Morrison Street Restoration

Somerville, Massachusetts
Client: Celia Halstead & Bonnie Walz

This historic New England Cape was built in 1820 from the timber of a deconstructed barn, in order to accommodate laborers working in the mills of Newton Upper Falls. As such, it is a prototype of low-income housing and an early example of recycling in construction. Momentum's renovation protected the history and integrity of the structure. The design exposed parts of the hand-hewn timber-framing, and kept the thirty-inch-wide, old-growth sheathing beneath the clapboards. We preserved the original dimensions of the interior, and also retained the original brick in visible areas of the stack in the new state-of-the art heating and cooling system. Even historic newspapers, used as vapor protection beneath the original siding, were recovered intact and returned to the owner.

1. North Elevation and deck.
2. Porch at the West elevation.
3. South Elevation (front of the house).