MARITZ-STAREK RESIDENCE
St. Louis, Mo
AIA Design Excellence Award

As an addition and renovation, the project in fact becomes an exercise in avoidance: the old structure, a 1912 mansion located in the Central West End (an historic neighborhood of St. Louis) has strong similarities with the Vienese Secession style.

Our proposal involves re-building the original columns and cornice (destroyed in 1931) and thus bringing back the full sense of monumentality that the mansion originally had. Outside. the stairs connecting the sun deck with the deck/jjacuzzi are literally “jumping” over the existing walls, minimizing contact. At the same time, the landing from the stairs becomes a diving platform to the pool, reiterating the intention of avoiding connection to the house. By the same token the new deck stops short of touching the walls of the house, and the new fence (10 feet high) barely connects with the sun porch on the west side.