12 Outstanding "Before & Afters" of Century-Old Buildings

There are as many approaches to remodeling as there are old buildings, but these 12 projects strike a balancing act best summed up by architect Johnny Chu of JC Architecture: "It’s about what has been conserved and what has been added to allow for modern life in this historical context."

A 19th-Century Schoolhouse in Brooklyn Becomes a Classy Apartment  

What started as an 1800s Brooklyn schoolhouse and the home of the Long Island Business College was converted into utilitarian lofts in the early 1980s. Then in 2015, Keren and Thomas Richter, co-founders of the design studio White Arrow, decided to remodel their unit and bring back the period details that had been lost along the way. The team designed Victorian millwork and dug around for tin tiles that would reflect the original. Salvaged and antique finds were juxtaposed with a modern assortment of furniture and accessories to complete the project. 

"There’s a nice tension that exists in this renovation," says the couple’s architect, Kevin Greenberg of Space Exploration. "The building has exquisite original architectural details, and we kept the delicacy of that at the front of our minds." 

A Snazzy Addition Rejuvenates a Queen Anne Victorian in Pittsburgh  

When this 1899 Queen Anne Victorian was built in Pittsburgh, people had a different attitude towards kitchen design. The room, generally on the smaller side, was closed off from the rest of the house.

"We would have friends over, and we’d be like, ‘Okay, well, you guys enjoy yourselves, and we’re going to go into the kitchen for the next hour to clean up and get ready to serve,’" jokes Shawn Aversa, who lived here with his husband Jamie McAdams for seven years before opening the kitchen up. A rear addition, just shy of 400 square feet, with a soaring ceiling that peaks at 16 feet—and windows on every wall—transformed the pair’s previously dark and cramped cooking quarters.