An Architectural-Scale Kintsugi Project
Core77
Feature
News
Published
September 24, 2026
Tags
The Menokin, Cultural, Master Plans
Core77 has published a feature by writer Rain Noe on Menokin, exploring the ongoing restoration of the historic 1769 house and its innovative use of glass to preserve and reinterpret its missing fabric. Learn more about Machado Silvetti’s work on this ambitious “architectural scale kintsugi” project by reading the full story in Core77.
Restoring a pre-Revolutionary-War house with glass rather than masonry
Conceptual rendering view of new glass façade during the nighttime
In the 1990’s, a group of historic preservation advocates formed the nonprofit Menokin Foundation, to raise money to save the building. It took until the 2000s to put together enough cash to start and form a plan. Preservation architects Charles Phillips and John Lee proposed the missing parts of the house be replaces not with masonry, but with glass, in a sort of architectural-scale kintsugi.
The concept was radical but agreed to by the Foundation. In 2013, Boston-based architecture firm Machado Silvetti won the bid to design its actual construction. Work didn’t actually begin until 2020, which should tell you something about the glacial pace of historic restoration architecture.
Roof built over the remains used for safety and preservation
First a massive roof was built over the structure, to keep workers out of the elements while they restored the foundation to prevent further collapse. In 2022 they rebuilt and stabilized the south and west walls of the house.
Next the arched central entryway and the north wall had to be repaired. This was painstaking work, requiring masons to recreate missing stones that had been too damaged in the previous collapse to be reused. The north wall restoration was completed just last year.
Arched central entryway reparations
Close-up of new mason stones implemented in arch
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The Menokin project stabilizes and preserves the historic 1769 Georgian mansion while using glass to reinterpret its collapsed portions. The design distinguishes old from new while allowing visitors to understand the original structure and its history.
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The Smithsonian’s AHHP has published a feature on Menokin, exploring the Jenrette Foundation’s work and the project’s innovative approach to preservation.
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