2/24/15
On this
walking tour, we went to the Erlanger House. This has been my favorite tour so
far. It exposed us to something completely different than what we normally
experience. It also tied in nicely with the models we are doing for the next
class.
Walking
up to the house was the first of many surprises to come in the tour. It stands
out from all of the other houses on the street around it. It is set back from
the sidewalk farther than the rest of the houses and, while all of the other
residences have large window and doors at the center of the house, the Erlanger
house has none of these. Instead, all that is visible to passersby is a blank
brick wall, and, if one looks closely, a small glass door, set on the edge of
the front of the house. This gives the whole building the sense of privacy.
The
first floor of the building shows off the minimalism put into the building. The
whole thing is very open, with two full walls of windows, letting in a lot of
natural light. The sitting area contains a sunken space with couches built into
the sunken space. This faces out to the “front yard”, which is a space outside,
in between the wall of brick visible from the sidewalk and the glass wall of
the house. On the other side of the sitting area is a very open space that
rises the height of the building. This is also against a glass wall that faces
the backyard. Here, there floor is completely open and hard wood, as opposed to
the rest of the floor, which is cement and stone. This space was intended for
dance classes that Margaret Erlanger would have at her house. There is also a
small kitchen and bathroom on the first floor. The whole house is centered
around a chimney that rises straight through the middle.
The
second floor is only half of the length of the house, as the dance space is
double height. This space is dedicated almost entirely to the bedroom. This
space is, again, very open. The second floor acts as a balcony to view the
dance space on the floor below. The whole thing is carpeted in white, including
the bathroom, which is a little odd. The toilet and shower are on opposite ends
of the bathroom and both have a square skylight above them. Even in the place
where one is supposed to have the most privacy, one can feel the sense of
openness.
This
house was huge important to make connections to, in regards to our model
project. The space had a mezzanine level, a double height space, stairs, and a
chimney. Indeed, as I moved through the house, I was able to think about all of
the elements it incorporated and apply them to the rules we had been assigned.
This
house was just so different from anything I had experienced before. It so
simple and had such a beautiful aesthetic. It fit the original owner so
perfectly in both function and very representation of who she was as a person.
If this has convinced me of anything, it is to hire an architect to design my
own future house.
