The dining room has a spectacular view of the river below and co…
The dining room has a spectacular view of the river below and conveys a sense of prospect and refuge.
Robert Lautman
The linear house perches near the edge of Potomac River rapids.
Robert Lautman
The contractor restored the entire structure of this 1959 Frank …
The contractor restored the entire structure of this 1959 Frank Lloyd Wright house. Architect Richard Williams chose period furnishings that respect the houses authority and powerful setting.
Courtesy Richard Williams Architects
The site and floor plan.
Robert Lautman
The house's simplicity and massing, shown here in the entry cour…
The house's simplicity and massing, shown here in the entry court, recall other late Usonian houses.
Robert Lautman
The restoration included refurbishing original red concrete floo…
The restoration included refurbishing original red concrete floors, shown here in the guest room.
Few of Wright's buildings from his Usonian period were sited wit…
Few of Wright's buildings from his Usonian period were sited with such a dramatic backdrop as this project by Williams.
Robert Lautman
Here, the living and dining room areas are seen at dawn. The kit…
Here, the living and dining room areas are seen at dawn. The kitchen received new high-end cabinetry and concrete countertops.
Robert Lautman
Original recessed down lights, like those in the master bedroom,…
Original recessed down lights, like those in the master bedroom, were restored and supplemented with atmospheric lighting.
Robert Lautman
Cupped and damaged mahogany ceilings panels were repaired and pu…
Cupped and damaged mahogany ceilings panels were repaired and put back together.
richard williams architects washington, d.c.
Painstaking surgery restored this 1959 Frank Lloyd Wright house, poised delicately above the Potomac River rapids. Part of the restoration team, Richard Williams, FAIA, chose serene, understated interior elements that play to Wright’s tune—a new kitchen with concrete counters, Xenon undercabinet lighting in the living room, kitchen, and bedrooms, and vintage furniture. “The new high-end cabinetry and lighting helped bring everything into sharper contrast and focus,” Williams says.
Citing the technical skill evident, a judge noted that “somebody obviously spent a lot of time and money to put it all back together.”
principal in charge / project architect / interior designer: Richard Williams, FAIA, Richard Williams Architects general contractor: Bailey C. Adams, Adams General Contractors, Chevy Chase, Md. project size: 3,000 square feet site size: 0.50 acre construction cost: Withheld photography: Robert Lautman
