Cat House in Michigan City, Part 5 -- Jonathan Hale, Le Corbusier, a Human Scale

Move towards a human, not an abstract or awe-inspiring, scale. The proportions and sizes of the human body and its elements (the eye, hand, foot, arm, etc.) are beautiful (see photo, to left, of people on the beach in Rio de Janeiro). They are not universally beautiful -- an alien from the edges of existence may not agree -- but they are intrinsically beautiful to people. We are wired to think so (after all, we made God in our image).

I have been convinced as much by two readings, "The Old Way of Seeing", by Jonathan Hale, and "The Modulor", by Le Corbusier. I used to dismiss the idea of some things being beautiful to all people, but these two men make a powerful argument. All people are people and, as such, tend to have certain physical characteristics. If we did not find these things beautiful, how would we fall in love (or at least procreate)? Why would we take care of children if there weren't something calling to us (tiny eyes and feet)?

The home should take advantage of these proportions and sizes. Certain proportions should be used (i.e. one-to-one, one-to-two, two-to-three, the "golden section"), but not rigidly so -- Mr. Hale makes a compelling argument for variations on a theme. In my home in Michigan City, the rooms will be not much bigger than comfort requires. Larger spaces should be reserved for places that are not to be comfortable, but awe-inspiring (why would someone want a "cathedral ceiling" in a domestic situation?). Unless you are addressing Parliament, keep rooms small at home.

Cat House in Michigan City, Part 4 -- Context, Volume, and Siting

The volume and siting of my house will be determined by its context. These are the elements of context that are most important (not the materials or surface details, for example). My immediate neighbors are one and one and one-half story homes from the early twentieth century (see photos, below, of Donnelly Street denizens). The floorplans are roughly rectangular and, as is typical in older American cities, a narrow side faces the street.

The house occupies almost the same footprint as the neighbor to the south and will be set-back as far from the street (see drawing, left). My house will be smaller than the neighbor's. Part of the "footprint" will be negative space, areas defined through an imagined extension of the planes of the building to the lines where they intersect. The negative space facing the street will be part of a public "court" (formed with the neighbor's wall). A negative space towards the back will be walled and form an interior, open-air court for the bedroom.

Cat House in Michigan City, Part 3 -- Gas Station Design Influence

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.

Cat House in Michigan City, Part 2 -- Rhoda as Muse

Yes, a house for cats. Also, one that looks a bit like a cat. The roofline and spatial organization of the house I am planning for Michigan City is influenced by the shape of a cat's eyes and, more generally, face (see Ms. Rhoda Groveland, to left).

In the schematic rendering (below), the "left eye" is the public room (kitchen/dining/living). The "right eye" is the bedroom. The "nose" is the hallway between the two, which also passes by the bathroom. More to follow.

Cat House in Michigan City, Indiana -- An Easy to Get to Second Home

I have had a fantasy, for years, of a second home to which I could take a train. I like Lake Michigan and I also like a little decay and low prices (they often go together). This gave me a few options -- points north of Chicago, like Racine and Kenosha, Wisconsin, or east/southeast, like Gary and Michigan City, Indiana. Indiana won me over, however, because I could bring my cats on the train (whereas, northbound, the trains are cats non grata). Michigan City also has other essentials: Fudge, a Chinese restaurant, and a not exclusively white population.

A few months ago I bought a vacant lot in Michigan City for $1,100. In addition to being within walking distance of the commuter stop, I can also see the train from the stop (see lower photo for a view from the lot). It is also on the west side of town which, while being between the state prison for men and the coal-fired power plant (both overly yang (i.e. lively), according to feng shui -- we'll have to deal with this later), is closest to the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore.

The next step is to build a home on the lot. I have started designing it. More postings on the cat house will follow.