Perfect Is Possible
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PortMag_FP:Layout 1 3/9/09 5:29 PM Page 1 Perfect is Possible The ultimate getaway is closer than you think. Experience the serenity of a true coastal Maine vacation at Anchorage By The Sea, where you’ll find breathtaking views, pristine accommodations, and gracious service. All of this, and famed Marginal Way only a short stroll from your door. Perfect is Possible, and it isn’t far away. 125 Shore Road I P.O. Box 2406 I Ogunquit, ME 03907 I T: 207.646.9384 I AnchorageByTheSea.com t a l k i n g w a l l s RecoveryRecovery CurvesCurvesA charmed restoration of a one-of- a-kind modernist residence gets it right, down to the last detail. by brad favreau ummer homes are not particularly unusual here in Maine, but the home William Burden and his wife Margaret built during the late 1940s proved Sto be a rarity among its neighboring seaside homes. While most ocean houses favor Colonial Revival or the Shingle Style, the Burdens dared to create a mod- ernist gem that would soon become as essential to the Maine coast as the rocky shore or the cool, salty breez- es that whip past the nearest lighthouse. When fire struck down the house in 1998, there was no question it would be rebuilt. But as times have changed since the post-war period, so have building methods and materials. In order to recreate the house that the Burden family had always loved, a team of builders, artisans, and designers led by Boston-area architect Hein- rich Hermann had to perform “some structural acrobat- ics” in rebuilding to meet current codes. But as talented as this team was, Fate, on more than on one occasion, played an important part in the nge photos A Ch A e s nn/ A erm h . h t: se s; in A The Burden family home, designed originally by Wallace K. Harrison and Isamu Noguchi, hugs the rocky coastline. Inset: The angular, board-and-batten exterior counter- Anthony Cotsif points the house’s flowing interior. July/August 2 0 1 0 4 3 t a l k i n g w a l l s Rainbow nnoguchioguchi impartedimparted aa curvilinearcurvilinear,, sculpturalsculptural eleganceelegance thatthat gavegave thethe househouse aa ConstructionRainbow207-799-3051 www.rainbowconstructioninc.com supplesupple andand relaxedrelaxed appealappeal,, andand “created“created ConstructionRainbow207-799-3051 www.rainbowconstructioninc.com aa choreographychoreography ofof movementmovement betweenbetween ConstructionRainbow207-799-3051 www.rainbowconstructioninc.comRainbow thethe livingliving roomroom andand diningdining roomroom.”.” Construction207-799-3051 www.rainbowconstructioninc.comConstruction207-799-3051 www.rainbowconstructioninc.com Whether you’re building or remodeling, consider Rainbow Construction and Indisco Kitchens, an Whetherexceptional you’re team building with aor proven remodeling, track record. consider Rainbow Construction and Indisco Kitchens, an Whetherexceptional you’re team building with aor proven remodeling, track record. consider Rainbow Construction and Indisco Kitchens, an Whetherexceptional you’re team building with aor proven remodeling, track record. consider Rainbow Construction and Indisco Kitchens, an Whether you’re building or remodeling, consider exceptional team with a proven track record. Rainbow Construction and Indisco Kitchens, an exceptional team with a proven track record. Noguchi ‘s birch, “boomerang” tabletable waswas designeddesigned toto echoecho thethe www.indisco.com • 207-883-5562 curvedcurved lineslines ofof thethe house.house. 197 US Route One, Scarborough, Maine www.indisco.com • 207-883-5562 197 US Route One, Scarborough, Maine www.indisco.com • 207-883-5562 197 US Route One, Scarborough, Maine RainbowConstruction_One3rd_Oct09.indd 1 8/26/09 11:40 AM www.indisco.com • 207-883-5562 197 US Route One, Scarborough, Maine RainbowConstruction_One3rd_Oct09.inddwww.indisco.com 1 • 207-883-5562 8/26/09 11:40 AM 197 US Route One, Scarborough, Maine Curves are present in every detail, includ- RainbowConstruction_One3rd_Oct09.indd 1 8/26/09 11:40 AM ing this in-floor planter bed. Right: Japanese- American artist and designer Isamu Noguchi RainbowConstruction_One3rd_Oct09.indd 1 8/26/09 11:40 AM RainbowConstruction_One3rd_Oct09.indd4 4 p o r t l a n d 1 m o n t h l y m A g A8/26/09z i n 11:40 e AM The living room, with built- in bookshelves and fireplace (inset), flows interactively in- to the dining room. nebo lodge Wood Flooring An Island Inn & Restaurant Made in Maine North Haven, Maine 207.867.2007 800-769-6196 nge photos (2) A www.nebolodge.com www.aesampsonandson.com Ch A e s nn/ A erm h . h DeadHead Lumber effort to bring the house back–true and accu- co m p a n y hi museum; rate–to the original. C Reclaiming sunken logs from Maine lakes and rivers illiam Armistead Moale Burden, hailing from the Vanderbilt family, was a financier, art col- nge photos; nogu A lector, and diplomat (serving as Ambassa- Ch W A e s dor to Belgium from 1959 to 1961). In the nn/ late 1940s, he engaged architect Wallace A erm Kirkman Harrison to design his summer h . h house in Maine. Though not widely known today, during his heyday Harrison collabo- rated with such 20th-century architectural masters as Le Corbusier, Philip Johnson, and Eero Saarinen, all strong proponents of ommons/file photo; C modernist architecture, experimenting A with design that sprung from the Interna- tional Style that had been defined twenty years earlier. Among Harrison’s portfolio of later works are major projects such as the Time-Life Building and the Exxon Build- ing, both at Rockefeller Center in New York Hardwood Flooring · Millwork · Wood Countertops City, and the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center in New York. Talent and 207-883-3009 · www.DeadHeadLumberCompany.com kwise from bottom right: wikimedi C credentials aside, it was likely that Burden lo C (Continued on page 82) July/August 2 0 1 0 4 5 t a l k i n g w a l l s Maide for You Recovery Curves (continued from page 45) chose Harrison because Harrison had de- Your Personal Cleaning Service signed the summer house of his close friend, Nelson Rockefeller. Important to Harrison as he designed the Burdens’ house was the idea of human move- Photography: Bill Finney ment through space. With this in mind, he de- veloped initial drawings but remained Choose an adventure unsatisfied that he’d captured the idea prop- erly. He turned to Japanese-American artist to fit your style. and designer Isamu Noguchi for help. Nogu- Casco Bay Lines offers scenic cruises chi was known for his eagerness to work to the islands off Portland’s shore– among many disciplines and in many differ- choices range from a family outing ent media, and his work was prolific. He to a romantic dinner get-away. Bring worked in sculpture, landscape architecture, your bike, kayak, or walking shoes. furniture design, and painting, but probably Explore the islands. There truly is what intrigued Harrison most was Noguchi’s something for everybody! work as set designer for famed choreogra- Visit www.cascobaylines.com/portlandmagoffer pher Martha Graham. to download a money saving coupon. Harrison’s instincts proved correct. Nogu- chi was able to articulate the dynamic quality of design that had, to that point, eluded Har- Casco Bay Lines Portland, Maine Casco Bay Ferry Terminal 56 Commercial Street • Portland, Maine 207-774-7871 once noguchi Owned and operated by the Casco Bay Island Transit District was involved, the TRANSFORM YOUR KITCHEN & BATH space took on palpable fluidity. rison. His preliminary floor plan remained in- tact, but Noguchi’s work on the house’s elevations and cross sections lifted the design from middling to masterful. Noguchi impart- ed a curvilinear, sculptural elegance that gave the house a supple and relaxed appeal, and “created a choreography of movement be- tween the living room and dining room,” says Hermann. “Once Noguchi was in- volved, the space took on palpable fluidity.” For fifty years, the house remained a con- stant in the Burden family’s life, a dependable retreat here in Vacationland used to relax and unwind. It passed from William and Marga- ret to their youngest son Ordway and his wife, Jean, in 1996, and during all those years managed to maintain the character of design that Harrison and Noguchi created in 1947. Karen K. Lewis, CKD, CBD, CAPS Design • Cabinets • Installation And it was about this time that Provi- Lighting • Accessories • Countertops dence descended upon the house. Aging-In-Place Specialties Elizabeth Dean Hermann, professor at Rhode Island School of Design, visited the 79B Ocean Street, South Portland, ME 04106 • 207 899-9421 [email protected] • www.uncommonkitchenandbath.com Burden home in 1998 as part of her research on artistic identity of the 1940s and 1950s, in 8 2 p o r t l a n d m o n t h l y m A g A z i n e NOW OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK particular the collaboration between Wallace Harrison and Isamu Noguchi. Accompany- ing her that day, acting as photographer, was her husband, Heinrich. What they initially be- lieved would be a two- or three-hour field trip lasted a full day as the pair studied the house’s design, inspecting various building details and marveling at the many subtle clues to the house’s exquisite craftsmanship. Heinrich filled ten rolls of film, wishing he’d brought more. “I was completely captivated by the house,” he says. Not for a moment did he realize that the dozens of images he took that day would serve more than his wife’s re- search project. Heinrich had completely pho- to-documented the house, practically inch-by-inch, creating a record that would lat- er prove indescribably important to the house’s restoration.