Blair - Chicago

The site is a southeast corner served by an alley on the north in a residential neighborhood west of the of Lincoln Park. The house is organized around the center court which is the focus of all the main rooms on the ground floor. The gallery along the south edge gives access to the living room at the west and the dining room at the east. All access on this floor is from room to room without corridors. Individual stairs to the two second floor bedrooms gives autonomy to both the parents and grown up children. While the parents room overlooks the center court the other bedrooms can focus on the northwest court. The single room width of arm of the building allows all rooms to receive light from at least two sides.

The order of the exterior is progressive, from a heavy base materials at the ground to lighter, materials as it meets the sky. The volume unfolds from the first floor which is wrapped by Roman brick walls that thin into pillars as they rise, giving way to windows or stucco in the upper walls and is capped by metal roofs. Similarly the exterior perimeter is largely closed while the interior facing the court is more open. The yellow brick, the black framed windows and metal roofs are all materials and colors characteristic of the city.