Before & After: They Rebuilt Their Home’s Historic Brick Facade—but the Back Is a Different Story

"These clients really wanted it to be as dead accurate as it could be," dSPACE Studio architect Jordan Snittjer says of the Chicago town house’s masonry, which transitions to an overhauled interior and a glassy rear extension.

In Chicago’s landmarked Ukrainian Village, rows of brick town houses still stand from the late 19th century, when waves of Ukrainian immigrants settled in the district. The densely populated neighborhood was largely spurred by the 1895 construction of an elevated train line, and today many of the homes are finding new life through historic preservation.

Having restored several homes in Chicago, local firm dSPACE Studio Architecture was excited to take on a project in Ukrainian Village, where they had yet to work. "The neighborhood is just 15 minutes from our studio," says the firm’s founder Kevin Toukoumidis, who worked with Jordan Snittjer on the design. "The project was a negotiation between historic preservation and a contemporary architectural intervention—the past and present converging." 

The homeowners, Murat Ahmed and Katherine Mackenzie, are patrons of the arts and avid collectors—and they were game to treat the home like a livable objet d’art.

Before: Exterior

Before: The home’s original brick facade had been covered over with a faux finish called Permastone in the 1970s.

Photo courtesy dSPACE Studio

Before: While the couple were hopeful the original brick could be saved, it had been too damaged over time, so dSPACE Studio set out to recreate the facade.

Photo courtesy dSPACE Studio

When Murat and Katherine bought the property in 2020, they were excited to move out of their downtown apartment and into a historic home where they could literally touch grass. "We were drawn to this neighborhood as one that would retain its design and history over time," recalls Katherine. "Over the years, the house had been split into three small rental units and had seen a variety of renovations, so we knew we wanted to turn it back into a single-family home."

The street-facing facade had been covered over with a concrete faux stone material called Permastone in the 1970s, but Murat and Katherine were hopeful they could remove it and bring the home’s original character back to life. "After finding a photo of the house before the Permastone went up, we knew we wanted to restore the original brick facade," says Katherine.

After: Exterior

Working with local company Bricks Incorporated, the designers faithfully recreated the home’s original brick facade, complete with custom-made decorative shapes.

Photo: Mike Schwartz

See the full story on Dwell.com: Before & After: They Rebuilt Their Home’s Historic Brick Facade—but the Back Is a Different Story
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