Before and After: Reimagining Hoboken Architecture

PASSIVE TOWNHOUSE
Brian and Jennifer Mowery Marsh took an active role in the “passive” transformation of their Hoboken brownstone. After all, they’re both experienced architects! But what exactly is a passive home? For starters, it is well insulated, tightly sealed, and has high-efficiency windows. As a result, heating and cooling costs are greatly reduced (by about 75% for the Marshes) while indoor air quality and year-round comfort are vastly improved. “That’s the beauty of it: how good you feel inside the house no matter where you are,” says Jennifer.

Back in 2005, the couple purchased the building, originally constructed in 1889. (In the 1980s, a major renovation eliminated any historic touches within.) In 2010, the firm Brian was then working with, Dennis Wedlick Architect BarlisWedlick Architects, had just completed work on the first Passive House in the state of New York. “We started thinking, ‘Why wouldn’t we do this ourselves?’” Jennifer recalls. She and Brian realized it could be done on a modest budget by their own firm—Mowery Marsh Architects LLC—and would result in a great living environment for their family.

Except for their stairs, some flooring, and exposed brick, the interior was gutted. The project was fully completed in only seven months, and the Marshes have lived happily ever after. “For the past 18 years, we’ve been working on other people’s homes, so this has been a real treat,” Jennifer says. “It’s given us everything we had hoped for and more.”

Hoboken Architecture — Passive Townhouse (Before/After); photo courtesy of Mowery Marsh Architects