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Rhode Island Firehouse
NYT House & Home Roundup 3.20.08

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The artists Wendy Edwards and Jerry Mischak have transformed an old firehouse in Rumford, Rhode Island into a building that houses both of their studios and their home. The New York Times is sure to point out that while the fire poles are gone, three 43-inch holes remain in the floor. Reserving the ground floor for studio space, the couple opened up the second floor for living space. With the help of their architect, they managed to reuse a lot of the existing structure...

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This shows the original bathroom, and the new bathroom that salvaged a great deal:
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The architect was Luke Mandle, of Two Ton Inc.. For the entire story, see Light and Space Where Fire Alarms Once Rang. There is an additional graphic that rounds up once-public buildings that are for sale around the east coast. (I'll take the library in Baltimore!).

(Pics: Francis Dzikowski)

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House & Home Roundup, inspiration, real estate, history, artwork, The New York Times, architect, color, loft

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Comments (15)

Absolutely beautiful but I just know I'd fall down a hole.

posted by aladywhoknows on 2008-03-20 12:07:52
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How could they NOT keep the pole? And I, too, would fall in those holes. Gorgeous, though.

posted by JenNews321 on 2008-03-20 12:24:26
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those are some very happy colors. Love it.

posted by spossberg on 2008-03-20 12:28:09
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ps. I think the holes are covered in plexiglass or something.

posted by spossberg on 2008-03-20 12:28:39
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I love the bathroom!! and the whole house is just so cheery! When can I move in?

posted by Melissa82 on 2008-03-20 12:29:17
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I love the openness, Great space.

posted by plastolux on 2008-03-20 12:33:11
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I love the reuse of the space - but I'd have kept the pole...

posted by bepsf on 2008-03-20 12:36:45
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I love the floors. Have been debating on whether or not I should stain my floors. I'm convinced.

posted by BillyRes on 2008-03-20 12:40:03
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I would have kept the pole for some lap dancing performance

posted by mille100piedi on 2008-03-20 13:00:37
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Wow - that bathroom is so cool! I think you are right - the hole is covered in clear plastic - so no falling through. But, I agree...would have definitely kept the pole

posted by DMartini on 2008-03-20 13:18:12
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The article says they keep plywood covers over the holes, but aspire to have glass covers made for them at some point.
Lovelovelove it!
This is exactly the kind of building I dreamed about finding, and exactly what I would have done with it if it were mine. In my case, nothing ever materialized that was the right combination of space, location and price, and thus, Modern in MN was born, glass floor and all.

posted by splatgirl on 2008-03-20 13:33:35
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Lovely...but I wish they would have shown some of their art-studio space on the first floor...

posted by JenPDX on 2008-03-20 14:13:48
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Beautiful, what an amazing space. I love the use of color, and the bathroom is my favorite also. I 2nd the wish for photos of the studio area though!

posted by AVD on 2008-03-20 14:46:39
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Amazing space, but the decor and design choices...not so much.

posted by trygve on 2008-03-20 15:45:46
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Things I love, the wonderful floors and the reuse of the tiles and sinks in the bathroom and the whole bathroom for that matter. Things I don't care for as much, the all white walls and some the decor but it clearly reflect their style very well.

posted by TheoJ on 2008-03-20 20:16:14
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