21st century in the 11th ward

UrbanBuild Prototype 03, originally uploaded by regional.modernism.

This is a whole lotta house on a seriously small lot. The Tulane URBANbuild Protoype 03 house is approaching completion at Seventh and Dryades in Central City. Students developed multiple protoypes in a semester-long design studio prior to the build this spring. The design is sensitive to our vernacular architecture in spirit, but not in style. The house is raised on piers to protect it from minor street flooding and benefit from a cooling breeze underfoot. The mandatory front porch is ample and inviting. An upper balcony provides a more discreet view of the street theater that often unfolds in the neighborhood.

The URBANbuild house may not have the brackets or columns and cast iron details that typify our 19th century housing, but it is not a replica of a facsimile.* It has integrity. As the students labor to complete the house in the next few weeks, stop by and check it out. This is a fine example of Regional Modernism.

* Much of the new housing being constructed in the city are pale and cheap imitations of our historic architecture.

Julian Steinberg Residence: traditional materials modernized

Julian Steinberg Residence (1), originally uploaded by regional.modernism.

By: Stephanie Day

I will be researching the Julian Steinberg House. It was built in 1958 at 1201 Conery Street, in the Garden District of New Orleans. Architects Curtis and Davis designed the house for Mr. & Mrs. Julian Steinberg and their two children. The house appears to be one story because of its single, connecting roof plane, but it is in fact a split-level, with upper and lower floors stacked at the rear of the house, containing the bedrooms. The structure consists of light-weight steel, wood beams, and concrete, clad in brick and cypress wood. The brick provides a familiar warmth, but is applied in an unusual way, with painted white bricks interspersed, and some bricks projecting from the wall. Additionally, the clerestory windows join directly with the wood ceiling, giving the building a seamless quality.

Moses Residence (Curtis and Davis, 1948)

Moses Residence, originally uploaded by regional.modernism. photo by Mariela Fernandez

This is one of the earliest houses designed by Nathaniel C. Curtis, Jr. and Arthur Q. Davis. These former classmates at the Tulane School of Architecture joined forces in 1947 as Curtis and Davis, architects. They made a commitment to design contemporary buildings in New Orleans, a city firmly identified with its 18th and 19th century architectural heritage. The Bauhaus bones of the Moses Residence were enlivened by two sculptures by Alexander Calder, a mobile in the stairwell and a stabile on the exterior rear wall. Unfortunately, the sculptures are no longer on the premises. The Moses Residence is currently on the market. Our class toured the house last month with the real estate agent. For more photos, see our Flickr set.