Historic building restoration including limestone façade and stained glass windows.

This Neo-classical style townhouse in the Park Slope historic district was designed by Frank J. Helmle in 1912. The lavish mansion was built for the Tracy family and remained a single-family residence until 1970, when it was converted to a Montessori School.

Henson Architecture served as the historic preservation architect in 2015 for the project that sought to convert the building into a multi-family home with seven units. The conversion included two additions at the back of the property, where the existing courtyards were infilled, and a penthouse addition on the roof. Because of the significance of the property and its location within a historic district, the alterations had to first be approved by the Landmarks Preservation Committee and were subject to a public hearing. Henson worked closely with the project architect to ensure that the conversion respected the historic character of the neighborhood, adhered to LPC standards, and responded to the community’s concerns.

In addition to guiding the project through the Landmarks process, Henson directed several improved design alterations to the original design – including the configuration of the penthouse and composition of the rear façade – to respond to LPC’s desire to maintain the original character of the rear elevation and reduce the visibility of the rear and rooftop additions.

For their work on the project as the preservation architect, Henson received the 2017 Evelyn and Everett Ortner Preservation Award presented to them by the Park Slope Civic Council.

To learn more about the Tracy Mansion and its preservation history and process read our blog post here.