About

Located in in the Sugar Hill neighborhood of Upper Manhattan, this row house was already listed as part of the Hamilton Heights-Sugar Hill Historic District at the time its new owner decided to pursue historic tax credits for its rehabilitation. Designed in the Renaissance Revival style by Paul Franklyn Higgs in 1892, it boasts an exterior and a series of distinctive interiors emblematic of the American Aesthetic Movement with its emphasis on the use of organic materials and craftsmanship. As such, it was an ideal candidate for three separate historic tax credit programs, including the federal and state programs for commercial properties for work related to its two prospective rental units, and the state program for homeowners for work related to its prospective owner-occupied portion. Accordingly, its owner engaged Gregory Dietrich Preservation to conduct a feasibility study and complete the three-part federal historic rehabilitation tax credit application, which in turn served as the basis for the other two state historic tax credit applications. This project is not only a reminder of the transformative role preservation can play in revitalizing a private dwelling and its greater neighborhood, but also its economic rewards.