Timeless Architecture Rooted in New England Tradition
Shingle Style | Classical | Vernacular | Restoration
For clients seeking a timeless, classically rooted home in coastal New England, James P. Golden Architect offers deeply personal, detail-driven residential design.
James P. Golden Architect is a high-end residential architect specializing in classic New England shingle-style homes, waterfront properties, and legacy family estates across Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, and New York. From coastal retreats in Charlestown, Edgartown, Greenwich, Sagaponak and Osterville to village infill homes and historic renovations, the studio crafts finely detailed, traditional architecture tailored to modern living.
Clients often engage the firm for waterfront site planning, FEMA and coastal resiliency considerations, and the careful integration of additions into historic neighborhoods. This combination of technical expertise and classical design training allows each home to feel timeless, well-sited, and genuinely rooted in its landscape.
The practice focuses on custom single-family homes, large-scale residential renovations, and shingle-style coastal architecture in New England, with projects throughout Rhode Island, Cape Cod, Greenwich, Southampton, Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard, and coastal Maine. Typical commissions include oceanfront estates, harbor-front cottages, village infill residences, pool houses, and guest houses that blend traditional New England character with contemporary comfort.
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James P. Golden Architect designs custom shingle-style homes that capture the character of classic New England seaside architecture while accommodating contemporary patterns of living, entertaining, and multigenerational use. These houses emphasize proportion, detail, and a strong connection between interior rooms, porches, and the surrounding landscape.
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The studio frequently works on waterfront and oceanfront properties, carefully siting each home to frame views, manage light, and respond to coastal conditions, FEMA requirements, and local zoning. Designs balance resilience and long-term durability with refined architectural character and indoor–outdoor living.
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Many projects involve substantial renovations, additions, or full transformations of existing homes, including those in historic or tightly regulated coastal neighborhoods. The work focuses on integrating new program and improved performance while preserving or enhancing the home’s architectural integrity and sense of place.
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Projects are concentrated in coastal New England—throughout Rhode Island, Connecticut, Long Island, Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket, coastal Maine, and select locations that captivate all of us. This regional focus allows the practice to work fluently with local building traditions, review processes, and contractor networks.
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The firm provides full-scope residential architecture services, from early site and feasibility studies through permitting, detailed construction documents, and construction administration. Collaboration with builders, landscape architects, and interior designers ensures a cohesive result that aligns architecture, interiors, and landscape from the outset.
