Before & After: This 1881 Schoolhouse Conversion Is a Master Class in Adaptive Reuse

Bowerbird Architects preserved the building’s windows, wainscot, and chalk rail while converting it into a three-bedroom getaway in upstate New York.

Brooklynites Joel Edmondson and Mimia Johnson did not consider themselves historic preservationists when they bought a one-room schoolhouse built in 1881 just outside Hudson, New York. But the charm of some buildings is hard to resist.

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Melissa Dalton
Dwell Contributor
Melissa Dalton is a freelance writer in Portland, Oregon, who has been writing for Dwell since 2017. Read more of her work about design and architecture at melissadalton.net.