Project Cliffside Cottage

This project began in 1913 as the rustic home of Dr. E.J. Moffitt and his wife, Mae. The Moffits had retreated from their greek revival house in town to this remote cliffside cottage overlooking the village below. A dramatic change of heart led Dr. Moffit to Hollywood, California in 1919 where he practiced as a plastic surgeon until he died in 1949.

In 1921, the house was expanded with a dormitory and dining room addition to become the Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity House. Over the next seven decades the house was adapted to serve a succession of fraternities.

In 1998, a local physician and his wife, who is an artist, approached our firm regarding the feasibility of returning the property to a single-family residence. The original structure and the initial addition were identified as the features of the complex worthy of preservation.

This project has been a true collaboration with the client. Their design sensitivities were important in resolving some of the complex design issues in appropriate ways. They are to be commended for this courageous undertaking that has restored a beautiful neighborhood to its early grandeur.