Architecture

Planning

Landscape Architecture

Interior Architecture

P E T E R G I S O L F I A S S O C I AT E SArchitects • Landscape Architects, LLP

HOSPITALITY

The Castle on the HudsonTarrytown, NY

Photographs by Norman McGrath

The transformed Castle entry to the left with the new guest wing to the right

Entry lobby

Axe Castle was designed in 1897 by New York architect

Henry Killburn as a grand manor house emulating a

“Norman” castle. It occupied a 50 acre site on the highest

hill in southern Westchester, overlooking the Hudson River.

During the Depression, the estate was sold and converted

into offices for a mutual fund. In the 1970s, 39 acres were

sold off for the development of condominiums

In the mid 1990s, Axe Castle became the “Castle on the

Hudson” by doubling the size of the building and converting

it into an inn with guest suites, restaurants, and places

for parties and conferences. The goal was to change the

function of the original building, to add a guest-room wing

compatible with the original building, and to “restore” to the

extent possible the original castle to accommodate its new

functions.

Typical guest room

Restored stairEntry lobby

Great Hall banquet room

The guest room wing is organized by single-loaded

corridors facing the entry court and is articulated

by bays and turrets. The guest rooms are located

on three levels and, because of the contour of the

building and site, are configured in a variety of shapes

and layouts. On the second floor of the original house

are eight separate and individual guest room suites,

converted from a series of offices.

The Castle on the HudsonTarrytown, NY

Photographs by Norman McGrath

Terrace before transformation to dining room above

Oak Room restaurant

New terrace dining room

Grotto bar

Entry to the pool and spa

Nestled into the hillside are parking areas, trails, and

a tennis court. A new swimming pool, spa and are

located on the south slope overlooking the Hudson

River, carved out of the hillside to be invisible from

the terraces of the Castle above.

The transformation of the Castle has created a new

place and a new landscape. The eleven acre site is

part of an extraordinary regional landscape with

views that extend for miles over the whole Hudson

River Valley.

New grotto bar adjacent to the pool

Whitby CastleRye, NY

Photographs by Norman McGrath

View from golf course before transformation

View from golf course after transformation

Whitby, a Gothic Revival house designed by Alexander

Jackson Davis, was built circa 1852 on a 40-acre site with

dramatic views of Long Island Sound. In 1920, an 18-hole

golf course was built on the site and Whitby was converted

to a clubhouse. From 1950 to 1965 several changes were

made including the addition of an ungainly structure facing

the golf course, a swimming pool, locker rooms, and a

restaurant. In 1995, Whitby was closed due to a severe lack

of proper maintenance.

The plan to save Whitby was initiated by the City of Rye. The

architectural charge was to demolish the 1950s addition,

restore the original A.J. Davis house, and build a new

banquet addition that would make the project economically

feasible. The locker room would be relocated to a new

building. In addition, the landscape setting of the original

A.J. Davis building would be recalled by moving parking out

of sight and restoring the front lawn.We transformed all the interior spaces to function as a

restaurant. We rebuilt and enclosed the original porch to

create one of several dining rooms adjacent to a bar and

terrace, and we converted former second-floor bedrooms

to private meeting and dining rooms. A new 6,000-square-

foot banquet facility was constructed with two side-by-side

dining rooms and a spacious terrace overlooking the golf

course and Long Island Sound.

New porch dining room

Whitby after transformation

Porch before transformation to dining room above

Great effort was made to refurbish or replicate original interior details. The exterior restoration included cleaning and repointing the masonry; restoring windows, shutters, and slate roofing; and installing decorative chimney pots and wood molding at the eaves and rakes.

As a result of this transformation, Whitby, a building designed by one of the most influential American architects of the 19th century, has been given a new life and new purpose.

Whitby CastleRye, NY

Photographs by Norman McGrath

Terrace with original addition before transformation

View from banquet hall to golf course and Long Island Sound

New banquet facility and outdoor terrace

New bar and lounge

Restaurant dining room

Private ClubNew York, NY

Photographs by Norman McGrath and Robert Mintzes

Restoration of this historic private club has been on-going

since 1988. The landmark at Fifth Avenue and 54th Street

designed by McKim, Mead & White has gone through several

phases of renovation, restoration and expansion.

Our work on this club has included:

• Returning monumental spaces to their original grandeur;

• Reconfiguring and reconstructing the guest rooms;

• Redesigning meeting rooms, athletic spaces, locker

room, and three major commercial kitchens;

• Exterior restoration;

• Rooftop additions for squash courts;

• Bringing the building up to code.

Several applications to the NYC Landmarks Commission

were successfully completed.

Typical guest room

Private club in its city context

Typical corridor

Banquet hall

Front desk

Private ClubNew York, NY

Photographs by Norman McGrath and Robert Mintzes

Restored dining room

Women’s rest room

New elevator cab

Restored billiards room

New squash courts

Guadalupe CenterKerrville, TX

Photographs by Norman McGrath

Guadalupe Center is a resort located on an eight-acre site adjacent to a preexisting 150-room country inn. The resort is located along the Guadalupe River, in the Texas hill country. The project includes 180 guest room apartment suites, garage parking, and a waterfront recreation area. Located at the waterfront are the swimming pool, marina, beach, tennis courts, and a pavilion building, which contains a restaurant on top of locker rooms.

The guest buildings are constructed in L shapes. They are organized with public entrances and exterior, single-loaded corridors facing the existing inn. All of the guest rooms and their terraces face the river. This arrangement allows for cross ventilation, sun shading, privacy, and uninterrupted river views from every room.

At the waterfront, the restaurant pavilion is attached to its site by a masonry wall. The restaurant itself cantilevers over the river. Since the restaurant is based on views, an upper terrace within the restaurant overlooks tables placed at the windows. The kitchen is located beneath the restaurant, and below the kitchen are the locker rooms. At the same time, the restaurant pavilion building serves as a grand stair, connecting the upper level landscape to the pool terrace and waterfront located 30 feet below. The pavilion building is constructed to allow the Guadalupe River to flow through it, which happens periodically when the river floods.

Hotel as seen from the riverfront pavilion

View from typical guest room

View across the pool to the waterfront pavilion

Waterfront pavilion and Guadalupe River at dusk Dining room in waterfront pavilion overlooking the river

Guadalupe CenterKerrville, TX

Photographs by Norman McGrath

Front Cover:

The Castle on the HudsonTarrytown, NY

Photographs by Norman McGrath

PETER GISOLF I ASSOCIATESArchitects • Landscape Architects, LLP

566 Warburton AvenueHastings-on-Hudson, NY 10706Phone: (914) 478-3677www.petergisolfiassociates.com

Peter Gisolfi Associates is a firm of architects, landscape architects, and interior designers located in Hastings-on-Hudson, NY with a secondary office in New Haven, CT. Founded by Peter Gisolfi in 1976, the firm’s work has been recognized with numerous awards and honors.

We design buildings based on important ideas and clearly-articulated objectives. We work collaboratively with our clients, to find solutions that are unique to their needs. Our projects are intrinsically sustainable relating to the environment and the man-made context in regionally appropriate ways.

Fountains and sunscreens temper the warm, local microclimate

View to the Guadalupe River