Looks like we made it

 

Well, good readers, Mark and I survived the trip down to Richmond last week to tour the Rice house by Richard Neutra.  I’d even go as far as saying we thrived rather than just survived!  I’ll spare you the details of the early morning drive south, other than to say that there was a necessary outfit change just prior to the tour and I am so thankful for a nearby Starbucks- not for its coffee but for the availability of a changing table in the bathroom.  [Side note:  fold-out changing tables in public bathrooms are great, but can we please start demanding that a hook be available nearby to hold the diaper bag?!  Moms- let’s get together on this one.  Just like there should be a hook on the back of every stall door for our purses, there NEEDS to be a hook near the diaper changing area.  I’ll do my part as an architect to lobby for these!]

So, we were able to start the tour rested and fed (and changed!) and that made for a much happier baby.  We also lucked out with two very nice gentlemen who carpooled to the site from the Virginia AIA office with us.  One was a Richmond native who told me lots about the Fan District and surrounding neighborhoods and the other entertained Mark in the back seat.  They didn’t seem to mind squeezing into my tiny vehicle made smaller by the car seat that takes over the back, and one even offered to carry Mark’s diaper bag (though, it is an Orla Kiely bag and what design-minded person wouldn’t want to carry that bag?  Dr. Jay doesn’t even mind carrying it)!

On to the Neutra house- okay, okay, it’s the Rice house by Neutra.  It was nothing short of spectacular.  First of all, it’s situated on an island.  An ISLAND!  On the James River.  How incredible is that?  We had to cross a bridge specifically built by the Rices for accessing the island.  

Here’s a view of the James from the drive leading up to the house.

It was a gorgeous spring day.  Our tour guide was Bodil Hanneman, Director of the Foundation Board put together to preserve this amazing work of architecture.  She is also a personal friend of the Rice family (Walter Rice has passed away but his wife Inger is still living).  Here is Bodil Hanneman, who is also an architect.

She explained that the Science Museum of Virginia acquired the house back in 1996 when the Rice family donated it.  It is the only house in Richmond built in the International Style.  It was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1999.  She has been working hard with a team not only to determine how best to proceed with renovations and repairs but also to help raise money for the cause.  She mentioned that one of the contractors told her that if they hadn’t intervened when they did, the house would have surely fallen within five years because it was in such a state of disrepair.  There was extensive water damage due to the poor drainage of the flat roofs. 

There were workers on the roof laying new waterproofing on the day of our tour.

See the River out there?  I must mention that all these shots were taken by me while I had Mark on my other arm, so they are not my best work but I certainly tried to capture some details.  I don’t think there were any artificial light sources on at the time of our tour, so you can see how well this house receives daylight.

All of the fireplaces were double-sided, this one to both the interior and exterior.

This fireplace in the living area doubled with a fireplace in the master bedroom.  That’s a cork floor, by the way.

Most of the furniture was built-in, a total work of design by Neutra.  He was known for getting to know his clients really well, and was said to want to “be in love” with them before he worked for them.  Apparently he spent a week with the Rices before he took on the design of their home.  He was reportedly not thrilled to be working in Richmond but was quite taken with the site available to him and that was one thing that swayed him.

Here are a few more interior shots.

One side of the master closet which lead to the bathroom.  There were matching bathroom/closet sequences from the master bedroom, and the bathrooms each had sunken tubs.

Here’s a shot in the dining area with the marble wall which extends from the interior to the exterior.

See the glass?

Mark absolutely loved that wall.

He couldn’t stop touching it and got upset when I finally pulled him away.  It was Georgia marble.  What can I say, the boy has really good taste.

Some shots of the pool:

 

Here are some of the stairs leading to it:

You are not mistaken- that is a very treacherous pathway leading to the pool.  And though there will eventually be a railing along that rooftop balcony, there wasn’t one originally!

I feel so fortunate to have been able to take this tour.  Having learned about houses like this all through school, I didn’t think I’d be able to see a Neutra house unless I took a trip to California.  Having one so close in Virginia is incredible and it makes me so happy that there is such an effort to preserve it.  I came away from this experience certain that Neutra was a true master of the plan.  Each space was so carefully thought out and developed.  It was by no means an enormous house, but Neutra made the most of every square foot and it of course felt more spacious because of all the glass and the fact that there was so much indoor/outdoor living.  That part may have made more sense in California, where Neutra was used to working.  Nonetheless, I have a wonderful memory of the day, as a mother and as an architect.

One last photo for you.  I won’t do this often, but I have to share this with you.

Mark charming our tour guide:

Actually, I think he was charmed by all the zippers on her jacket, and maybe you had to be there, but it was a hilarious way to end the tour.

the coolest thing I’ve seen in a long time

Sometimes I marvel at how completely behind I am on what’s going on in D.C.  Here’s the latest (to me) on the architecture scene:

 

the Bubble addition to the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden (by Diller Scofidio + Renfro, who also have the coolest website I have seen in a long time.  It’s seriously B.A.)

Here’s how the bubble works.

Got that?

Basically, the inflatable membrane will be erected for one month each spring and fall (beginning possibly in October 2012) filling the void of the museum’s courtyard and acting as an auditorium, cafe and meeting place.  Read more about it here, which is where I read about it.  In the magazine I’ll probably stop receiving soon since I am letting my AIA membership lapse. 

Is anyone else worried about this bubble and the high-strength winds we tend to get around these parts?  Surely they must have considered this possibility.  Looks like they are employing both Wind Engineering consultants and Climatic Analysis consultants.

Visiting the Holocaust Memorial Museum

Last weekend we had a friend in town, and despite the snow storm on Saturday, we made the trek into D.C. to spend the afternoon at the Holocaust Memorial Museum.

I have to admit, this museum hasn’t been high on my list to visit.  It’s one that though I wanted to experience, I knew it would be emotional and other D.C. sites always seemed to take precedence.  But my friend requested this museum, and frankly, it made a lot of sense to go on a snowy day.  The bitter weather of the day ended up being eerily appropriate for the subject.

I am still in awe of the experience.  I had no idea the museum was so well-designed.  It opened in 1993, before great design was really on my radar, so I never really knew what I was missing.  It was designed by James Ingo Freed, and as far as museums go, this was one of the best I have ever visited.  We spent three hours there, only in the permanent collection (there is a current exhibit there about Propaganda) and I think I read almost every placard.  I learned an incredible amount in such a short period, and I was emotionally drained.

There’s no photography allowed in the actual exhibits, but I was able to snap a few of the transitional spaces, which I think are really important to the impact of the museum.  This museum was really well-conceived.  Even on a snowy, winter day, there were a lot of visitors.  It’s not technically their high season (which is from March to August when passes are required) so I was amazed at how many other folks were present.

Without further adieu, here are some of my photos.  These next few are from the light-well in the center of the building.  Again, the snow was strangely appropriate when thinking of the conditions of the Holocaust.

This one is looking down into the lower entrance level.  I couldn’t get over those guys in uniform (see below, on the stairs).  I thought they were character actors from the time-period and I was trying to figure out what the uniform might be representing.  I finally asked one of them where they were from.  Turns out they go to West Point and they were at the museum on a field trip.  Whoops.

You see all these roofs from the walkway in between the levels, and incredible reminder of the many European cities affected by the Holocaust.

I wish I could have taken photos of some of the exhibits, but all I can say is that if you have time in D.C., this is a must-visit.  I’m really glad we were convinced to go.

Here are a few other photos of the snow in Alexandria this week, as I brace for the impending blizzard this weekend.  Maybe I’ll get to blog some more, but only after I dig myself out of the closet I plan to reorganize tonight.  I would show you “before” photos, but I’m too embarrassed of its state, so I’ll just blame the poor lighting conditions.

The one above is my office, and that loading dock leads to the Ice House, which back in the day used to store ice.  Now it stores old drawings.

 

Culture Day in the ATL

For the last month+ we've been living out of suitcases, making the most of family time as we drag out our move from Georgia to Alexandria, Virginia. Last week was our final week with my mom, and we made Thursday a " culture day" by eating lunch at Chow Baby, visiting the "furniture district" of Chattahoochee Avenue, taking in the exhibits at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, and rounding out the day with ice cream at Morelli's. It was a swell way to round out our stay with my mom. Our time at the High proved to be blogworthy. We went to see Monet's Water Lilies, which are on loan from the Museum of Modern Art, New York. The three canvases spread out 42 feet and do take your breath away. The expansion wing of the High is a great place to view these works. I've always loved going to the High as it was originally, designed by Richard Meier. I've been in a few of his buildings, and to me, they are both whimsical and refined. But what Renzo Piano has done with the additional wing is just incredible. I love the transition from the old building, and Piano's addition is quiet, reverent to Meier's, and solidly stands on its own. And it's of course amazing what he did with natural light, which is what compliments the Monet pieces so well. My only complaint is that the exhibit was very small, except of course for the giant canvases. There were only a few other pieces, but I guess for the full effect I need to visit the MOMA or the Louvre. I should also note that all of the photos in this post were taken with my iPhone. And I wasn't sneaky about it- evidently cell phone cameras are allowed for these exhibits. Here's their policy: NOTE: Through August 23, 2009, cell phone photography will be permitted in the Monet Water Lilies and Richard Misrach: On the Beach exhibition galleries. Regular photography permits are not required for guests who wish to use cell phone cameras in these two galleries. Funny right? I don't think they'd want you using your cell phone to make calls, but its other purpose, as a camera, is allowed. Oh well. I snapped away, hoping at least some of my photos would be okay for the blog. I really enjoyed the Richard Misrach: On the Beach exhibit, but I didn't take any photos of that because it was a photography exhibit and taking photos of photos just seemed weird. I did like this quotation of his:One of the real gems of the day was an ARCHITECTURE EXHIBIT! I learned a little about Anthony Ames, an Atlanta architect who I am ashamed to say I had never heard of. The exhibit featured some of his paintings (inspired by the likes of Le Corbusier and Ozenfant), architectural models, and even dinnerware. Ames is known as a Late Modernist, which is fitting since his work was displayed in the Meier side of the museum. I loved seeing the models, but mostly I loved watching other people checking them out. My absolute favorite part of the day was the furniture exhibit, featuring American furniture from the colonial days to the early 20th century. I haven't found any real reference to these pieces on the museum's website, so I am not sure if they are part of the permanent collection or a traveling exhibit. I thought I saw a mention of this exhibit on Apartment Therapy? Anyone know what I am referring to? At any rate, it was mesmerizing to see pieces from some of the most famous designers in history all lined up. This is a chair from a Boston designer way way back. Love those ovals. I didn't take any notes on this one, but I'd guess it's more of a folk-arty chair with bent wood. This is a Frank Lloyd Wright chair. And a chair by Josef Hoffman. They are all so great, I can't decide which one is my favorite.Oh, and I almost forgot the Greene and Greene: It was quite a day of Atlanta fun, and we'll miss that! This week we've been staying with my in-laws in north Georgia, experiencing a much different part of the state and giving Rudy a few more days to swim and have the run of the land. The final stages of the move begin this weekend as we make our way up to D.C. We're staying with generous friends in Maryland next week until we can finally move in (for real this time) next weekend. Goodness me, this summer has been both long and short all at the same time.