MZA was brought in to salvage a part of the history of this 1851 townhouse, and to make fundamental changes to its configuration, adapting it to the clients' modern lifestyle. The property is under the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission's jurisdiction and, therefore, limited modifications were permitted to its primary facade. We made the case that the back of the building - which faced into the owner' private garden - was actually the facade they would be seeing, and therefore should be reflective of who they, and their new house, were. Consequently, the entire rear of the building was removed during the project and reconstructed in this spirit.