Photo by Carmen Troesser
Sue Pruchnicki and Tom Peterson with their dog Lily
Pruchnicki and Peterson, both architects, wanted a home that would support their many hobbies: a place large enough to comfortably host their dinner parties, and plenty of room to paint, draw, garden and weld. When the couple’s search for the perfect space led Peterson to a former telephone exchange building in the Carondelet neighborhood, he saw his dream come to life. Pruchnicki, meanwhile, needed convincing.
“She didn’t want to come see it,” he says.
“I kept seeing bankruptcy,” adds Pruchnicki.
Soon thereafter, Pruchnicki caught a segment on the radio about the regrets people had at the end of their lives, and its message moved her to rethink her ideas about the building: “We’ve always said we wanted to do something creative, so let’s try it.” she told Peterson.
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Photo by Carmen Troesser
The first-floor apartment will eventually become a guest suite.
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The building’s architectural elements, like its brick exterior and terracotta details, captivated the couple. The massive open spaces inside might have intimidated some, but these architects saw endless possibilities.
“When we say we live in this building, most people say, ‘What?’ But it makes sense to us,” says Pruchnicki.
The couple bought the place, which they call BAB (Big-Ass Building), in 2009. At the time, the downturn in the economy made it difficult to secure a bank loan; as a result, all of the repairs and renovations to date have been paid for out of pocket. “We wanted to do a much larger renovation at that time, but we couldn’t get anyone to loan us money,” says Peterson.
Still, the couple moved ahead with their first project: turning a former office space into a loft apartment. The space, full of color and art, will be used as a guest suite once the larger living space is finished. Replacing the leaky roof was the second project. “It was stressful,” Peterson says. “Every time it rained, we’d have to check the buckets.”
Because the two were funding the project on their own, the roof was completed in three phases. With the help of friends and family, they chiseled through layers of old roofing before professionals coated the surface with a new spray-on rubber roof.
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Photo by Carmen Troesser
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Photo by Carmen Troesser
At one time, the second floor space was the domain of telephone operators.
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When the economy improved, Pruchnicki and Peterson were able to secure a loan, and they are now preparing to start on larger renovations. The first floor will become a workshop and storage space, and the second floor will be transformed into the couple’s open-floor living area. Because there isn’t room for a yard, they’ll build one on the roof. For now, the basement serves as storage for an assortment of metal cabinets and stacks of wooden doors that the couple plans to incorporate into the renovations. “We’re stockpiling things that we’ve pulled out,” says Pruchnicki, referring to the piles of metal pipes throughout the building.
Eventually, the basement will become whatever Peterson wants it to be. “The deal is that once we’re living upstairs this will be Tom’s space,” says Pruchnicki.
“Will you ever finish this project?” I ask.
Pruchnicki laughs: “The joke is that our F-word is ‘finished.’”
