Messana O'Rorke Architects Have Turned a 1734 Dutch Colonial Cottage Into Art

Manhattan’s Messana O’Rorke Architects have unveiled some striking new designs for cottages and homes. Modernized and outfitted with Corten steel, one of the O’Rorke Architects’ latest creations is a rejuvenated home from 1734 with origins in the old Dutch colonial communities. Built on a Columbia County apple orchard, the Ten Broeck Cottage project is described by the Messana O’Rorke Architects as such: “Fabricated in huge hand-hewn timbers, the basic frame and form of the house conforms to the ‘H bent’ frame consistent with Dutch settlers of that time … This, some wide-board flooring and a miraculously preserved wattle-and-daub wall in the field-stone basement are about all that remained of the original house.” While the thought of “trailer homes” can conjure up some rather negative mental images and stereotypes, the O’Rorke crew created a high-end, luxury home out of something most people wouldn’t even give a second glance. “Trailer homes are a common site in rural Columbia County. While their aesthetic is generally of the lowest order, there is something compelling about their simple rectilinear form; this became the conceptual catalyst for the addition,” reads a statement from Messana O’Rorke Architects.

You can check out a gallery featuring shots of the new Ten Broeck Cottage above.