Terrapin Chelsea Art Gallery

This was Architecture Week with the Open House New York weekend. Terrapin Art Gallery was one of the few private homes in the roster and is the home of Pamela Harvey-Rath and Colin Rath, who in 2000, transformed two floors of an 1853 Chelsea townhome in to a fantastic artist's dreamscape. Their love of the sea is reflected in the undulating curved surfaces throughout the home. A lit glass stairway leads down to their main room, which features a 2 story high dome ceiling with a stone fireplace and waterfall that empties into a replica of the Yangtze River in the floor, stocked with Koi fish. A child's bedroom has a reproduction of the sky from Van Gogh's Starry Night done in marbles. The backyard has a garden, redwood hot tub, stairs with Adirondack style wood railings and a 3 story, glass green house. A brass firepole connects the two floors. The home also functions as art gallery and is available for private functions, photo or video shoots. Note that the Rath's have purchased the building next door (seen in the lower right photo) and are in construction ...