Tompkins Townhouse

Psychedelic Wonderland

Collaborating with Elliot Meier and Elizabeth Roberts, Agencie engineered the structure and facades. As Russ Mayer mentions: “Early demolition, uncovered serious structural damage, and the scope of work quickly snowballed into a full gut renovation.” We worked to restore the original shell.......and most importantly, achieve Melia and Frank’s vision for a “psychedelic wonderland.”

The hallmark of the Tompkins project is the two-story rear extension, where our structural team engineered a significant intervention to the original masonry envelope. To achieve the wide-span openings on the parlor level, we implemented a robust steel framing system that successfully transferred the gravity loads of the original upper brick floors. This enabled the installation of the expansive yellow-mullioned glass wall, creating a seamless transition between the interior living space and the cantilevered outdoor terrace without compromising the building’s historical stability.

Beyond the primary structure, our work involved careful coordination with the architectural details that define the facade’s character. We engineered the support for the wide-span yellow awning and the structural headers for the garden-level windows, ensuring uniform support across the new stucco-clad volume. This meticulous approach to the “hidden” bones of the house allowed for a radical reimagining of the rear elevation, turning a traditional Brooklyn townhouse into a multi-level, light-filled sanctuary that prioritizes vertical movement and outdoor connectivity.