Ruggles House

Photography: Michael Shopenn (Exterior), Carol Stenberg (Interior)

The Ruggles House had been occupied as a retirement home since its last renovation in 1932. In 2000, Cathedral Square Corporation was given title to renovate the historic building and to increase the total number of rooms. The original Greek Revival structure dates from before 1853, and the Second Empire tower and porches were likely added ca 1878. Historic tax credits were utilized, so the strict requirements of the Secretary of the Interior’s “Standards For Rehabilitation” were applied to the design.

The building sits prominently on its hill section site, with its spacious front yard flanked by both legs of the U-shaped Robinson Parkway, along with a large side yard on the south side. These two historic open spaces were critical to preserve, leaving the only space for expansion at the rear. We removed an ell in poor condition, replaced its footprint with a new two story structure, and added a third floor to the existing two story ell, which had to be different from the original, and lower in scale than the main roof of the Greek Revival structure.