In its heyday, the ground floor had been partitioned into public and private spaces by a wall of brass rental post-office boxes. Though the boxes had been there when Sarah first toured the premises, the feds had yanked them out and sold them to a salvage dealer by the time she bought the building, much to her dismay. She made the best of the loss, realizing that custom wood cabinetry and a double fireplace would make a gentler—and much more functional—barrier between the two living spaces. On one side of those cabinets is the former lobby, now entry parlor and formal living area. On the other side, the cavernous mail-sorting room would be sectioned into zones housing the family great room and a new kitchen and butler's pantry.
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