Dear Guests,

The restoration of 436 West 20th Street has shared with us a great many lessons. Whenever we have become a part of history through restoration, we become immensely humbled. The process of using one's creativity and craft to restore architectural landmarks is a very fulfilling design experience. At 436, we carefully preserved the original details throughout the building and revived its living history.

It is a special pleasure to work on a house that is so vast in scale. It is an even greater pleasure when there is so much incredible beauty in its surrounding environment. Being across the street from the Episcopal Seminary Gardens is an inexplicable delight. To further the richness of its views, 436 is about 40' deeper and 15' taller than its neighboring houses. The building is bathed in light all day and faces lush townhouse gardens in the rear, to the West and the South, and the river from its upper floors and terraces. And of course the majestic Seminary gardens across the street.

The great surprise in this journey was discovering the magic of West Chelsea. There are a number of beautiful churches, small parks, and gracious open streetscapes. Becoming acquainted with this neighborhood has led us to understand that it is a very warm and friendly place filled with many treasures. Its wonderful restaurants, small shops, and the incredible architecture that is beginning to line 10th and 11th Avenue are making for a wonderful New York neighborhood.

And the greatest lesson of all was a great reminder of how much we love New York. What we have given in return is the restoration of this special house to its original Federalist sensibility and grace. In this, we would especially like to thank our friend, Carl Black, whose advice and continued support throughout this process was invaluable.

We are pleased to say 436 West 20th Street maintains its subtle elegance and clean lines. Its greatly scaled rooms are washed in the wonderful colors of the great Federal period of American architecture.

Warmest regards,
Michael & Michael