History Meets Contemporary Living
This unique historic schoolhouse is located in vibrant downtown Dover, NH within walking distance of the train station. Built in 1858, it was originally the Hurd Street School House, a primary school with four classrooms for 180 students, separated by gender. After the school relocated the building was converted into office space with several detracting modifications.
In 2018, the property was purchased by Jocelyn and Brian Caple with the intention of restoring its historic details and expanding it into multiple residential units. They enlisted WINTER HOLBEN to bring their vision to life through a collaborative process of adapting and restoring the original schoolhouse into two 3+ bedroom units (including the owners' forever home) and the design of two purposefully contrasting modern 3+ bedroom residences on either side. The result is a beautiful preservation and celebration of the original building's heritage, complemented by contemporary residential additions.
"We have long admired the work of Winter Holben Design, whom we selected for this project because we knew they would optimize the historic building while also excelling at developing our vision of modern additions that complimented the original building. The design process was iterative and so much fun, as each new version saw our vague ideas and idiosyncratic desires brilliantly translated by the team into exactly what we wanted!" Jocelyn + Brian Caple
Design highlights include:
- Full Restoration: The brickwork, wood details, and original window sizes and styles have been meticulously restored to preserve the historical character.
- Contrasting Contemporary Additions: New shed roof forms feature a striking combination of fiber cement and metal siding complements the historic structure while minimized connections allow for optimized daylighting.
- Highly Insulated Envelope: The building boasts a highly insulated envelope, ensuring significant energy savings (53% above code) and enhanced comfort for residents.
- Efficient Heating and Cooling: The additions are equipped with efficient all-electric air source heat pump systems for both heating and cooling, promoting energy efficiency and sustainability.
- Renewable Energy Integration: A 25 kW rooftop solar array has been installed, along with electric vehicle charging stations for the tenants, supporting green living initiatives.
- Repurposed Granite: Salvaged granite from the site work has been creatively reused throughout the landscape as pavers, steps, and walls, adding to the project's sustainability and aesthetic appeal.
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