A Contemporary Car Barn
May 3, 2022
A 1957 Corvette deserves a special homeâat the very least one thatâs a safe distance from typical garage gear like skateboards and lacrosse sticks. That was the drive behind owner Nick Leoneâs idea to build what he called a âtool shedâ to house his antique car on his Westport property. He enlisted Cardello Architects, and during a lengthy planning phase, the project morphed from a rustic barn-like structure to a sleek, modern design. âItâs a very clean space, not meant to compete with the car,â says architect David LaPierre, or, for that matter, the adjacent house, which is a traditional Georgian-style colonial.
To get the desired effect, the steel structure is clad in a charcoal-gray board-and-batten composite siding (a nod to the original barn concept), the roof is metal, the floor is polished concrete, and thereâs a great deal of glass. âWe viewed this structure as a piece of sculpture,â says LaPierre, âa little jewel box.â The garage can hold up to three cars, and Leone plans to add a vintage Porsche or Lamborghini, or perhaps another Corvette. As for its original moniker? Thatâs gone. There are, in fact, no tools in the barn, and, according to Leone, âMy daughter finally said, can we please stop calling it a tool shed? Itâs a car museum.â
Project TeamÂ
Architecture: David LaPierre, Cardello Architects
Builder: Walter Mattera, Mattera Construction
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