The Kuran Center for the Arts

Historic Carriage House Re-use

This project involved the restoration and conversion of a historic carriage house into a community arts center for the Borough of Fanwood, NJ. Situated on the municipal complex site, this ‘Craftsman Gothic’ structure is the only building remaining from the historic ‘Homestead’ Hotel estate. The borough’s objective was to maintain the historic nature of the building while developing it into an arts center and meeting hall for civic functions, exhibitions and performances. wka+d focus was concentrated on new entries and restorations to both the major facades, along with a new ADA compliant entryway. On the main front façade, the opening of the original barn door was infilled with the new entry. We chose glass doors with fixed side panels and a transom window to maximize the natural light. During demolition, the original sliding carriage doors were found in the wall cavity and they were re-hung on the interior as an operable sun shade. On the rear façade, we installed a large door array to maximized the connection to the patio, which is a key gathering area for events. The new covered ADA entrance was detailed with a cedar shake roof and brackets to match the original structure. A new exterior lighting package was specified to fit the historic nature of the carriage house.