The project called for a family room addition to a significant, stand-alone federal style house built in 1822. The house is historically referenced as the Joseph Dorr House, but it is customarily known as the Welcome Congdon House, and often referred to as the “Pumpkin Colored House.”
Upon analysis it was determined that the site lacked privacy, parking and adequate indoor and outdoor living space for a growing family. The house had direct exposure to people in the adjoining Prospect Park and visibility by mpedestrians and motorists from Congdon Street. The interior was encumbered by small, disjointed rooms and inadequate circulation space. The family needed a two-car garage, an in-home office, a game room, a place to entertain, and a way to capitalize on the view of downtown.
The house’s integrity, as a unique object, was maintained by an addition at the southwest corner of the property, away from Congdon Street, with a garage on the lower level and living space and terraces above. The elevation was treated simply to reinforce the envelope of the original house. The base of the addition is fashioned as a garden wall to retain the grade similar to most of the other sites in the neighborhood.
The family room is spacious and convenient for entertaining with views of the State House and downtown Providence. The upper floor terrace provides outdoor space for the family and is set above the level of Prospect Park so there is no visual access from the park or the street below.  

The large 2 ½-story Colonial Revival house built in 1911, during the time of maids and call buttons, required a kitchen update. The goal of Lerner | Ladds + Bartels was to transform the detached kitchen into a lively family area capable of providing preparation, dining, relaxation and entertaining spaces.
The form of the new kitchen grew from the existing spaces of the house. The new area was confined to the existing kitchen, larder, butler’s pantry and small porch. To open up the plan an axis was created that aligned the entry, front hall, dining room and kitchen to the backyard. The intent was to integrate the exterior with the interior and flood the kitchen with light. Opening the house to the exterior increased the sense of size.
The grand spaces of the existing house are now complemented by an appropriately proportioned room, upscale finishes and balanced lighting. In the end, the evolution of a separate early 20th century kitchen into a modern central hub of family life has resulted in a successful blend of aesthetics and function.  

Like many other historic properties, the ravages of time had taken their toll upon this Bristol, Rhode Island residence. Additionally, the vernacular Second Empire style home had received several exterior renovations that clashed with the original design, including detailing along the porch, tower, and balcony. At some point the covered entry porch was extended to wrap around to the West Elevation and a three-season enclosed porch added, which lacked the historic detailing. Through careful study of historical photographs and available materials, Lerner | Ladds + Bartels created a plan to not only restore and revitalize the home, but also added a spacious yet tasteful porch solution which more closely matched the design intent of the original. The process included: restoration of the wrap-around porch including details (balusters, brackets, newel posts, column details) consistent with historic photography; rebuilding of the deteriorating three-season porch and installing new insulated windows to make it a year-round porch; installation of a new deck on the rear of the house and a new door to the deck, adding direct access to the backyard; replacement of the existing bulkhead; and replacement of lattice screening below porch crawl space.