The Applebarn

The Applebarn

an adaptive re-use

This actually starts as a running story! Nearly 30 years ago we lived only a few miles from what would become The Applebarn and our new family home. I was on one of my many runs from my home at that time which took me westerly along Nine Mile Rd. in Novi. Running this route many times I was well aware that there were two houses along this stretch. My favorite was the “yellow” house. I barely gave any consideration to the house that would eventually become our home. But one day as I was running along this route I noticed a small For Sale sign in the yard. It was also obviously a self made type sign, no realtor involved. I remember stopping my run (unheard of at the time) and gave this house and property a serious look. I noticed for the first time ever, a small cottage like structure some distance from the house. It was difficult to see because of the over grown evergreens that practically engulfed the entire structure.

Our family had vacationed many times in the greater Boston and New England area and as a result I gained a new passion for truly older homes and buildings. So there was this thought about inquiring about this property with the idea of potentially moving my four year old architectural business into the cottage building. But because my firm was still young and an architect’s finances are rarely strong, I let at least a week go by before I even mentioned it to my wife as a possibility. But I did mention it, we drove by, made a number of assumptions, including the fact that it was likely way more than we could afford, but made the call to schedule an appointment anyway.

The house had not been lived in for over a year, the owner, a prominent local attorney, had been ill for some time and a representative of his estate, Mary Ellen Caruso Bryne, also an attorney, gave us the tour. The house was not in very good shape, there was evidence of structural failure, leaks, and many upgrades would be required, not to mention very basic re-do of every room! We also toured the outbuilding. Turns out that Mr. McElroy used a part of it as his home office and the other part was a garage for his RV. There was gas and electrical service but no plumbing to the building. Then the magic moment occurred when I popped my head through the roof scuttle of the garage and saw the pattern of the roof trusses. I knew then this would be a special opportunity to convert this building to my office!

We negotiated a bit for the purchase, of what turned out to be a classic Greek Revival home originally constructed in 1832! We also learned through Mary Ellen more of the home’s history, how it was linked to what is now the Shiro Restaurant, the original Ford T-Bird, and more. It was also revealed that the sellers where had turned down previous more lucrative offers from buyers intending to convert the property to a commercial use. They were happy to learn of our goal to restore the property as a residence and the bonus of selling to an alum of the University of Detroit too! Mr. McElroy was also an alum of the University of Detroit and it’s Law School. He passed away shortly after our purchase and we learned that he donated over $1,000,000 to the U-D Law School to sponsor a lecture series. US Supreme Court Justice Scalia visited the school to help initiate the first lecture.

Immediately after closing in early September we had only 30 days to make the house somewhat livable, structural repairs were addressed as old carpets and more were removed. Work to convert the outbuilding to the office began immediately too. We were never without “something” to do or fix for a long time. The following June the office was completed to the point of being able to be occupied. A ton of sweat equity had been invested. So while Mamola Associates Architects was now able to literally work next door, that meant that I was never far from home and of course, home related improvements too

As an architect, I viewed the renovation and alteration of the outbuildings as a demonstration of my design philosophy, where the design solution is a marriage of contextual issues and functional demands. I intended the interior spaces to demonstrate to certain clients that traditional detail cannot only co-exist, but also reinforce a dynamic, comfortable and very functional space.

Upon first entry into the building, one is pleasantly surprised by how the space open and flows.  This is accomplished by the placement of a wall at an oblique angle “hinged” at the intersection of each axis of the rectangular portion of the building.  This wall reinforces a physical link to the studio and a visual flow from the reception area to a common focal point, the wood burning stove.  The cap of the wall is held below the open roof structure to accentuate the character of the space and reinforce a sense of scale.  An existing cupola vent became a clerestory to allow natural light into the studio space.

The Applebarn received an Honor Award For Design Excellence from the American Institute of Architects, AIA, Detroit Chapter in 1997. It also was featured in the inaugural issue of nationally published Residential Architect in 1997.