The Douglas’s House is the evolutionary result of an investigation that Richard Meier began with the Smith House (Connecticut, 1965-1967) and continues with: the Hoffman House (New York, 1966-1967), the Saltzman House (New York, 1967-1969), the House in Pound Ridge (New York, 1969), the House in Old Westbury (Old Westbury, 1969-1971) and Shamberg House (New York, 1972-1974). About that, Richard Meier say: “Each work is inspirited by the previous one and uses it to show its own unique quality.” Richard Meier.
In the book “Richard Mier Architect (1986)”, Meier discusses who the house finds its own location and says thereon:
“Each building project has its own “personality” that, during the design process, shows up in a somehow or other. In this case, after an initial proposal, which the developer refuses because he did not want a “white” house, another plot of land that seemed to be inspired by changing forms, was located. It is fair to say that in this case, the house begot the lot.”
The access is in the border of the house and it is gained access by a bridge, which avoids a rugged land and joins the street with the roof. If we look from the street, only the roof and the top floor can be seen. The house has a 450 m² area and 5 levels. The living room is gained access by other bridge located below the other one and to go to the beach should go down the stairs, come across a terrace and reach a vertical stair.
Almost all the common areas have views to the Michigan Lake. The chimney, which is crowned by two stainless steel pipes, is a Smith House’s allegory. The public spaces, west orientated and the private ones, east orientated, are separated by glass walls. Furthermore, all the auxiliary rooms and the bedrooms are placed around the three main storeys. The façade, which belongs to these rooms, is characterized for having small holes in contrast to the other part of the house. The skylights that Meir puts in the ceiling, with a curved-glazing, allow the light, which crosses all the levels, to enter, uniting them to the dinning room.
The corridors in the different levels create a conversation between the public and the private spaces acting as an intermediator component. The main stair is the principal element of the vertical circulation of the house. It leads us from the hall to the inferior levels. Apart form the inside stair, in the other end of the house exits an exterior stair that leads us from the bedrooms to the living room and another that directs us to the installations area ands the beach, where the circulation ends.
Alter the end of the Douglas’s House construction, the entire surrounding coast was branded as national park, prohibiting any type of building; this measure has secured the future of this house and its perpetual isolation to the posterity.
Added on 12.07.2016
Richard Meier's Douglas House Added to National Register of Historic Places, USA.
Today, one of Richard Meier’s most notable and acclaimed residences, the 1973 Douglas House, has been named to the National Register of Historic Places, the federal list of cultural resources worthy of preservation across the United States. The announcement comes after an extensive renovation to the property was completed in 2011, and will grant the home the legal status to help ensure the building is maintained for generations to come.
