Park City’s mining history is perhaps most evident looking at the small wood-framed miners’ homes on Rossi Hill overlooking Main Street along Deer Valley Drive. I was an early arrival to Park City just as it was transitioning from a town with closed mines to a brand new ski resort, and I have happy memories of friendly potlucks in the old homes on Rossi Hill. With their coal-burning stoves, thin walls, and doorways that made a tall guy duck, it made Park City’s mining history seem not that far away in the past. 

Elliott Work Group in Park City designed this pair of homes while preserving some of the structures and creating a design in keeping with the historic style and scale of the early homes. At the same time, they introduced convenience, comfort and livability. Aerie Construction (Park City) built the homes and Natural Instincts Interior Design (Park City) furnished and staged. 

The main living area on the middle level is open-planned with living, kitchen and sitting areas. 

Wood adds the warmth one hopes for in a mountain home, but the tomes are light and the woods are closely grained in keeping with the more contemporary crisp lines, luminous tile, and white painted ceilings and walls. 

The kitchen offers efficiency through the ample counter workspace and storage, and large windows allow natural light from two directions. 

Windows appear to me as a real challenge for historical homes. To meet our current aesthetics, the windows should take in the views, connect the home with place, and bring in the sun. However, to meet the historical demands of the design, from the outside they need to be in proportion with those of early designs. 

The stairway continues the patterns of horizontal wood and remains transparent with the floating treads and glass.  The careful placement of windows can be appreciated from this view of the stairway, as well.

Looking down from the stairway to the living area, it’s possible to see how the fireplace unit separates the main living space from a smaller seating area. I am observing how more and more open-planned design recognizes the need for smaller quiet areas for reading or conversations away from the television. This one is set up for a chess game.

Upstairs on the third level, the master bedroom enjoys crow’s nest views to the surroundings, and a window seat on the far side of the bed makes for a great getaway. 

The master bath seems to have it all, double sinks, a tub, and a shower, in a small space that doesn’t feel at all cluttered or confined.

Another bathroom captures the simplicity and clean lines that appeal to enthusiasts of Scandinavian design.  

In addition to a junior master on the middle floor, there are bedrooms and a family area on the lower level not shown

The interior shots were of the home shown to the left. While appearing as separate homes, it is actually a duplex where the homes share a wall on the lowest level. The configuration allows for privacy and views and maximizes the lot. 

I made the interior shots during the day to take advantage of the natural light. Because of their directional orientation, the homes had very little sunlight on their front elevations. I opted to make the exteriors at twilight. The snow was fresh and untrampled, and it made for an ideal Park City evening. 

Now if there were potluck casseroles in the oven and some chips with sour cream mixed with dry onion soup dip on the counter, I could imagine it was the Rossi Hill of my youth.

For more Photo Fridays, click here.

Previous articlePhoto Friday: No Place Like Home for The Holidays
Next articleHouse Tour: Midway Retreat by Ashton Klomp Interiors