Liebowitz Summer House
Egremont, Massachusetts
1985
Good friends from Ft. Lauderdale asked me to design a Victorian house on their beautiful Massachusetts property. When I responded that was just not my thing, they insisted that I could, and would design them a "contemporary" Victorian.
My view of Victorian was that of many gabled roofs, much decorative detail, and usually painted white. The resulting idea was that each room or function would be defined on the exterior by a separate gable roof that would reflect the shape of the interior space, starting with the circular turret entrance which took the shape the curving stairs. The exterior is all cedar shingles with the Victorian trim rendered in redwood with clean line detailing. The interiors are similarly organized.
The site is typical charming New England countryside with great view of a mountain range that drops off suddenly, called "Jug End".