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PARIS

NO house in France better reflects the magical promise of 20th-century architecture than the Maison e !erre" #uc$e behin thesolemn porte-cochere of a traitional French resience on Rue

Saint-%uillaume& a 'uiet street in a (ealthy )eft *an$neighborhoo& the +,2 house esigne by Pierre .hareauchallenges our assumptions about the nature of Moernism" Forarchitects it represents the roa not ta$en/ a lyrical machine

 (hose theatricality is the antithesis of the ry functionalistaesthetic that reigne through much of the 20th century"

Its status as a cult obect (as enhance by the house1s relatieinaccessibility" For ecaes it (as seen only by a hanful ofscholars an by patients of a gynecologist (hose offices too$ upthe first floor" )ater it (as mostly use as occasional guest

'uarters for friens of the octor1s family& (ho ha long sincesettle into a traitional +3th-century apartment across thecourtyar"

So (hen I hear oer inner here (ith some friens a year or soago that the family ha sol the house to an Americanentrepreneur& I (as astonishe" My inner companion& anarchitect (ho ha neer met the ne( o(ner& lamente the sale aseience of France1s cultural ecline& a$in to the construction of4uro 5isney" 6aing a ismissie han& she ino$e the clich7 of

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the ugly American& poc$ets stuffe (ith ollar

The Maison de Verre’s grand salon, where receptions took place, included an Erard

 piano..reitMar$ )yon As it turns out& although the buyer& Robert Rubin& mae his money on 6all Street& he is far from a crass trophy hunter" After buyingthe house& he embar$e on a painsta$ing renoation of itsintricate 8 an for its time& ingenious 8 mechanical systems" 9eenliste a corps of architectural historians an grauate stuentsto ecipher its secrets" 6ith the first phase of the renoationcomplete& he plans to open it up eentually for limite tours" Inhis loing eotion to the house an its historical particulars& hehas emerge as a role moel for those (ho see$ to presere anarchitectural relic (ithout turning it into a mausoleum"

Mr" Rubin& :;& is a born collector" 9e restore his first car& a<ensen 9ealy& (hen he moe to Ne( =or$ .ity in his early 20s"

 After rac$ing up money as a commoities traer in the mi-+,>0s&he turne his eye to bigger pri?es& li$e a +,@0s Ferrari 2>: %#*an later a rare +, *ugatti that ha once belonge to ing)eopol of *elgium" 9is fascination (ith inustrial obectseentually le him to the (or$s of Moernist architects li$e <eanProu7 an .hareau& (hose creations (ere elaborate Machine Agefantasies"

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 Approaching his ne( subect (ith the ?eal of a scholar& Mr" Rubin (ent bac$ to school in 200+& enrolling at .olumbia Bniersity1sgrauate school of architecture at the age of ;3" 9e (or$e as ateaching assistant for enneth Frampton& the architecturalhistorian (ho (rote a celebrate teCtboo$ on 20th-century

Moernism"

 Aroun the same time Mr" Rubin bought Prou71s Maison#ropicale& a prefabricate metal shelter conceie in the late+,;0s as a prototype for afforable housing in colonial Africa anlater erecte in the .ongo" After a methoical restoration& heorgani?e a series of eChibitions on the Prou7 house& shipping itto =ale an to the 9ammer Museum in )os Angeles" )ast year heonate it to the Pompiou .enter" D*y contrast the hotelier

 Anr7 *ala?s recently bought a ersion of the Maison #ropicale at.hristie1s& for E: million an plans to ma$e it the centerpiece of a

.aribbean resort"

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 =et nothing Mr" Rubin ha collecte up to this point coulcompare 8 in scale or in the (eight of responsibility 8 to theMaison e !erre" #he house is often compare to another early-20th-century masterpiece& )e .orbusier1s !illa Saoye" *othhouses (ere built in the brief perio bet(een the t(o (orl (ars&the high point of classical Moernism" *oth emboy thatmoement1s obsession (ith hygiene& an the fiercely hel notionthat a house coul function as a tool for physical an psychichealing" *ut (hile )e .orbusier1s masterpiece (as intene as theeCpression of a broa ision 8 a philosophical reoiner to thes'uali isorer of the meieal city 8 .hareau1s ambitions (eremore humble"

*orn in +33& he began his career as a raftsman for a traitional4nglish furniture ma$er in Paris" *y the early +,20s he haesigne the interiors of some elegantly appointe apartments for

 (ealthy clients an (as mostly amire for his furniture esigns&elaborate (oo an metal pieces (ith moable parts that reflect ataste for refine machinery"

#he Maison e !erre itself has been escribe as an elaboratepiece of furniture" It (as commissione in the late +,20s by 5r"<ean 5alsace an his (ife& Annie& (ho ha bought the site& aneCisting +3th-century hGtel particulier& but (ere unable to eictthe (oman (ho lie on the top floor" As a result .hareau (asoblige to care out his creation unerneath her apartment"

 !ie(e from ust insie the courtyar the house loo$s li$e aglo(ing translucent boC& its great glass-bloc$ facae embee inthe +3th-century fabric an cappe by the ol one-story apartmentleel aboe"

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#he house1s poetic force has resonate through ecaes" .hareauconceie its interior as a elicate composition of interloc$ingforms& (ith the t(o-story priate 'uarters seeming to float atopthe octor1s office on the first floor" Bpon entering& you can eitherescen a fe( steps into the octor1s (aiting room or turn bac$

an climb a broa staircase" From there you turn again beforestepping up into the ouble-height gran salon of the priate'uarters& (hich is illuminate through the to(ering glass bloc$

 (all"

#he series of turns is a shre( strategy" 6ith each step the olParis 8 the (orl of meieal s'uares an +,th-century

 boulears 8 gro(s more istant& allo(ing you to becomeenelope in .hareau1s fantasy " A to(ering metal boo$case ofsmall richly boun olumes stans along the salon1s bac$ (all"Stairs lea to a narro( balcony that frames t(o sies of the salon

an continues on to the berooms" #he only ie(s of the outsie (orl are at the bac$ of the house& (hich oerloo$s a small priategaren"

#he house has been compare to a Surrealist art(or$& a theaterstage an an operating room" #hat effect is animate by the playof light" 5uring the ay the facae has a strange mil$y glo(H atnight floolights illuminate the (all from the outoors& so that itglo(s li$e a lantern& bathing the salon in amber light" A single-story ining room an a smaller salon are set ust off this centralspace& so that you are al(ays conscious of its ramatic scale"

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*ut the house is aboe all an eC'uisite machine" .hareau (or$eclosely (ith )ouis 5albet& a talente iron(or$er& an the house1setailing has as much in common (ith centuries-ol crafttraitions as (ith the efficiency of the 20th-century assembly line" *ig cure perforate metal screens at the bottom of the entrystair rotate to shut the apartment off  from the office belo(" Arolling laer set along the salon boo$case is fabricate from asingle piece of steel pipe an inlaye (ith (oo" #he glistening

 brass (ino( casements at the bac$ of the house are assemblefrom the (ino( panels of a passenger train"

#he Maison e !erre ha a profoun impact on generations ofarchitects (ho (ere see$ing to free themseles from the rigiorthooCies of mainstream Moernism" Richar Rogers& aesigner (ith Ren?o Piano of the +,>@ Pompiou .enter& (ith itseCpose tubes an bright colors& (as captiate by the house

 (hen he first sa( it in the early +,@0s" A 'uarter-century laterarchitects li$e *en an *er$el (oul isit to try to ecipher theuncannily flui relationship bet(een the house1s spaces for (or$an play& for public an priate life"

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#he house staye in the 5alsace family for more than >0 years" Inthe +,30s 5r" 5alsace1s aughter& Aline !ellay& an her husbanconsiere selling it to the French goernment" #heir thought (asthat it might be turne into a national lanmar$& as )e .orbusier1s

 !illa Saoye (as ecaes ago" *ut the goernment i not ta$e

them up on it"

Mr" Rubin an his (ife& St7phane& approache the family in 200;at the suggestion of a mutual frien an bought it for anunisclose price in 200@"

I thin$ they finally sol it to me because of (hat I ha one (iththe Maison #ropicale&J he tol me recently in an interie( in hisapartment on .entral Par$ 6est" It (as a ery heayresponsibility to hae"J

 Although he loe the house& he ae& I in1t (ant to fetishi?eit"J

#he notion of o(ning a Moernist lanmar$ has been fashionablefor ecaes no(" #he usual impulse (as to embar$ on amultimillion-ollar top-to-bottom renoation& then moe into animmaculate architectural gem& upgrae (ith a SubKerorefrigerator an a !i$ing stoe"

#he problem (ith this template is that something al(ays gets lost/the essential character& the gently (orn eccentricities& the patinathat accumulates oer time" French preserationists call thisunrenoate state ans son usJ 8 literally& in its uice"J 6hen itis erase (holesale& the result can be sterile an artificial& li$eraical cosmetic surgery"

#o aoi that possibility Mr" Rubin approache his tas$eliberately" 9e began by slo(ly restoring the house1s mechanicalsystems& first the electrical (iring& an then the original heatingan plumbing systems" #he outoor spotlights& most of (hich ha

 been lo(ere or ta$en o(n ecaes ago& (ere restore to theiroriginal position on a steel frame in the courtyar" 9e also boughta fancy ne( stoe"

*ut he left many of the most isible scars untouche/ the (ornteCtiles an ulle metal surfaces as (ell as some of the structuralalterations mae oer the years" 9e ecie not to polish theperforate panels in the salon" #he ol rubber flooring& (hosepattern of small is$s loo$s crac$e an (orn o(n in someplaces& is still there"

#he (hole 'uestion of originality an restoration al(ays buggeme&J Mr" Rubin sai" It starte (ith cars" My *ugatti (asoriginally a %ran PriC car& an then *ugatti painte the car blac$"*ut the eChaust ha blo(n some of it off& an you coul seeoriginal blue factory paint unerneath" I $ept that" I thought if you

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restore it& you lose its soul" =ou nee to feel some irectconnection to the past"J

I recently ha the chance to test this iea firsthan" For a fe( aysthis summer Mr" Rubin let me stay there (ith my girlfrien" #he

 isit fulfille a fantasy& but it (as also a concession to ariouseitors (ho hae suggeste that I briefly lie in a house an then (rite about it" DBsually this suggestion arises from one of thetireest clich7s in architecture/ that the more unorthooC a houseis& the more ifficult it is to lie in"

 6e arrie at the house in the late morning after a long flight fromNe( =or$" A house$eeper greete us at the oor an methoicallytoo$ us through the rooms" )ight s(itches" .hec$" *athrooms".hec$" 6here to hang our clothing" .hec$"

 As (e stroe through the house& I (as remine of an essay byMr" Frampton that compare the house to Marcel 5uchamp1s+,2 )arge %lassJ D#he *rie Strippe *are by 9er *achelors&4enJ" )i$e 5uchamp1s (or$& he (rote& the house is separateinto male an female ?ones& (ith the o(nstairs office offset bythe berooms upstairs" #hese (orls lea$ into each other atcarefully controlle points" A narro( retractable ship1s stair lin$sthe female realm to the main floorH a hien stair(ay leas fromthe office to an upstairs stuy"

*ut the assignment of gener roles coul ust as easily be reerse"

 As the ay (ore on& my frien an I foun ourseles loc$e in agentle pas e euC& slipping in an out of rooms& yet al(ayscoming bac$ to the gran salon& (hich seeme to arrest usmomentarily in space" 6e began to appreciate the house1selasticity & allo(ing for arying egrees of solitue an intimacy "

#his effect (as amplifie by the play of light an soun" *yturning on an off the arious floolights outsie& you coul austthe moo of the entire house" 6hen the lights are imme& foreCample& the house becomes less theatrical& more tener" !oicestoo trael through the rooms& so that you are al(ays faintly a(are

of the presence of the other"It (asn1t until (e arose the neCt morning& ho(eer& that (e fullyunerstoo .hareau1s choreography " #he bathroom floor is raisein certain areas so that as (e crosse it& (e coul catch occasionalglimpses of each other before suenly ropping bac$ out of ie("

 A pair of perforate metal panels that iie the sho(er an bathcan s(ing open& enabling us to chat (ith each other as (e bathe"

 6hen they (ere close& you coul see the outline of a humansilhouette moing behin the screen" It (as the same ance (eha performe aroun the central salon& no( brought to its mostintimate scale" #he eCperience roe home ho( liberating thehouse must hae felt uring those first years& (hen it still

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humme (ith life& (ith Mr" an Mrs" 5alsace circling into an outof each other1s orbit" #he house (as a perfect balance bet(een thenee for companionship an solitue& a utopia of the senses"

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 Alas& .hareau barely got to (itness his greatest accomplishment" A fe( years after the house (as complete the %ermans marcheinto Paris& an .hareau 8 li$e the 5alsaces& a member of the city1s<e(ish intellectual elite 8 fle" 9e traele to Marseilles& thenMorocco& an finally Ne( =or$& (here he arrie penniless anun$no(n"

In the mi-+,;0s the artist Robert Mother(ell commissione himto esign a small stuio house in the 9amptons" D#hat structure 8an innoatie eCperiment in lo(-cost construction that resemblea Luonset hut 8 (as callously emolishe in +,3:" 4enMother(ell (oul later amit that& li$e most people in Ne( =or$&he ha neer been fully a(are of .hareau1s accomplishments"

.hareau neer receie another commission after that& suriingpartly on (hat money his (ife coul earn giing coo$ing lessons to

 (ealthy Americans" In an attempt to resurrect his reputation& hereache out in +,:0 to the irector of the Mus7e National 1ArtMoerne in Paris" Aroun the same time he began negotiating

 (ith the Museum of Moern Art about a possible Ne( =or$ sho(of his (or$ "

#he Paris sho( neer materiali?e" An Philip <ohnson& themercurial irector of MoMA1s architecture epartment& (ho ha

 ust complete his o(n %lass 9ouse in Ne( .anaan& .onn"& etoe an eChibition" *y the en of +,:0 .hareau (as ea"

 An no( it is an American (ho has ta$en it upon himself topresere the e(el of his legacy"

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/26/arts/design/26ouro.html?_r=0

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maison_de_erre

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Maison e !erreFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Pierre Chareau's Maison de Verre(front facade)

Maison de Verre' s umbrella stand (at the entry) typical of the hand-crafted machine looking interior 

Coordinates:  !"!#$%& *"$*+%%

Maison de Verre (front left facade)

he Maison de Verre (French for House of Glass) .as built from &%*! to &%$* in Paris, France"Constructed in the early modern style of architecture, the house's design emphasi/ed threeprimary traits: honesty of materials, 0ariable transparency of forms, and 1u2taposition of3industrial3 materials and fi2tures .ith a more traditional style of home d4cor" he primarymaterials used .ere steel, glass, and glass block" 5ome of the notable 3industrial3 elementsincluded rubberi/ed floor tiles, bare steel beams, perforated metal sheet, hea0y industriallightfi2tures, and mechanical fi2tures"6citation needed 7

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he design .as a collaboration among Pierre Chareau (a furniture and interiors designer),8ernard 8i10oet (a 9utch architect .orking in Paris since &%*+) and ouis 9albet (craftsmanmetal.orker)" ;uch of the intricate mo0ing scenery of the house .as designed on site as thepro1ect de0eloped" he e2ternal form is defined by translucent glass block .alls, .ith select areasof clear gla/ing for transparency" <nternally, spatial di0ision is 0ariable by the use of sliding, folding

or rotating screens in glass, sheet or perforated metal, or in combination" =ther mechanicalcomponents included an o0erhead trolley from the kitchen to dining room, a retracting stair fromthe pri0ate sitting room to ;me 9alsace's bedroom and comple2 bathroom cupboards andfittings"

he program of the home .as some.hat unusual in that it included a ground-floor medical suitefor 9r" >ean 9alsace" his 0ariable circulation pattern .as pro0ided for by a rotating screen .hichhid the pri0ate stairs from patients during the day, but framed the stairs at night"

he house is notable for its splendid architecture, but it may be more .ell kno.n for anotherreason" <t .as built on the site of a much older building .hich the patron had purchased and

intended to demolish" ;uch to his or her chagrin, ho.e0er, the elderly tenant on the top floor ofthe building absolutely refused to sell, and so the patron .as obliged to completely demolish thebottom three floors of the building and construct the ;aison de ?erre underneath, all .ithoutdisturbing the original top floor"

9r" 9alsace .as a member of the French Communist Party .ho played a significant role in bothanti-fascist and cultural affairs" <n the mid-&%$s, the ;aison de ?erre's double-height 3salle des41our3 .as transformed into a salon regularly fre@uented by ;ar2ist intellectuals likeWalter8en1amin as .ell as by 5urrealist poets and artists such as ouis Aragon, Paul Bluard, >eanCocteau, 0es anguy, >oan ;irD and;a2 >acob" According to the American art historian ;ariaEough, the ;aison de ?erre had a po.erful influence on Walter 8en1amin, especially onhis constructi0ist - rather than e2pressionist - reading of Paul 5cheerbart's utopian pro1ect for afuture 3culture of glass3, for a 3ne. glass en0ironment 6.hich7 .ill completely transform mankind,3as the latter e2pressed it in his &%& treatise Glass Architecture" 5ee in particular 8en1amin's&%$$ essay Erfahrung und Armut  (32perience and Po0erty3)"

 American architectural historian obert ubin bought the house from 9alsace family in *G torestore it and use it for his family residence"6&7 He allo.s a limited number of tours to the house" 6*7

Luic$ etails6edit7

•  Address: $& ue 5t-Euillaume, Paris, France

•  Architect: Pierre Chareau .ith 8ernard 8i10oet

• Patron: 9r" 9alsace, a Parisian doctor 

• Construction 9ates: &%*! to &%$&

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•  Alternate ame: ;aison 9alsace

• 5tyle: arly ;odern

• 8uilding Ise: Home and ground floor medical office

le2ander Calder, by Carl ?an ?echten, &%+

Born  August **, &!%!

a.nton, Pennsyl0ania, I"5"

Died o0ember &&, &%+G (aged +!)

e. ork City, e. ork, I"5"

Nationality Inited 5tates

Education 5te0ens <nstitute of echnology, Art 5tudents

eague of e. ork

Known for  5culpture

Movement Jinetic art, 5urrealism, Abstraction (art)

Awards Presidential ;edal of Freedom 6

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Pierre Chareau (&!!$-&%#) initially hesitated bet.een the pursuits of music, painting andarchitecture, before ultimately choosing the latter" For a long time he .as 0ie.ed as a Kfurniturecraftsman,L before gaining recognition as an architect .hen he built his masterpiece the ;aison de?erre"

He .as an in0entor, an inno0ator .ho blended materials .ith e2treme attention to detail" <f one idea

could sum up Pierre Chareau's oeu0re, it .ould be, as he said himself, Kcreating .ith passionatecontemplation to best satisfy the needs of our reason and our higher emotions, merged into anadmirable beauty of li0ing"L

http://www.pierrechareau!edition.com/history

PIERRE HAREA! "#$A

 "his $ierre %hareau &o'a was originally designed in ()2* 'or the set o' Marcel +,-erier,s lm

+,inhumaine. 1n ()2 it was also seen in the lm +a ertige3 another lm o' +,-erier. "he

%hareau &o'a ecame one o' the most distincti4e pieces in the Maison de erre 5the home and

oce o' r. and Mrs. ulsace along with the corresponding chair. "he structure was originally

co4ered in 4el4et and stungs were co4ered in leather or tapestries. "his so'a represents the

modern 4ersion o' the 9rench ()th century canape a condent3 since3 with its round sides3 it

in4ites the two sitting persons to con4erse looking directly at one another. "he %hareau rmchair

was used 'or the small lue room o' the Maison de erre.

$ierre %hareau was orn in ;ordeau< in (88*. s early as ()00 he egan his artistic career as a

student o' the 'amous cole des ;eau<!rts in $aris where he 'ocused on architecture and design.

;y the ()20,s he was already known in the design world 'or his comple< structures and inno4ati4e

use o' architectural space. %hareau egan to e<plore an interest in %uist space y the mid ()20,s3

and soon a'ter his designs ecame highly sculptural. -e is known 'or his use o' comining materials

such as lightly hammered steel3 unpolished metals3 and rich mahogany.

http://www.auhaus2yourhouse.com/collections/pierre!chareau/products/pierre!

chareau!so'a