And trading in shag carpet for something more timeless From time to time, a random idea comes along and changes the course of a life. It was that kind of suggestion that landed architect Gary Brewer, a committed Brooklynite, in Park Hill, Yonkers.
?The New York Times used to run a column about what it would be like to live in different places, and one Sunday it was about Park Hill in Yonkers,? says Brewer, a partner at Robert A.M. Stern Architects. ?I was working on the new Visitor Center in Wave Hill in the Bronx, and after work one day I drove up to Yonkers to look around. I checked out a few houses on the market, but when I pulled up to this one and got out of the car, I knew.?

Clockwise from top: Classic wicker furniture (a flea market find) makes the front porch a living space; the stairwell is a passageway and a gallery; the old house is furnished with antiques.
With classic lines and a wide, welcoming porch, the house has the undeniable appeal of the American Foursquare. Even if you?ve never lived in a house like this, the style is so ingrained in the country?s psyche, it looks familiar and homey. Brewer says it?s typical of the old houses that populate Yonkers. ?There are many great old houses here; and some have Hudson River views,? he says.
Given that he could have a house and garden in Yonkers for less than the price of a Brooklyn townhouse, what had seemed like a hassle of a commute started to look a lot more possible ...