HOSPITALITY P E T E R G I S O L F I A S S O C I AT E S Architects • Landscape Architects, LLP
Architecture Planning Landscape Architecture Interior Architecture
The transformed Castle entry to the left with the new guest wing to the right
Axe Castle was designed in 1897 by New York architect Henry Killburn as a grand manor house emulating a “Norman” castle. It occupied a 50 acre site on the highest hill in southern Westchester, overlooking the Hudson River. During the Depression, the estate was sold and converted into offices for a mutual fund. In the 1970s, 39 acres were sold off for the development of condominiums In the mid 1990s, Axe Castle became the “Castle on the Hudson” by doubling the size of the building and converting it into an inn with guest suites, restaurants, and places for parties and conferences. The goal was to change the function of the original building, to add a guest-room wing compatible with the original building, and to “restore” to the extent possible the original castle to accommodate its new functions.
The Castle on the Hudson Tarrytown, NY Photographs by Norman McGrath
Entry lobby
Typical guest room
Great Hall banquet room
The guest room wing is organized by single-loaded corridors facing the entry court and is articulated by bays and turrets. The guest rooms are located on three levels and, because of the contour of the building and site, are configured in a variety of shapes and layouts. On the second floor of the original house are eight separate and individual guest room suites, converted from a series of offices. Restored stair
New terrace dining room
Terrace before transformation to dining room above
The Castle on the Hudson Tarrytown, NY Photographs by Norman McGrath
Oak Room restaurant
New grotto bar adjacent to the pool
Entry to the pool and spa Nestled into the hillside are parking areas, trails, and a tennis court. A new swimming pool, spa and are located on the south slope overlooking the Hudson River, carved out of the hillside to be invisible from the terraces of the Castle above. The transformation of the Castle has created a new place and a new landscape. The eleven acre site is part of an extraordinary regional landscape with views that extend for miles over the whole Hudson River Valley. Grotto bar
View from golf course after transformation
Whitby, a Gothic Revival house designed by Alexander Jackson Davis, was built circa 1852 on a 40-acre site with dramatic views of Long Island Sound. In 1920, an 18-hole golf course was built on the site and Whitby was converted to a clubhouse. From 1950 to 1965 several changes were made including the addition of an ungainly structure facing the golf course, a swimming pool, locker rooms, and a restaurant. In 1995, Whitby was closed due to a severe lack of proper maintenance. The plan to save Whitby was initiated by the City of Rye. The architectural charge was to demolish the 1950s addition, restore the original A.J. Davis house, and build a new banquet addition that would make the project economically feasible. The locker room would be relocated to a new building. In addition, the landscape setting of the original A.J. Davis building would be recalled by moving parking out of sight and restoring the front lawn.
Whitby Castle Rye, NY Photographs by Norman McGrath
View from golf course before transformation
We transformed all the interior spaces to function as a restaurant. We rebuilt and enclosed the original porch to create one of several dining rooms adjacent to a bar and terrace, and we converted former second-floor bedrooms to private meeting and dining rooms. A new 6,000-squarefoot banquet facility was constructed with two side-by-side dining rooms and a spacious terrace overlooking the golf course and Long Island Sound.
New porch dining room
Porch before transformation to dining room above
Great effort was made to refurbish or replicate original interior details. The exterior restoration included cleaning and repointing the masonry; restoring windows, shutters, and slate roofing; and installing decorative chimney pots and wood molding at the eaves and rakes. As a result of this transformation, Whitby, a building designed by one of the most influential American architects of the 19th century, has been given a new life and new purpose. Whitby after transformation
New banquet facility and outdoor terrace
Terrace with original addition before transformation
Whitby Castle Rye, NY Photographs by Norman McGrath
View from banquet hall to golf course and Long Island Sound
Restaurant dining room
New bar and lounge
Typical guest room
Restoration of this historic private club has been on-going since 1988. The landmark at Fifth Avenue and 54th Street designed by McKim, Mead & White has gone through several phases of renovation, restoration and expansion. Our work on this club has included: •
Returning monumental spaces to their original grandeur;
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Reconfiguring and reconstructing the guest rooms;
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Redesigning meeting rooms, athletic spaces, locker room, and three major commercial kitchens;
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Exterior restoration;
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Rooftop additions for squash courts;
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Bringing the building up to code.
Several applications to the NYC Landmarks Commission were successfully completed.
Private Club New York, NY Photographs by Norman McGrath and Robert Mintzes
Private club in its city context
Typical corridor
Front desk
Banquet hall
Restored dining room
Women’s rest room
Private Club New York, NY Photographs by Norman McGrath and Robert Mintzes
New elevator cab
New squash courts
Restored billiards room
Hotel as seen from the riverfront pavilion
Guadalupe Center is a resort located on an eight-acre site adjacent to a preexisting 150-room country inn. The resort is located along the Guadalupe River, in the Texas hill country. The project includes 180 guest room apartment suites, garage parking, and a waterfront recreation area. Located at the waterfront are the swimming pool, marina, beach, tennis courts, and a pavilion building, which contains a restaurant on top of locker rooms. The guest buildings are constructed in L shapes. They are organized with public entrances and exterior, single-loaded corridors facing the existing inn. All of the guest rooms and their terraces face the river. This arrangement allows for cross ventilation, sun shading, privacy, and uninterrupted river views from every room.
View from typical guest room
Guadalupe Center Kerrville, TX Photographs by Norman McGrath
At the waterfront, the restaurant pavilion is attached to its site by a masonry wall. The restaurant itself cantilevers over the river. Since the restaurant is based on views, an upper terrace within the restaurant overlooks tables placed at the windows. The kitchen is located beneath the restaurant, and below the kitchen are the locker rooms. At the same time, the restaurant pavilion building serves as a grand stair, connecting the upper level landscape to the pool terrace and waterfront located 30 feet below. The pavilion building is constructed to allow the Guadalupe River to flow through it, which happens periodically when the river floods.
View across the pool to the waterfront pavilion
Waterfront pavilion and Guadalupe River at dusk
Dining room in waterfront pavilion overlooking the river
Fountains and sunscreens temper the warm, local microclimate
Guadalupe Center Kerrville, TX Photographs by Norman McGrath
Front Cover:
The Castle on the Hudson Tarrytown, NY Photographs by Norman McGrath
View to the Guadalupe River
P E T E R G I S O L F I A S S O C I AT E S Architects • Landscape Architects, LLP
566 Warburton Avenue Hastings-on-Hudson, NY 10706 Phone: (914) 478-3677 www.petergisolfiassociates.com
Peter Gisolfi Associates is a firm of architects, landscape architects, and interior designers located in Hastings-on-Hudson, NY with a secondary office in New Haven, CT. Founded by Peter Gisolfi in 1976, the firm’s work has been recognized with numerous awards and honors. We design buildings based on important ideas and clearly-articulated objectives. We work collaboratively with our clients, to find solutions that are unique to their needs. Our projects are intrinsically sustainable relating to the environment and the man-made context in regionally appropriate ways.