Simple, engaging the street, and fun. These are the goals I want to achieve through the architecture of my new home. When I think of a perfect home, often a gas station comes to mind. Or some other sort of utilitarian shack that can be dolled-up. These are my most direct architectural references.Bill's Body Shop (above left, at 501 Chicago Street, Michigan City), started life in the 1920s or 1930s as a gas station. It is perfect. The main portion of the building is two similarly-sized boxes, one open and one closed. Even the closed box has an all-glass facade for its main elevation. This openness appeals to me more than the traditional house, with its greater privacy.
The house will also have an element of humor. I realize there is a tension between my stated goals of simple and fun and I think a balance can be achieved. While I don't think I will be using text (see lower image of a carnival trailer in Michigan City's Washington Park), I expect to use color and light.
I am a fan of things that work. I am also a fan of the creative. If a building can be both functional and "fresh", this is good news. If not, I choose what works.
In recent years, some buildings have been clad with flush horizontal wood siding. There is no overlap between the boards. As soon as I saw this type of facade, I felt nervous.
There is a reason for shingles and other types of overlapping wood siding, which is the ability to shed water. Unless one is in a location without any precipitation, wood siding that does not overlap invites water into the building envelop. What ensues, you can see in the images to the left, and this in a building only a few years old.
Chicago has its share of "roadside" restaurants. The two in the images to the left (Susie's and Murph's, at 4126 and 3930 W. Montrose Avenue, respectively) are typical. Fairly simple buildings, they are visually interesting chiefly because of their bright colors and advertising. They have "camp" value, a kind of humor.
While they look like auto-oriented businesses and, indeed, provide parking, Susie's and Murph's are pedestrian-friendly. They are small, close to the sidewalk, and provide outdoor seating. These are all features that make these shacks assets to their neighborhoods. I love these buildings.
Simple, engaging the street, and fun. These are the goals I want to achieve through the architecture of my new home. When I think of a perfect home, often a gas station comes to mind. Or some other sort of utilitarian shack that can be dolled-up. These are my most direct architectural references.
