Sonoma, CA

This project involves the restoration of an existing 113 year old Victorian house at 1211 Broadway, and the construction of 5 new two story townhouses behind it. They are arranged in three buildings, one single, and two duplexes. Each of the new units have courtyards the same size as the ground floor interiors, with large sliding doors that dissolve into a common walled living space. The kitchen slides into the court for outdoor cooking. On the second level, two bedrooms and two bathrooms overlook the courtyards. Driveway and parking are on the opposite side, with a series of carports cantilevered off the buildings.

The architecture is derived from the Spanish Colonial and Monterey Colonial buildings in the Sonoma Historic Core. The defining characteristics of these buildings include linear plans, absence of ornament, repetitive rhythmic full height fenestration, low pitched or flat roofs, cantilevered porches, wood cladding, and the expression of material and construction as the form. The design ethic of this pragmatic and economical architecture is reinterpreted in a contemporary way for our project.

The simple palette of materials includes clapboard siding, vertical proportioned windows to match the Victorian, and diagonally braced steel cantilevered carport porches. Photovoltaics on the rooftop are kept flat to reduce height and visual impact on the original house. The project demonstrates a way to densify downtown deep lots using traditional Sonoma types without significantly changing streetscape character.