Castle Street Cottages

Nominated by: East Greenwich Cove Builders (website n/a)
Location: East Greenwich, R.I.
Developer: East Greenwich Cove Builders
General Contractor: Geralds Farm
Interior Designer: Zarrella Development
Photographer: ReMax
Project Website: Pocket Neighborhood: Castle Street Cottages (website n/a)

Project Statement

The Castle Street Cottages were born of their context. Situated on a hill looking out to the harbor and up to the main street to the west, the cottages draw their inspiration from both the workers’ cottages and the grander homes of this Hill and Harbor District. They represent an appropriate, but extremely creative, solution to the challenge of situating a multiunit project in an historic neighborhood of single-family cottages. Added to the intrinsic efficiency of compact units, and a relatively high density, the inclusion of two units deed-restricted to people with low and moderate incomes ensures this is affordable to many. Because much of the site was elevated from Castle Street, the most prominent theme of the site design are the grand steps that lead up to the shared courtyard. These steps solve the grade issue while providing a fitting and impressive address on Castle Street for this pocket neighborhood. Contrasted with the monumental scale of the steps is the intimate scale of both the cottages themselves and the beautiful courtyard they share. Taken together, the outdoor kitchen, perfectly scaled gathering spaces, and front porches of the highly efficient homes themselves make a place where neighborliness is not taken for granted.