MANHATTAN MARVEL

A THOUGHTFUL RESTORATION MELDS TRADITIONAL STYLE WITH A CONTEMPORARY SENSIBILITY

- JODY GARLOCK

Architectural innovation flourished in New York City in the 1920s as Art Deco skyscrapers dramatically changed the skyline. Luxury apartment buildings in the same ornamented style followed suit, shaping Manhattan's Park Avenue into one of the most sought-after addresses.

Yet, as architect Stephen Morgan and interior designer Marshall Watson discovered after unearthing original drawings of a Park Avenue apartment they were restoring, some of that innovation also led to reinvention. The drawings by famed architect Emery Roth showed that the prewar apartment had been designed as a duplex but was scaled back to a simplex, likely for affordability after the stock market crash in 1929.

"There were many rooms that didn't make any sense," Watson says. "Our job was to try to keep the character of the Emery Roth style and sensibility and to make this apartment feel like this was the original, well-thought-out plan."

The apartment’s backstory was fitting for the owner who was in the midst of a reinvention herself. Starting a new chapter after relocating from the Midwest, she wanted her home to also enjoy a fresh start. Her goal was to inch it toward contemporary in both style and flow. Yet at the same time, she had held on to refined antiques and vintage pieces from her past.