SPRETER STUDIO Restoration And Addition — Gladwyne, PA
Completed in 2009 the Spreter studio project has already won numerous design awards including the prestigious 2009 AIA Philadelphia gold medal – the top honor in their annual awards for design excellence. It consists of the restoration of a small, but historically significant, modern structure and a new larger addition. The existing historic building is being returned to the type of function for which it was originally designed, while the addition will provide the client with the necessary residential spaces and amenities not available in the historic structure.
25 Conshohocken State Road, known as the Spreter Studio, was originally a studio for Roy Spreter (whose home was adjacent), a graphic designer best known for the camel and pyramid iconography for Camel cigarettes. The studio was designed in 1933 by architect William Lescaze, the architect who, in partnership with George Howe, created the first International Style skyscraper built in the United States: Philadelphia’s PSFS Building. The studio occupies the only easily usable portion of a steep site and after many additions had obscured the original design, it had been left in disrepair. Given its location on a prime lot in a prestigious neighborhood, it was destined for demolition, but due to the buildings significance the Lower Merion Conservancy put out an appeal to find a suitable buyer who would preserve the studio. Martin Jay Rosenblum contacted a past client that they thought would be sympathetic to the building, and they proceeded to purchase the property.
Martin Jay Rosenblum, AIA and Associates, along with their client, succeeded in saving this building by stripping away the additions that had obscured the original building and restoring it. Since the studio was too small to serve as a full-time home, a new addition was designed that respected the studio. The addition is set away from the studio and against the slope of the site so the studio can be viewed in 360 degrees. A dynamically designed breezeway bridge connects the two structures so the addition has a minimal impact on the historic structure. The addition was designed with clean lines, crisp detailing and simple massing to offset the sculptural beauty of the studio, while visually unifying the two buildings as one home.
With a respect for the original architecture and creative planning, Martin Jay Rosenblum, AIA and Associates has preserved this modern gem for future generations to enjoy.