Project Description
Even though this 1930s house was in terrible condition, the owners
and the architect were drawn to its strong geometry, simple forms, and
select detailing. It also sits on an acre of land — a rare find in this
Washington, D.C., neighborhood.
The family hired architect
Stephen Muse to expand the small building to make it suitable for a
household of nine, and required an in-law suite, a room for foreign
exchange students, and an area for live-in staff. The family also
entertains and holds fundraisers, so the renovation had to accommodate
large groups.
Muse carefully analyzed the context of the core
40-foot-by-40-foot structure and the two one-story wings to decide what
to maintain, reinforce, and extend from the existing design. “In this
case, it was the strong geometry, the simple forms of the brick boxes
with a copper roof, steel windows, a tile band, a neat front door with
stone surround. The selective detailing makes it interesting,” Muse
says.
He decided to create a grand two-story “courtyard” of
shared living and entertainment space on the footprint of the
40-foot-by-40-foot terrace behind the house — a space that would better
tie in to the large rear lawn.
“This area handles all the circulation. I want these owners to walk through this room as often as possible,” Muse says.
One judge said that the addition could have overpowered the original
structure, but instead it is secondary to it and enhances it.
The
unifying element of the courtyard design is the textured pre-cast block
designed by Muse and made by a company in California, which provides
similar blocks for Frank Lloyd Wright building restoration projects.
The judges commented that the sophisticated design carries the detail
and pattern throughout the house. Muse attributes this to the
homeowners’ willingness to invest time and money in custom features. For
him, the courtyard room is “by far the most precise, fully detailed
room we have ever made.”