As Advertised

Exactly as advertised: affordable, furnished, minutes to major transportation hubs, natural light, view of Aaraam Towers.

More of the same, or less:

• "Inventory"
  (February 19, 2016)
• "Night Shift"
  (February 5, 2016)
• "We do All the Work - - -"
  (January 8, 2016)
• "From the Mind of the Lemming: Night Flight"
  (September 26, 2014)
• "From the Mind of the Lemming: Morning in the City"
  (August 29, 2014)

A Mansion in Kansas: Coffeyville's Brown Mansion

"Brown Mansion"
Keith Stokes, via kansastravel.org (2006-2010)

"Coffeyville's Brown Mansion makes quite an impression. Completed in 1904, the three story 16 room Mansion was built at a cost of $125,000. It was far ahead if it's time and had features like an alarm system, elevator, and a walk-in ice box.

"The home was built by W.P. Brown, a businessman who moved to Coffeyville from Ohio in 1890. He first started a lumber company, but discovered one of the largest natural gas wells in the country. He then founded the Coffeyville Mining and Gas Company and owned several other businesses including a 40 acre amusement park and a Natatoirum (spa).

"The mansion was designed by Edward Wilder and Thomas Wight, who studied with Stanford White, and the house shares features with several of the famous homes that White designed. Some features of the home (such as the height of the steps) were designed to accommodate Brown's petite wife, Nancy, who was only 4'11"...."


(from Keith Stokes, via kansastravel.org, used w/o permission)

The page has eight more photos of the Brown mansion - an impressive pile. It's in pretty much the same condition it was in when Brown built it - thanks to a short list of owners and - the Lemming will let you read the rest yourself.

The parlor's furniture was custom-made for the four-foot-eleven Mrs. Brown: a luxury, maybe; but probably a very welcome one.

The Lemming's wife is about an inch taller than the late Mrs. Brown - and so the Lemming is familiar, second-hand, with the experience of living in a world designed around (comparative) giants.

About the kansastravel.org page? It's got the Brown mansion's location and hours of operation - and if you can't make it in person, serves as a pretty good second-best option to seeing the place.

In the Lemming's opinion.

Related posts:

• "Morris-Jumel Mansion: George Washington, Hessians, and the DAR"
  (January 26, 2011)
• "Glensheen Mansion, the Congdon Estate: Duluth, Minnesota"
  (September 7, 2010)
• "Denver, the Daniels Mansion, the Mayor's Wife, and a Fire Pole"
  (June 15, 2010)

Whitemarsh Hall: Sic Transit Gloria Mundi, With Photos

"Whitemarsh Hall"
Gerry M. Serianni's Serianni & Spallone Genealogy

Not much text - but pretty good floor plans for the first and second floors of Whitemarsh Hall. That's American usage. The Lemming thinks it's 'ground and first floor' in the UK.

Just one thing: The Lemming doesn't know where Whitemarsh Hall is.

Wait a minute. There's a link marked "history."

That page starts with:

"A wonderland in which the meaning of the great house shares with the stone of which it was built the slow decay of ambiguity and the gray ruin of time. There semblance and reality once merged in the nobiliary games of old Philadelphia, and there splendor reigned – but not in quite the way it appeared to. At Whitemarsh Hall, the stately Palladian palace that Edward T. Stotesbury built in Chestnut Hill.

"Only paradox remains.

"This palace rises in stony silence above Whitemarsh Valley. Once it was common for two hundred, and sometimes as many as six hundred, guests to gather there for tea. Princes and statesmen visiting the United States as guests of the nation slept in its gilded suites...."

Okay: So Whitemarsh Hall is in, or near, Whitemarsh Valley. Apparently in the United States - quite possibly near the east coast.

Acres of text and several photos later - of folks associated with Whitemarsh Hall - the Lemming learns that Whitemarsh Hall was demolished in 1980.

Sad. It must have been a grand place it its day.

Aha! The second page of Whatemarsh Hall's history has this aerial photo:


(from Gerry M. Serianni's Serianni & Spallone Genealogy, used w/o permission)

You'll find more photos of the Whitemarsh Hall grounds on that page.

Also a discussion of the architectural style: Georgian, with three levels built underground to keep the proportions correct for that style.

Impressive. Very.

Out With the Old Mansion, In With the New

"Megamansion estate sale mainly draws the curious"
CNN (August 22, 2010)

"Some came for the bargains. Others arrived just to capture a glimpse of a lifestyle from a largely bygone era of decadence and conspicuous consumption.

"Technology entrepreneur Larry Dean priced and tagged almost every possession at his former residence, a 32,000-square-foot megamansion appropriately called Dean Gardens.

"Parts of the home's architecture, such as the rotunda in the foyer that inspired by the dome of the Brunelleschi Cathedral in Florence, Italy, also were up for bids at the weekend estate sale.

"The megamansion was recently sold after sitting on the market for more than a decade. Dean decided to liquidate most all of the home's contents after learning of the new owner's plans to level the palatial estate...."

The CNN article has quite a bit of human interest: like the mother who got her kids a gumball machine from the mansion's game room. And a sort of ultra-short story of the mansion and its owner:

"...After the company went public and Dean earned his fortune, he and his first wife, Lynda, spent four years and $25 million to create the home of their dreams -- a neoclassical mansion for the nouveau-riche featuring 10 bathrooms and eight bedrooms. It is situated on 58 acres of landscaped Italian and French gardens that rival that of Versailles. The grounds feature an 18-hole golf course, grass tennis courts, an amphitheater and a conservatory.

"Soon after the home was complete, the couple split, and Dean was faced with operating costs ranging from $750,000 to $1 million a year..."

There's more: including speculation about the new owner - who plans to build a mansion that's - what else? - "sustainable."

I don't have a problem with that: although I don't much care for the 'more environmentally-conscious than thou' attitude I associate with such claims. Whoever bought the property is presumably using his or her own money: and as long as the result isn't so "sustainable" that nobody can use it, I don't see a problem with haring after that notion.

As for the kitschy decor? I like the idea of somebody building a house and furnishing it to suit his taste. In contrast, whoever arranged for the inside of their home to resemble an upscale hotel lobby: Come to think of it, somebody might actually have like that blandly opulent look.

Me? As I said, I like the idea of somebody building a place with a dome that's like one in a European cathedral, a 24-karat gold sink, and a gumball machine.

Ingersoll Mansion: After 200 Years, Moving 400 Feet

"Ingersoll Mansion to be moved"
FOX23 News (July 27, 2010)

"The Ingersoll Mansion located between State Street and Balltown Road in Niskayuna will be moving -- but not too far.

"The Niskayuna Planning Board voted in favor of shuffling the historic mansion 350 feet so that the front would face Balltown Road...."

Folks in Niskayuna probably know quite a lot about the Ingersoll place, and why it's important. Here in central Minnesota, it's not quite so well known. I think it's the place discussed on a page about Project Identifier USN A09303.000240. Looks like the Ingersoll Mansion is also known as Ingersoll Residence, Stanford Farm, Locust Grove, and Stanford Mansion.

Or maybe USN A09303.000240 is another place.

More, about the Ingersoll place:

"200 year old building on the move"
CBS 6 (July 27, 2010)

"A 200 year old building will soon be lifted from its foundation and moved nearly 400 feet. It's all part of a Schenectady developer's plan to build a new shopping center, Stanford Crossings, in Niskayuna...."

So far, it seems that the Ingersoll Mansion is notable for being about 200 years old, big, and having been owned by a succession of folks who had the resources it took to purchase the place. Also, judging from the photos, it seems to be a nice-looking big house.

Mercer Island Mansion: Oh My, What a Magnificent Pile

"Mercer Island Mansion For Sale"
The Luxury Brokers (current listings)

"...Featured on HGTV's world premier of 'What's With That Really Expensive House'. The signature of a Patrician! A commanding estate palatial in its carriage; global in its attitude. Rich architectural embellishments; the great hall evocative of the palaces of fairy tales...."


(from The Luxury Brokers, used w/o permission)

And, if you have to ask how much it costs: you can't afford it. The asking price is $40,000,000 USD.

The page's literary style is a trifle florid: but it's real estate advertising copy, after all.

This place is - big. As the description says: "The specification are too elaborate and detailed for an all inclusive list." They had a shot at it, though. In addition to "unparalleled dining salons," the mansion has "a master suite of epic proportions encompassing the marble bath, personal workout gym, a wardrobe wing."

I particularly like that phrase: "a wardrobe wing." I'd like to know how many square feet it covers, and if there's more than one level.

The 22,779 square foot house was built in 2001, with four fireplaces and at least one room that looks like an upscale hotel lobby.

This Mercer Island mansion is probably worth the $40,000,000 price tag: it's on 2 acres, with 175 feet of lakefront - and space for a 140-foot yacht.

Mention of room for a yacht made me curious. Real estate listings can be - imaginative. There was a time when "secluded" might mean "you need a helicopter to reach it." Maybe you need a boat to get to Mercer Island?

Nope. I checked. Mercer Island is just east of Seattle, Washington, connected by Interstate 90. Looks like you can get there by boat - but that you've got the option of driving.

The Luxury Real Estate listing cautions that this mansion is "Only for the discriminating." I'm inclined to agree. The description doesn't use the word, "opulent," but it very well could have.

Remember, the brokers said: "The specification are too elaborate and detailed for an all inclusive list."

Toward the bottom of the page, they have a shot at listing them, anyway:

• Basement
• Bathroom Off Master Bedroom
• Bonus/Rec Room
• Den/Library/Office
• Dining Room
• Double Pane/Storm Windows
• Family Room/Great Room
• Fireplace
• Hot Tub and/or Spa
• Security System
• Sunroom/Solarium/Atrium, Indoor Vaulted Ceilings
• Wall-to-Wall Carpet
• Boat Dock
• Bus Line, On or Near
• City View

And the list goes on. There are several more photos, including one of the water - taken around sunrise, or sunset, it looks like.

As I've written before, I'm glad that some folks are able to afford places like this. When they come up for sale, I get the fun of reading about them, without the hassle of having to take care of two acres of landscaping and a house that's got almost as much floor space as five basketball courts, if I did the math right.

New York City Rooftops: Individual Taste on the Heights

"NYC Rooftops"
Trendland (May 31, 2010)

"Nowadays, Cyril and I, find ourselves walking the streets of NYC and staring up at all the rooftops, dreaming about our very own New York City rooftop atrium, merging architectural sculpture and botanical madness. Jwilly tapped into that fantasy with his collection of NYC rooftop photos.

"Though his photos don't even begin to touch on New York's most exquisite rooftops, they give you a glimpse of what is above the sky-scrapping madness...."

The post has 16 photos in all, of 15 remarkable rooftops. There isn't much text, and nothing about the location of the photos for the first 13. Apart from "New York City" - which covers quite a lot of territory.

Another set, provided by Marie-Joelle Parent, tells where the roofscapes are: which I really appreciated.

The original set includes a few whose colors remind me of the old colorized postcards: I suppose it may have been the lighting that day, or maybe the images were processed to pull out details.

I don't quite buy either "madness" in the post's introduction. I agree that the design of contemporary cities, experienced from street level, needs serious re-thinking. I also think that folks, left to their own devices, are apt to create residential designs that could make a professional decorator shriek. But "madness?" I wouldn't go that far.

Here are a few of my favorites:


(from Jwilly, via Mini Boss, via Trendland, used w/o permission)


(from Marie-Joelle Parent, via Trendland, used w/o permission)

That's a closeup of a scene shown in "Green Diamond in a Upper East Side Rooftop, from Marie-Joelle Parent.

I'll say it: that patio design is a gem.

For Sale: Siegel Mansion; Some Assembly Required

"$75M mansion near Orlando selling 'as is' "
The Associated Press (June 22, 2010)

"Listed as a 'monument to unparalleled success,' the largest home for sale in the United States comes with plenty of space but no carpet, tiles or interior walls. It's up to the future buyer to finish it.

"The mansion started by timeshare tycoon David Siegel boasts plenty of big numbers: 90,000 square feet. Twenty-three bathrooms. Thirteen bedrooms. Ten kitchens. A 20-car garage, with additional space for two limos. Three pools. A bowling alley. Indoor roller rink. Two-story movie theater. Video arcade. Fitness center. Baseball field and two tennis courts...."

And few if any interior walls.

The place isn't finished.

There's a pretty good reason for that - although you'll have to read through quite a bit of the AP article to get to it.

"...'He figured it would be for his family. They'd never have to leave, because they would have everything they needed here,' [Coldwell Banker real estate agent Lorraine] Barrett said during a recent tour of the mansion. 'Nothing broke his heart more.'

"She said Siegel, who has 12 children, could have easily moved forward with construction but wanted to avoid cutbacks at his company, Westgate Resorts...."

I wouldn't mind working for someone who'd rather let his family's dream home go unfinished, rather than do "cutbacks." Which generally means somebody getting a pink slip.

If you've got $100,000,000, you can buy the Siegel mansion complete, instead of in kit form.

The AP article has several photos - and quite a bit more detail about this lavish pile.

Newport Coast's Villa del Lago, "Home of the Lake" - Oh, Wow!

"$57 million palace hits O.C. market"
The Orange County Register (May 21, 2010, updated May 23, 2010)

"It's been more than four years since luxury-home agent and spec-home builder John McMonigle launched his vision of a hilltop estate in Newport Coast.

"Dubbed Villa del Lago, or the home of the lake, the 12-acre retreat has a lake, naturally enough.

"It also has a 17,500-square-foot, Tuscan-style house that resembles a palace, with marble columns, marble floors and gold leaf on the ceilings and doors. Add to that a vineyard, stables and equestrian area, a lighted tennis court, wine cave, and a subterranean garage the size of 1 ½ basketball courts.

"Now, at long last, McMonigle's vision is reality.

"The home officially went on the market this month, with an asking price of $57 million...."

Even if I were looking for a new home, that'd be over my budget. But that's okay.

The Orange County Register article is an informal, fairly detailed, review of this distinctly high-end property. (Any time I see "stables and equestrian area" instead of "barn and pasture," I know that we're not talking about a place in my part of the world.)

Which is okay. I enjoy getting a look at how folks who are encumbered with that sort of wealth live. And, I suspect that it's a whole lot more fun daydreaming about piles like that, than trying to keep them maintained.

Anyway, there's a 16-photo slide show that goes with the article that starts with this:


(from Cindy Yamanaka, The Orange Country Register, used w/o permission)
"What to see what the most expensively-priced property in O.C looks like? Follow us on a tour of Villa del Lago in Newport Coast. The 12.5-acre property, developed by John McMonigle of Monarch Estates, has been reduced from the original placeholder price of $87 million to $57 million. This 18,000-square-foot home boasts a wine cave, lake, vineyard, tennis court and equestrian stables."

A Bargain: Now Only $57,000,000!

Like intro to that slide show says: Villa del Lago is a real bargain: only $57,000,000, down from $87,000,000.

I still can't afford it - but those photos are fun to view.

Stone Mansion's on the Market: There's a Story Behind That

"Extravagant $68 Million NJ Mansion Hits The Market"
WCBSTV (June 4, 2010)

"On Friday, one of the most expensive homes in America officially went on the market – for $68 million.

"It's taken more than two years to build, and it's just eight miles outside of Manhattan, in Alpine, New Jersey.

"It's called the Stone Mansion – 30,000 square feet of home sitting on two acres of land. Richard Kurtz is the owner, and he started building the home for just himself and his wife – but the plans kept getting bigger and bigger.

" 'I have six grandchildren – well, you want a room for each grandchild, that kind of thing,' Kurtz said. 'I have one grandchild who is a superstar with basketball, so of course we have to put a basketball court in.'..."

The basketball court's inside the house.

I appreciated the way this article tells about Mr. Kurtz, why he built that magnificent pile, and - sort of - why he's put it on the market.

"...The mansion is five stories tall, with 12 bedrooms and 19 bathrooms with showers and views you won't believe. The home also has four kitchens, an 11-car garage with mahogany doors, nine fireplaces, and more than 20 flat screen televisions.

Then there's the wine cellar, which fits more than 3,000 bottles and uses thumbprint security to get in. However, it's the massive women's closet that will blow people away. Behind every mirror is hanging space, and the closet has plenty of shelves for shoes, and tons of drawers.

"Kurtz is now a real estate investor, but he started out in the pizza business in Flatbush, and that's where he started dreaming.

"'I grew up in Brooklyn, New York, and as a kid my parents always spoke about beautiful hoems,' Kurtz said."I grew up in Brooklyn, New York, and as a kid my parents always spoke about beautiful hoems,' Kurtz said.

"When the Alpine home kept growing, his real estate agent convinced him to sell when potential buyers started calling before it was even on the market.When the Alpine home kept growing, his real estate agent convinced him to sell when potential buyers started calling before it was even on the market...."

The article has a slide show of pictures of the Stone Mansion - which is an impressive place. Its best feature, from my point of view, is that I don't have to be concerned abut maintaining the place.

Carson Mansion, Eureka California

"The Ingomar Club, Carson Mansion, Eureka, California"

The Ingomar Club has owned the Carson Mansion since about 1950, and maintains one of the better online collections of information about that magnificent pile.

"History"
Carson Mansion / Ingomar Club

"...William Carson was born in the Canadian province of New Brunswick. He joined the gold rush to California in 1849 to 1850. He purchased a pack of horses and proceeded to the gold fields in Trinity County, along the Trinity River. However, the endeavor proved unsuccessful and by 1854 Mr. Carson was operating a mill in Humboldt County...."

There's more:

• "Carson: The Man & Times"
• "The Ingomar Club"

They've also got the best tour I've seen, of the Carson Mansion interior, including this photo:


(from Ingomar Club, used w/o permission)
"Arguably the most stunning space in the house, the second floor hall is a convergence of materials. Both redwood and primavera are used in harmony. Moorish arches create a dramatic layering pattern that is characteristic of 'Victorian' architecture and dominate the rectangular space. The cast plaster archways...."

Bottom line? This is one ornate, fancy old house.

A local historical/heritage society has a decent writeup on the Carson Mansion, too:

"The Carson Mansion"
The Eureka Heritage Society

"One of the most written about, and photographed Victorian houses in California, and perhaps in the United States, the William Carson Mansion epitomizes the range of possibilities for eclectic design expression that created a peculiarly American style of architecture. Derived from many sources, but unique enough to represent none predominately, this much discussed and debated property stands today in virtually the same condition as when first constructed. The designers, Samuel and Joseph Newsom, were well respected San Francisco architects who heartily embraced the concept of the "picturesque", a quality that continues to fascinate all who see the Carson Mansion's intricately composed interiors and exteriors...."

No question about it: this is one impressive house. There's even a sort of animated slide show displaying the Carson Mansion's exterior, on YouTube:

"Carson Mansion Eureka California - Home of a Lumber Baron"

ViewHome, YouTube (September 18, 2009)
video/slideshow, 10:00

"If there is only one photo of an American Victorian building in an architecture history book, it will usually be of this house. Carson owned a sawmill on brow of a hill next to the ocean bay in Eureka, California. There was a recession, so lumber sales were very low. To keep paying his millworkers, he had them build a new home 1884-1885. It kept his workers paid for until the economy returned to purchasing lumber. In the 1800s they did not use the terms 'Recession' or 'Depression'. Back then a term for similar conditions was called a 'Panic'...."

ViewHome's 'video' is more of a glorified slideshow, zooming in and panning across still photos. Technically excellent, but you might find it a bit slow-paced. Or, be frustrated when you wanted a longer look at one feature. Not the worst way to spend 10 minutes, though, by far.

"Swanky Treehouse" in Oregon: The Wilkinson Residence

"Wilkinson Residence in Portland is one swanky treehouse"
Green Diary (January 18, 2010)

"Evoking the feeling of being in a tree house is exactly what the beautiful Wilkinson residence in Portland does. Located on a flag lot, the extraordinary house is brilliantly designed to perfectly blend with the natural landscape. A steep sloping grade provided the opportunity to bring the main level of the house into the tree canopy...."



The article is mostly photos: 10, including the one shown here.

And kudos to Green Diary, for including a link to the architect's portfolio page: "Wilkinson Residence." (Robert Harvey Oshatz, Architect)

This "swanky treehouse" is in Portland, Oregon. In that area, anyway: I don't know how many wooded lots there are in the city itself.

The article is brief, almost terse, but that photos make up for that. The Wilkinson Residence is a remarkable - and non-standard - house.

I think that calling it a "swanky treehouse" may have unintentionally revealed something about the houses of people who can afford to built a house that they want, rather than something that's closer to the 50th percentile.

These folks are doing what many of us did as kids: building a place of their own, for their own use, without too much consideration of what everybody else thinks.

I think that's great. And, as long as there isn't a sort of "more sustainable than thou" attitude of superiority over folks who don't have huge bankrolls (there isn't a breath of that in the Green Diary article), I have no problem with someone living in the sort of greenhouse Flash Gordon might have.

Related post:

• "Recycled House: Well, That's Cool"
  (February 6, 2010)

Beach House is Energy-Efficient. Also Looks Cool

"Beach House That Consumes Less Energy Than It Provides"
DigsDigs (July 30, 2009)

"Cannon Beach Residence is designed by Nathan Good Architect with sustainability in mind. It is located on the Oregon beach and provides more energy that it consumes. That is possible because of 5kWh rooftop photovoltaic system and 12-inch-thick concrete walls. There are also solar-thermal tubes that provide hot water and a ground-source heat pump that warms and cools the air. The house is L-shaped and wrapped around Sitka spruce that’s 38 inches in diameter. Recycled materials were used during construction and the house is designed to last multiply generations...."

"multiply generations?" That's exactly what's in the post - not a typo at this end.

There are nine photos - 10 if you count the 2-in-1 graphic.

Words like "sustainability" and "recycled" show up - so you know that this structure is really, really, like - okay - you know.

That Canon Beach location is in Oregon, by the way.


View Larger Map

I did a little checking. Sure enough: that house had to be designed to stand up to the rugged extremes of Oregon's coastal climate. That's a part of the world where temperatures soar, on average, to a torrid 69 degrees Fahrenheit in August, and where residents must brace themselves for a frigid 38 degrees Fahrenheit in January: again, on average.

It rains a lot there, too, compared to some places.

I think it's great that someone wanted to build a 'sustainable' house with recycled materials - and is smart enough to keep energy costs down.

But I'm not quite as impressed as some folks might be, that the house produces more energy than it consumes - maybe. (The architectural firm that designed it says that it's: "...Designed to generate as much energy as it consumes on an annual basis, the home is pursuing the goal of being a 'net-zero-energy' residence...." (Nathan Good Architects PC))

I live in central Minnesota, where we often get that sort of temperature variation in 24 hours. A 31-degree daily change isn't typical here, of course. The average high and low for today here are 80 and 59: 21 degrees. Six months from now, the averages are 17 and -1 °F.

Designing a house that produced as much energy as it consumes here? Year round? Now that would be impressive.

The house is designed by Nathan Good Architects PC:

"Inspiring Green Homes and Custom-Commercial Designs

"Nathan Good Architects PC is an architectural firm that works with you to create distinctive surroundings in harmony with nature. Whether you’re interested in cutting-edge technological solutions or simply want to live lightly on the earth, Nathan Good Architects can translate your vision into reality. The firm’s award-winning designs are as diverse as their clientele."
Nathan Good Architects PC

The PC architects' website has a pretty good portfolio, showing this home and others. It helps if your computer is up to the standards they expect, of course: Plebeians may find some of the text hidden.

Now You, Too, Can Live in a Rusty Equipment Shed

"Not Your Fathers Mobile Home"
HDF/HomeDesignFind.com (July 15, 2009)


(from HDF/HomeDesignFind.com, used w/o permission)

"And not your fathers mobile home park either:

"The owner purchased the site, formerly a RV campground, with the aim of allowing the landscape return to its natural state. It had been a flood plain meadow in an alpine river valley.

"Then, the concept was to have simple mobile structures able to roll into and set up on the site, yet to provide clearance for nature below each hut...."

This post describes an imaginative, relatively low-impact, approach to putting an equivalent of (small) mobile homes on land, uses words like "sustainable," and has five photos which give a pretty good idea of what the place looks like. There's even a close-up of the wheels that these things rest on.

It's by far not the goofiest 'green' idea I've seen to date.

The author has the good sense to call the structures 'huts' - I'm not clear on whether they're imagined as permanent residences or vacation dwellings. The exterior materials are fairly common: steel, plywood and car-decking. And, just to show how 'green' the project is, the metal is allowed to rust.

Groovy.

Well, grass does grow under the huts - and they don't look any worse than the back buildings on some of the less-well-kept-up farms around here.

I suppose I don't come from the right culture to really appreciate these enviro-huts. I'm a town boy, but I grew up in an area where agribusiness is important: and I don't see the thrill of living in something that looks like a semi-abandoned equipment shed on wheels.

Still: this is a pretty good overview of a clever idea.

French Cube: A Fishing Shack, With Telescope

"Carre D'etoiles French Cube"
Tiny House Blog (July 3, 2009)

"Carre d’etoiles: a Tiny, Portable Prefab Cube from France

"Yesterday materialicious discovered the neatest prefab cube and I had the hardest time waiting until today to share it with you.

"The concept of the design is for a vacation getaway for resorts where you can experience a window to the sky, and an island of liberty. You can rent these at several places throughout France and use the included astronomical telescope to penetrate the mysteries of the universe...."

This post includes 10 or 11 photos (the last one is actually a pair of similar pictures) of this U-haul approach to vacation residences.

Judging from the chair in one of the photos, this Carre D'etoiles French Cube is about the size of a large ice-fishing house: the sort of thing folks here in central Minnesota tow out on lakes in winter, and generally put back in storage before the ice melts.

Pictures of the interior show a very efficient, tightly-packed residence, with a lavatory that doubles as a shower and enough room for two people to live - provided neither of them experience claustrophobia.

Museum of [Residential] Architecture [in Victoria]

The Museum of Architecture
TheGrafikMuseum

The Museum of Architecture is a sort of blog, with lots of photos and just enough text to identify the buildings shown. The most recent posts display four good-quality photos each, with links to pages with more information:

• "Andrew Maynard Architects - Anglesea House (Anglesea, Victoria)"
  (July 7, 2009)
• "Nicholas Burns - Johanna House (Johanna beach, Victoria)"
  (Jue 29, 2009)
• "Sean Godsell - Glenburn House (Glenburn, Victoria)"
  (June 22, 2009)
• "Jackson Clements Burrows - Separation Creek House (Victoria)"
  (June 11, 2009)
• "Elenberg Fraser Architecture - Huski Apartments (Victoria)"
  (May 25, 2009)

I was particularly impressed at the consistent format, which includes interior shots: and even more pleased to see links to what appear to be the sources for this blog's information.

The posts do concentrate quite heavily on 'modern' structures. The charm of modernism's stack-of-packing-crates look in architecture has worn a bit thin over the decades: but these buildings were designed by architects who are either skilled at designing attractive large-scale sculptures - or incredibly lucky.

I'll assume that it's skill.

The Architecture Museum, judging from the last few months of posts, displays a rather narrow range of buildings: both in style and location. But, given that limitation, it's a well-crafted and informative blog.

And, a bit of fun for this architecture fan.

These Houses aren't Invisible: They're Underground

"Michael Hill's 'invisible' houses get go-ahead"
stuff.co.nz (June 18, 2009)

"Jewellery magnate Michael Hill is to get his underground houses.

"In a decision released yesterday, independent commissioners granted Hill resource consent to build 17 subterranean dwellings on and around his Arrowtown golf course.

"The approval flies in the face of a recommendation by Queenstown Lakes District Council planners that the application be declined..."

"...He said the design shied away from the resort-style courses that were popular in the United States.

" 'The Americans put a big colonial clubhouse at the back of the 18th and fill the fairways with homes.

" 'For me, that spoils everything. We want it to be like a Scottish course, where you see nothing. These homes will be invisible.'..."

The article gives a pretty good overview of what Mr. Hill plans to do with his housing development. The plan is to have 14 houses, built from seven available plans. They're rather posh, from the sound of it, with amenities like lap pools, wine cellars, libraries, and "outdoor fireplaces and/or courtyards."

The usual lawn furnishings, like trampolines, are strictly prohibited, though.

From the 2007 artist's impression shown, the houses should be intriguing and attractive. Those limitations on what you can do with your home make be glad that I live well outside the high-end neighborhoods, though.

Rotor House: For The Young and the Wide-Awake

"Hanse Colani Rotor House"
MoCo Loco (November 1, 2004)

"Compact four-rooms-in-one house.
"Designer Luigi Colani has created a space-saving house with a six square meter cylinder inside that contains a bedroom, kitchen and bathroom. The cylinder rotates left or right bringing the room you want into view of the main living room. There's a separate toilet and a small hallway, and everything is controlled with a remote...."

That's just about all the text there is.

But, there are six photos, besides the thumbnail shown, with captions like "View of the cylinder from the living room."

This is a pretty good overview of an innovative little house. I would have liked to see a floor plan, and a few more details about construction and the technology used to rotate the bathroom, bedroom and kitchen - all of which are inside the cylinder.

The first thing that occurred to me, seeing the design, was the potential for slapstick humor. Sure, the design works just fine: as long as whoever lives in the house is wide awake, knows where the remote is - - - you get the idea.

And, I wonder if there's way to manually turn the cylinder in case of power failure.

House in Rio, With the Latest Environmentally-Friendly Technology?

"The Breezy, Beautiful Brazilian Leaf House"
inhabitat (November 12, 200)

"Outside of Rio de Janeiro, on a beautiful little beach with amazing blue water, sits a little house with a flowering roof that shades and protects like a big tropical banana leaf. Designed by Mareines + Patalano, the open air abode is meant to encourage interaction and connection between man and nature...."

The 'inhabitat' post has more photos - eight or nine, depending on how you count them - than the World Architecture News article they cite as their source.


(from inhabitat, used w/o permission)
'Here's Looking at You' - remarkably anthropomorphic design.

Aside from supporting the impression that 'ecological awareness' and 'environmental sensitivity' are for the very rich, this is a pretty good post about a visually and technologically interesting house.


(from inhabitat, used w/o permission)
"Above all the Leaf House is amazing inspiration for organic design that brings the outdoors in. It protects the inhabitants from rain and sun, while bringing in fresh breezes to cool the interior...."

Living in a part of the world where "fresh breezes" don't blow thirty miles an hour at minus ten Fahrenheit for part of the year helps, of course.

Still, designing ventilation into a house makes good sense. We've got the same sort of thing in our house: it's basically a two-story farm house built around 1900. We call our environmentally-friendly passive ventilation system "windows."

Manhattan Apartment is Decades-Old Children's Puzzle

"Surreal Estate: Turning a Manhattan Apartment Into a Puzzle Palace"
Wired (April 20, 2009)

"The first hint that something was up came in a letter stamped "Lost Post." It was addressed to the family of six who had recently moved into the sprawling Fifth Avenue apartment—and was apparently written by a former occupant who had died decades earlier. Inside the envelope was a poem full of riddles, the solutions to which were all around them: The home was filled with puzzles that had been covertly installed during an extensive renovation...."

"...The elaborate project started with a casual aside. 'Can we do something for the kids?' Clough asked his client, the CEO of a private equity firm, when he began work on the $1 million-plus job. Nothing complicated at first, just a few hidden lines of verse. But soon the carpenters were carving ciphers into radiator covers and adding secret compartments to the credenza...."

Eight photos come with the story. One caption reads, "A cherry tree mural in the kids' bedroom doubles as a map of Central Park."