With his own home in Park Hill, in Yonkers just north of New York City, architect Gary Brewer realized a modern American dream: finding a diamond-in-the-rough house in a historic neighborhood once overlooked and now rediscovered. The house he acquired had good bones but needed some respectful renovation and updating to accommodate modern ways of living. The “American Foursquare” house was an exemplar of the early 20th-century American pattern-book houses that have long fascinated Gary—he’s given lectures on the subject—and his aim was to give it new life in a way its original architect would have appreciated. Set on a hill, and embedded in terraces Gary has developed as gardens, the house benefits from improvements including larger windows that bring more natural light into the living room and dining room, modernization of the kitchen and baths, and historically appropriate and inventive interior design, from new millwork to showcase his collections of garden- and architecture-inspired ornaments to a new lower-level sitting room with a midcentury modern vibe. 

In cities from New York to Charleston, South Carolina, and San Francisco, and in older suburbs from coast to coast, people want to invest in fine historic homes that deserve to be lovingly restored and updated. Gary Brewer Architect looks forward to future opportunities to help those interested in bringing great American houses from all eras back to life.