Home for a College President

In 1932, architect Alfred Hopkins designed a Gothic Revival cottage as his own home and named it Priory Court. Its exterior walls are laid in variegated limestone and articulated with arched windows and door openings. Mills + Schnoering Architects was retained by the home’s new owners to restore the building’s exterior and original elements of the interior, and to design additional interior renovations. The design approach for the project was to restore and present the original fabric of the house as an historic backdrop to an eclectic, modern interior treatment that included handmade Italian and American casework and furniture.

The project began with slate roof repairs and masonry wall restoration. Interior infrastructure improvements; restoration and repair of cast stone window frames and leaded glass windows; glazing of ornamental cast plasterwork; and reproduction of historic paint finishes followed. New bookcases now define the light-filled library, and new casework is highlighted within the custom-designed kitchen and bathrooms. Interior design included the selection and specification of window treatments, new light fixtures, furniture, and kitchen and bathroom fixtures, appliances, and finishes.