This building is an original house designed and built by Gustav Stickley in 1909 in Maplewood, New Jersey. Stickley was most recognized for his revolutionary ideas surrounding the craftsmanship of furniture, interior rooms and furnishings, and finally homes. This home encompasses the rustic bungalow and hand-craftsmanship that he attempted to modernize at the time. The wood exterior, stone pathways, and large glass windows help to incorporate the surrounding forestry environment into the rustic building, fitting as the home was originally meant as a vacation home to avoid the New York City heat. Further the turquoise color of the building, today, helps to encapsulate the surroundings, suppressing the building into the woods and maintaining its quiet, separated appeal.

               This home reminds me of my house in Argyle, Texas, as my house is surrounded by tall trees and woods with a dark, rustic feeling about it. As the building has been modernized, with a listing price now of $1,399,000, the building has, in my opinion, survived the test of time and is a very beautiful home. As is similar with my house, this building now would serve the purpose of providing a possible retirement home or single-family home for people looking for solitude and quiet away from New York City while still having access to the metropolitan area. While the rustic nature of the building and old-fashioned sense may be comforting and homely to many, I would prefer a more modern, sleek home for that expensive of a price.

               Overall, I do not think that there is any denying the beauty and serenity of this home through both its use of traditional hand-craftsmanship and incorporation of the nice environment. The use of wood throughout the interior spaces with rustic furniture would likely transport you to another time if you were living there. Everything about the building seems so quiet and peaceful, being the perfect place to relax and retire. However, that is probably exactly why this house would not be my preference.

27 Sagamore Rd, Maplewood, NJ – An Original Gustav Stickley Home (thegosselingroup.com)

Charles Rennie Mackintosh continued his aesthetic movement of Gesamtkunstwerk, meaning “total work of art”, when he was commissioned to design the Willow Tea Rooms in 1898.

To provide background, tearooms were a place to socialize and enjoy a light meal of tea and finger foods. The caveat was that these tearooms were strictly for men. Catherine Cranston wanted to make a place where women could enjoy the freedom of leaving the house and experiencing the same social possibilities. In order to do so, Cranston commissioned Mackintosh to design the Willow Tea Rooms. This project would bring a respectable activity to Glasgow.

This project began in 1903 with the remodel of 217 Sauchiell Street. This was a 4 story building on one of Glasgow’s most popular shopping streets. the location was fitting for the crowd that Cranston was trying to attract. The front of the building was moved back from the street and bay windows were added. The smooth, white exterior of the Willow Tea Rooms exhibits the elegance of the establishment.

The inside of 217 Sauchiell Street held many tea rooms with differing purposes. There were both male and female distinct social rooms. Mackintosh contrasted the dark and informal men’s tea rooms with a formal, delicate environment for ladies’ tea rooms. On the ground floor was a general ladies’ tea room. This room was adorned with accents of white, silver, and rose, and had vaulted ceilings. Upstairs was the Room de Luxe, a more exclusive ladies’ tea room and gallery. It was here that Mackintosh created his famous high-backed chair. The Room de Luxe exuded luxury, as it was colored with rich hues of pink, white, and grey. The levels of the building resemble the hierarchy of society, which continues to tell a story to visitors today. In 2019, the Willow Tea Rooms won RICS Award for Building Conservation. It has been carefully restored over the last century, and researchers believe that it will be enjoyed for many more generations.

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https://worldarchitecture.org/article-links/ecpzn/-mackintosh-at-the-willow-glasgow-is-awarded-scotland-s-project-of-the-year.html

Charles Rennie Mackintosh and the Willow Tea Rooms, Part One

Charles Rennie Mackintosh was an outlier during his time as an architect in Scotland. His architecture followed the contemporary iconoclastic form, meaning the social belief in the importance of the destruction of icons and idols. This style, mixed with many cultural influences mentioned in my previous blog, was unsettling to Scotland in the early 1900s. He turned against classical styles such as Victorian and Greek-Roman design to a modern style that shocked 18th century Scotland.

Mackintosh’s style and completion of the Glasgow School of Art caught the eyes of Walter Blackie, an aristocrat who owned a large publishing house. Blackie commissioned Mackintosh to build a single family home in Helensburgh, Scotland. This was known as the Hill House.

It is said that the Hill House was designed “from the inside out.” As I mentioned in my previous blog, Mackintosh was not only an architect, but an artist and designer too. He believed that each room was a unique work of art. Rooms are set apart by their difference in geometry and use of light. White and ebony are dominant colors in the Hill House, creating delicacy in the structure. Mackintosh used changes of scale to stir surprise from room to room.

In regard to the exterior of the home, Mackintosh’s Hill House was differentiated from many buildings in the early 19th century. Cement was used to cover the exterior, giving it a stone-like smooth finish. The use of this new technology gave the house the appearance of a gleaming white castle, much like out of a fairytale picture-book. The Hill House was completed in 1904, however it did not stay in pristine shape for long. Shortly after moving in, the Blackie family experienced issues with leaks. The cement covering the home has no elasticity. When Scotland reaches freezing temperatures, the cement cracks and water leaks into the building. Ultimately, the Hill House needed complete restoration, which is currently costing 4.5 million euros! The home is covered by a chainmail tent structure. An expert on the restoration refers to this as “a modern idea in a modern dress” meaning that the home, a modern idea at the time, meets a now modern industrial-style chainmail.

Currently, the public is able to tour the unique home even with the restoration measures in place. Hill House attracts 35,000 visitors a year and those numbers are expected to increase after the restoration process is completed.

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2019/jun/02/hill-house-helensburgh-charles-rennie-mackintosh-carmody-groarke

I have been assigned to study arguably Scotland’s most famous architect, Charles Rennie Mackintosh. He was born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1868. He was a man who wore many creative hats: architect, artist, and designer. He was commissioned to build his most well-known projects – the Glasgow School of Art, Hill House, and Willow Tea Rooms.

Referred to as Mackintosh’s “masterwork”, the Glasgow School of Art “[heralded] the birth of a new style in 20th-century European architecture.” Many cultures influenced the school, such as Scottish baronial, medieval architecture, and Japonisme. Contemporary style also played a big role in the formation of the school. Mackintosh was criticized due to his boldness of design, but after completion he was specifically praised for his use of light in the project.

The school’s most famous room is the Mackintosh Library. In classic Mackintosh style, the space is highly influenced by traditional Japanese architecture. The framework was built to show off the complexity of timber posts and beams that support the structure. The cluster of lights in the middle of the room bring contrast from the dark-stained wood. Light from the windows floods the room. From the photos, I believe this room has an air of mystery to it.

In 2014, the Glasgow School of Art was tragically damaged by a fire. It is reported that the fire was started by a faulty projector exploding in the basement. The library was damaged, as well the entire west side of the structure. Thankfully, the structure of the school was left in tact. The building will be undergoing a 32 million euro refurbishment with Page/Park Architects leading the project.

https://www.dezeen.com/2018/06/05/glasgow-school-of-art-charles-rennie-mackintosh-masterwork-150-anniversary/

Although it was completed 60 years after Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s death, House for an Art Lover caught the attention of international viewers. This project established his fame among the world, not only in Scotland.

Mackintosh and his wife, artist Margaret Macdonald, drew up the plans for House for an Art Lover to enter a German design magazine competition in 1901. The goal of the competition was to make the house a work of art itself, particularly interiorly speaking. Although the pair was disqualified, the plans were still published to show Mackintosh’s out-of-the-box modern style. The head of architecture at one of Mackintosh’s previous builds, the Glasgow School of Art, drew up the technical plans. This launched his piece of art into reality.

The House for an Art Lover was built in Ballahouston Park, Glasgow. An 18-century mansion once resided on the same plot, but had burned-down years before. The exterior of this home is creme colors with a grey roof. I would describe it as a mansion with English countryside style. After entering the home, you reach the main hall. It is grand in proportion, and displays the Scottish baronial style through the designs of both the staircase and fireplace. Details in this main hall such as lanterns and straight lines are influenced by Japanese architecture. In classic Mackintosh style, rooms were styled either dark masculine or light feminine based on their uses. In this main hall, Mackintosh used dark wood to create the masculine feel. In the oval room, an after-dinner room for ladies, Mackintosh’s used white and natural light to create a light, modern atmosphere.

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Mackintosh beautifully combines practicality with art. He incorporates a large terrace and bay windows at the front of the home to allow plenty of sunlight, but places bedrooms toward the back of the house to lessen their sunlight. In addition, his characteristic high-backed chairs are not only art, but also functioning objects for the dining table! Although the meaning is unknown to us, Mackintosh points to nature by these four recurring symbols around the music room: the rose, the tree, the bird, and the egg. Mackintosh’s ability to merge functionality with detailed, meaningful art is remarkable.

The House for an Art Lover is where Mackintosh’s legacy continues to be celebrated. Since its public opening in 1996, it is one of Glasgow’s most popular destinations for the arts, and many events are held there. In fact, it even serves as a wedding venue!

https://www.dezeen.com/2018/06/06/house-for-an-art-lover-charles-rennie-mackintosh-architecture/

https://artsandculture.google.com/story/mackintosh-house-for-an-art-lover/dgWhUX7kv0jBqQ?hl=en

Richard Meiers architectural masterpiece, On Prospect Park, is located in Brooklyn, New York. Found in Grand Army Plaza, this all-glass building contains 99 private residences. Standing 15 stories high, this building has been referred to as a ‘beached whale’. The construction on this complex began in 2006 and was completed in 2008, at the beginning of an economic downturn. At first, this glamourous modern building was seen as a bust, with units left empty for years.

While the luxury building was seen as a bust at its beginning, it is now a sold-out high-end complex complete with amenities such as doormen. There are many reasons why the building eventually reached its success such as the prime location. But for every occupant, a major factor of their decision was Meier’s design. The design style used in this complex was so different from what was commonly available in New York. In the end, people fell in love with the large windows and natural light which they allowed just like Meier did when designing the place.

The Symphony Center is located on South Michigan Avenue in Chicago, IL, and is home to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Chorus, Civic Orchestra of Chicago, and the Institute for Learning, Access, and Training. Construction began in May of 1904 under architect Daniel Burnham, and held its first concert in December of 1904. The Symphony Center features the original 2,522 seat Orchestra Hall, a rehearsal and performance space known as Buntrock Hall, an event space overlooking the Art Institute of Chicago known as Grainger Ballroom, Opus Restaurant and café, as well as many other spaces. The Orchestra Hall underwent a $110 million renovation from 1995 to 1997 to expand and improve the acoustics. The Symphony Center was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978 and was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1994.

Erik Gunnar Asplund was an architect in a changing society and world. Because of this, Asplund was responsible for the design of a department store in Uppsala, Sweden during the 1930s. He decided to take a much more modern approach to this building than architects before him. Asplund decided to hide all of the columns in this building so that they were not shown from the street for people to see. This is one of his lesser-known buildings. There is not much that is can be found about the history of this building. While many of his buildings would be used as inspiration for architects after him, very few would ever look into the Bredenberg Department Store.

To the modern eye, the building may not look all too impressive, but to the average Swedish citizen, it was very unique. The lack of columns, combined with the minimal vertical movement in this building caused this building to stand out among those next to it. Erik Gunnar Asplund was an architect in a changing society and because of that, Asplund decided to change with it.

The Rookery Building is a historic office building in downtown Chicago’s financial district. It was completed in 1888 by Daniel Burnham and John Wellborn Root, is considered one of their masterpiece buildings, and was the location of their offices at one point. While the building is only 12 stories, 181 feet, it is the oldest standing high-rise in Chicago. The building blending accepted and new building techniques, by using load-bearing exterior walls, and steel frame interior. The building underwent 3 major renovations in the 20th century, beginning with the renovation of the lobby by Frank Lloyd Wright from 1905-1907, adding carved white marble, simplified iron work, and his trademark planters and lighting. The second major renovation was done by Wright’s former assistant William Drummond in 1931, where he modernized interior elements and replaced the elevators, as well as added art deco detailing. Finally in 1992, Daprato Rigali Studios returned the building to Wright’s design and reopened the light court after it had been covered to protect against leaks. The Rookery Building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970, designated as a Chicago Landmark in 1972, and a National Historic Landmark in 1975.

The woodland chapel in Stockholm, Sweden is one of the first projects that Gunnar Asplund would design. The chapel is located inside the skogskyrkogården cemetery. Shortly before designing the Woodland Chapel, Asplund had been to a wedding in Denmark. The wedding venue was very fascinating to Asplund, so he decided that he would design the chapel similarly. The design from Denmark that Asplund would borrow was a very simple tree line behind the chapel.

The building design is a very simple one, with nothing extreme to cause it to stand out, but yet it does to me. I think I understand Asplund’s odd fascination with the design. Nothing about this building should be intriguing or fascinating, but the simplicity of the design combined with the treeline is a great design. While the design was simple, each and every aspect of this building was thought out in detail. One of the most interesting facts about this building is that the keyhole to the front door is in the shape of the eye of a skull. This was a very simple, but still a very appealing design that I think is fantastic.