There’s a strong thread of creativity that runs in my family, and it started with my beloved father, Louis Ganz. His goal of becoming a doctor was hampered by the Great Depression. Instead, over time, he became a successful manufacturer of womens’ raincoats, based in the NYC Garment District. Inspired by the details of the coats he found at high-end department stores, he created a mass-market brand that was successful for over forty years. As a child, I recall the excitement he expressed when he brought a new design to life.
If I could, I would thank my father for the gifts of curiosity and creativity.
As a child, I wrote and produced plays, organizing my friends to perform and making charitable donations from the proceeds. I created posters for school plays, in which I also performed. I had a small line of hand-drawn greeting cards, which I sold to my neighbors.
As building lots in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro area have become more scarce, more costly, and more challenging regarding topography, my work is trending towards additions and remodels. This presents a test that is different from the blank slate of designing a new custom home, and one in which my project manager, Jason O’Quinn, plays a leading technical role in analyzing potential changes to what we call “existing conditions” which require creative solutions.
I encourage some clients to consider buying older homes in established neighborhoods, for which a Zinn addition and/or remodel may be a cost-effective route to achieve their goals. Some clients, living for many years in a well-worn home, are ready for luxury Zinn updates, and I am happy to help them along that path as well.
The creativity I inherited has been passed along to future Zinn generations.
My sons, Adam and Omar, have for many years been developing neighborhoods and creating homes in Chapel Hill and Carrboro. Omar has been using his musical gifts in songwriting since his time at college.
The next generation of creative Zinns, my grandchildren, is exciting to watch. While in high school, Jake Zinn conceived a music app, Beepr, which he brought to life near the end of his university time. Beepr is used by an international cadre of music-lovers to share and source new musicians, and Jake’s brother, Lucas Zinn, who will soon graduate university, has also been instrumental in the success of the Beepr app. Parker Zinn, their cousin and a recent graduate of Parsons School of Design, is making her mark with her luxury namesake brand of hand-knit creations and was recently featured on the Tamron Hall Show as part of their “Up & Coming Designer Series”. Her brother, Orlando Zinn, is an emerging videographer and aspiring filmmaker.
