MZA is retrofitting a 1851 West Village townhouse, the historic building, into a single-family home worthy of today's life, a turn with strict control by the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission. Brought in as a three-family house, the home received a complete gut renovation that respected its history and opened to new possibilities. Most important: Reorienting the back of the house and facing the private garden into the real "front." MZA razed and remade the whole back façade in modern style and made every floor function like a horizontal loft, bringing light and access to all five levels. The new staircase features exposed steel and a 13-foot skylight that floods daylight down through the house. A documented Prohibition-era penthouse is part of the residence's past. Through this specific design process MZA has established a spacious, comfortable, and finely detailed family retreat with character and simplicity.