TOWN HOUSECreating the New American

Alexander Gorlin

1100 Architects

Brininstool + Lynch

Bromley Caldari Architects

Gates Merkulova Architects

Leslie Gill Architect

Gluckman Mayner Architects

Alexander Gorlin Architect

Robert M. Gurney Architect

Hariri and Hariri Architects

Christian Hubert Studio

Jim Jennings Architecture

Reed & Delphine Krakoff

Kuth / Raineri Architects

Mark Mack Architects

Marpillero Pollak Architects

McInturff Architects

Dean Nota Architect

Lorcan O’Herlihy Architects

Jon Petrarca Architect

Studio Rinaldi

Shelton, Mindel Associates

Stanley Saitowitz Architect

Jonathan Segal Architect

Smith & Thompson Architects

TannerHecht Architects

Valerio DeWalt Train

Wesley Wei Architect

Zack / deVito Architecture

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Creating the N

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GORLIN

9 780847 827121

5 5 0 0 0 >ISBN 0-8478-2712-7

US $50 CAN $70

ALEXANDER GORLIN, a New York–based architect, is a winner of the Rome Prize in Architecture and hastaught at Yale University and at the Cooper Union. He is the subject of Rizzoli’s Alexander Gorlin:Buildings and Projects and the author of The NewAmerican Town House, also published by Rizzoli.

Also published by Rizzoli, New York:

RICHARD MEIER ARCHITECT, VOL. IVPreface by Richard MeierEssays by Kenneth Frampton and Joseph RykwertPostscript by Steven HollISBN: 0-8478-22702-X (HC)

SANTIAGO CALATRAVA: THE COMPLETE WORKSAlexander TzonisISBN: 0-8478-2641-4 (HC)

GWATHMEY SIEGEL APARTMENTSPreface by Charles GwathmeyIntroduction by Paul GoldbergerISBN: 0-8478-2686-4 (HC)

Front cover: Howard Street Town House, San FranciscoJim Jennings Architecture

Back cover:(top) Chicago Town House, ChicagoAlexander Gorlin Architect(bottom) Greek Revival Townhouse, New YorkShelton, Mindel Associates

Designed by Dung Ngo

Rizzoli International Publications, Inc.300 Park Avenue SouthNew York, New York 10010http://www.rizzoliusa.com

Printed and bound in China

Once the bastion of the haute bourgeoisie,the town house has now been embraced by

a larger group of people—families with youngchildren, single urban professionals, and retiredcouples, many of whom are now returning tothe inner city, and many others favoring townhouse developments. In this follow-up volumeto The New American Town House, architectAlexander Gorlin once again explores a spec-tacular array of diverse town house designsthat carry this familiar symbol of architecturalinnovation and refinement into the twenty-firstcentury. Creating the New American TownHouse features thirty cutting-edge town housesthat each draw from architectural traditionwhile achieving originality and enhancing theurban landscape by alternately breaking fromand working within the limitations of the townhouse form. Within the typical form of several-story city houses bounded by parallel walls pre-sented here are ingenious, exquisite, and, aboveall, extremely livable solutions to the con-straints of this classic urban housing type.

Ranging from sites in New York, SanFrancisco, Philadelphia Los Angeles, andWashington, D.C., each of the buildings fea-tured in Creating the New American TownHouse represents an eloquent contribution tothe form from such celebrated architects anddesigners as Reed Krakoff, Hariri & Hariri,Stanley Saitowitz, and 1100 Architects. Eachproject is extensively illustrated with full-colorphotography as well as plans and drawings.Alexander Gorlin’s insightful text continues thediscourse begun in his The New AmericanTown House, surveying the adaptation of thisbeloved urban dwelling to the demands of anew century.

TOWN HOUSECreating the New American

CREATING THE NEW AMERICAN TOWNHOUSE194

This town house for a bachelor in the Bucktown section of Chicagois a gleaming modern structure that floats above its more tradi-tional neighbors. Set back behind a brick-walled garden, a steeland stone stair cuts through the volume of the house leadingdirectly from the street to the main living level on the second floorand beyond to the third level and roof terraces above. On the mainlevel, a double-height space contains the open loft of the kitchen,living, and dining areas. The vertically oriented living room isframed by large expanses of glass, which open onto the gardenbelow and provide views of the street. Above, the suspended glassbox of the master bedroom and bathroom floats. The sensualspace of the glass shower and freestanding tub is directly open tothe master bedroom blurring the boundaries between these tradi-tionally separate areas. At both ends, glass walls afford views ofthe city. The clothes closet is completely open to view, where theclient’s perfectly coordinated suits hang for all the world to see,allowing him to “shop” daily for his suit of choice—recallingperhaps a scene for American Gigolo. Above is a terrace withviews to downtown Chicago. A luminous screen of parachute clothcurtains—a theatrical gesture—defines the space of the diningroom, with its own terrace above the garage. On the lower levelare a guest bedroom and an exercise space. Materials are limitedto a minimally cool palette of white painted steel, white statuarymarble for all counters, gray-toned stone floors from China, andwhite plaster walls.

ALEXANDER GORLINARCHITECTS

CHICAGO TOWN HOUSECHICAGO, ILLINOIS

FIRST FLOOR PLAN

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CREATING THE NEW AMERICAN TOWNHOUSE200

SECOND FLOOR PLAN

203ALEXANDER GORLIN ARCHITECTSCREATING THE NEW AMERICAN TOWNHOUSE202