home
2) An interior art gallery for the owner’s collection.
We have demolished the existing windows and frames within the existing wall but left the openings as they were, providing views to and from the court. The walls are ten foot high and should provide just the right amount of enclosure for the owners to have their privacy.
Then, we selectively demolished the rest of the home, which was torn beyond repair by the tree. Now that the site has been cleared, construction has started on a new home that relates to the existing homes up and down the street. The owners love the idea.
Where are we on this at the moment? Armed with our recommendation, the owners have hired a strong contractor who started work on the project in September, 2025. We’ve received the Building Permit and with the help of our engineer, have determined how to best brace the existing walls so they can hold themselves up. As well, we have designed all the new building’s materials and finishes. Meanwhile, here is another recent “Old Meets New” project to check out…
