Michael Carlton Photography by Joseph St. Pierre

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The north side of Manchester, New Hampshire, is a showcase of mansions—Victorian, Federal, Georgian. These are solid, handsome buildings, many built more than a century ago when Manchester’s textile mills were making their owners rich.

Homes two-, three-, even four-stories tall are dwarfed by large trees—mostly maples and oaks—towering over the many narrow avenues, washing the sidewalks and well-tended yards in shade.

In the midst of this impressive array of splendid homes lies an aberration—a modest 1970s ranch-style house on a lot without any large trees. Number 8 Carpenter Street’s curb appeal is—to be generous—unremarkable. Yet this little house that would seem more at home in the suburbs rather in the grandest section of town is important—so important it has received a prestigious preservation award presented by the Manchester Historic Association.

The structure was built in 1976 for use as a student center for Notre Dame College. When the school closed in 2002, Cora and George Der Koorkanan purchased the property. The couple had lived in a more traditional two-story home just three blocks away.

“We were getting older, and a one-story house seemed like a good idea,” says Cora.

Designing the renovation
But this isn’t a typical ranch house. Because of its use as a student center, it presented some interesting attributes and challenges, including twenty-five-foot-high cathedral ceilings, a massive copper-faced fireplace, social rooms (one with a pool table), an exercise room, separate boys and girls bathrooms and a concrete slab floor. There wasn’t a bedroom or full bath in the place.

“Most people would have torn the building down and started from scratch,” says architect Yervant Nahikian. “But Cora and George wanted to keep it true to its history. The real challenge to me was to give a residential feel to what was essentially a commercial building. I worked very hard not to change the character of the structure. Every period has its own architecture and a certain style and it belongs to the city. Any building having a story deserves saving—not just old Victorians,” he adds.

Yervant had those thoughts in mind when he designed a garage and an addition. He used cedar boards to echo the original cladding in color, texture and the diagonal on which the wood was placed. He kept the eleven concrete steps and metal railings that led to the raised entrance of the student center and used pavers to complement the original front porch floor. He replaced and added windows that were the same style as others in the structure.

Inside, the twenty-five-foot ceilings, original wooden beams and fireplace were preserved while the former poolroom became the kitchen. (“It took eight people to carry the pool table out,” recalls Cora.) A pantry, casual dining area, den and office were carved from had been the porch.

“The bathrooms were a real challenge,” says Yervant. “We had to drill through the concrete floor in order to place the plumbing. It was very work intensive.” But the utilitarian girls and boys baths became an elegant powder room and a full bath with Jacuzzi tub for the guest bedroom.

As for the former exercise room, it’s now a spacious master suite that includes walk-in closets, a laundry and a loft library and office, making use of the building’s cathedral ceiling. Curtains, rather than doors, cover the entrance to the closets. “I hate doors because I’m always running into them,” says Cora. “So I replace them with curtains or pocket doors.” She also rejected knobs in the kitchen for the same reason.

Decorative accents, both inside and out
The couple made good use of the interior’s tall walls to showcase their art collections. George spent many years in the Diplomatic Corps, while Cora was with the World Health Organization. Both traveled extensively throughout their careers (“to more than 100 countries,” says George).

Dozens of ivory Chinese snuff bottles along with Cambodian rice jars, Brazilian paintings and African sculptures complement Chinese screens inlaid with mother of pearl, ivory and jade and a collection of hand-made teak furniture from Thailand. Underfoot, hand-woven rugs from Pakistan and Kashmir add to the exotic palette.

“It’s a very eclectic house,” admits Cora, who loves sharing the space with visitors. “We had more than 350 people through here when the Manchester Historic Association had its preservation tour in 2005. Many of them had gone to Notre Dame and were really happy to see how we had taken care of this building.” Since then several Notre Dame alumni have called and asked if they could visit their old stomping grounds. “I tell them to come on over and I’ll give them a tour and a cup of coffee,” says Cora.

Cora and George obviously take pride in their successful preservation project (the certificate has a prominent place in their living room), but so too does Gail Colglazier, executive director of the Manchester Historic Association. “A building can be significant to a community not because of how old or how important it is architecturally, but because of the role it played in the community,” she says. “The Der Koorkanian’s house, although not old, played an important part in the life of Notre Dame College and Notre Dame played an important role in the life of Manchester for many years.”

When visitors come calling, the house looks a far cry from its co-ed days. The exterior and landscaping received just as dramatic makeover as the interior spaces. Landscape architect David Blake achieved a handsome look with low-maintenance plants, ripping out the tangle of bamboo that had taken over the site.

“The landscape of the building was one of the ugliest I’ve ever seen, and the inside is so wonderful,” says David. “I wanted to create a landscape that would complement the home and its ambitions and make it more approachable.”

“I wanted a landscape that was very easy to care for,” adds Cora.

With low-maintenance as his mantra, David used tough plants—arborvitaes, junipers, mugo pines, cotoneasters and barberry. For visual interest he included a weeping cherry and a smoke bush whose plumes dance in the wind and colors go from silver to purple to ruby red as the year progresses. He placed fairy roses from the Der Koorkanan’s previous home along the right side of the house and lilacs from George’s parents’ home for color and continuity.

Continuity—the perfect word to describe the owners’, architect’s and landscape architect’s combined effort to keep the spirit of Notre Dame College and its modest one-story student center from going gently into that good night. Its history may be brief, but its memories will last forever.

To learn more about the Manchester Historic Association’s annual preservation awards, which began 1991, and other activities, call 603 622-7531 or visit manchesterhistoric.org. This year’s preservation awards ceremony will be held May 9, and applications may be submitted in January.

Resources
The Manchester Historic Association in Manchester, N.H.; 603 622-7531; manchesterhistoric.org
David Blake of Seacoast Landscape Designs in Exeter, N.H.; 603 772-0402; blakema@comcast.net
Yervant Nahikian of Y. Nahikian Associates AIA in Hooksett, N.H.; 603 641-6418, ynaa@comcast.net

Michael Carlton is the former editor of Yankee and Coastal Living magazines and the former editorial director of Southern Living magazine. He lives in Jaffrey Center, New Hampshire, in a century-old cape he is restoring “board by board.”