Chareau House
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto 
on 08.26.07
As an architecture student, few buildings influenced and excited me as much as the glass house designed in the late twenties by architect Pierre Chareau. It was a model for housing in the machine age, a stunning urban glass and steel box. Nicolai Ouroussoff describes it in the New York Times as "a lyrical machine whose theatricality is the antithesis of the dry functionalist aesthetic that reigned through much of the 20th century."
It was inaccessible, in the hands of the original owner's family, until it was sold to Robert Rubin, a personal hero for his rescue and restoration of the Maison Tropicale.. Now he is applying the same treatment to the Chareau House: careful restoration of systems, even leaving worn flooring and finishes for authenticity, rather than the usual gut and drop in the Sub-Zeros and Agas.
The world needs more architectural innovation like the Chareau House, and more Robert Rubins to save such masterpieces. ::New York Times
Thirsty for more? Check out these related articles:
- Meet Ann Snook, The Nature Conservancy's Maya Forest Program Manager
- Meet Kevin Danaher, Co-Founder of Global Exchange
- Accomplish the Impossible: Make a 'Donation Made In Your Name' Gift Exciting and Hip
- This is Your Brain. This is Your Brain on...Air?
- Fee Fie Foe Unplug, Are You as Green as an Englishman?
- 5 Must-Have Books for Urban Gardeners
Comments ()
