Perfectly poised: Richard Meier’s Douglas House gains historic status
- (opens in new tab)
- (opens in new tab)
- (opens in new tab)
- Sign up to our newsletter Newsletter

'Usually when people enter a house, they expect the outside to be brought in, but in the Douglas House, the opposite occurs: you are transported outside, over the lake and into the trees. Visitors all depart with an experience they’ve never had before,' says Richard Meier, of his Lake Michigan masterpiece. Stitched onto the sharply gradiated slope of Harbor Springs, Meier's Douglas House is five storeys of architectural drama. Now, it has been given protected status, as one of the homes on the National Park Service's country-wide register of historic places.
But it nearly didn't get built at all. 'One day, I received a letter from a Mr and Mrs James Douglas,' explains Meier. 'They were enquiring if I would sell them the blueprints of the Smith House (opens in new tab).' While Meier was not prepared to sell the drawings, he was willing to design a house for them along similar lines. They accepted, and Meier started creating a home for a site that they had purchased in northern Michigan. As it happened, the developer who had sponsored the site insisted on reviewing the design of any house that would be built on it. 'He asked me to submit photographs of my work, whereupon he immediately refused to permit a house designed by me since it did not have the prerequisite classic pitched roof. To my delight, the Douglases responded to this impasse by promptly selling the plot and looking for another site, and that was the beginning of a very gratifying collaboration.'
From here, Douglas House, as it became known, took shape. Similar to Smith House in colour and materials (wood frame, steel columns, glass), the new structure differs in its architectural make-up, due to the sheer gradient of the slope it clings to. The home is entered at roof level, where stunning westerly views are framed by stainless-steel smokestacks, and enjoyed by a roof deck stretching the length of the building. Lower levels are accessed by dizzying external staircases, which appear to levitate on the landscape. The house's five distinct levels are traced in the mullions of the glazing, reflecting the lines of the shoreline, lake and the distant horizon.
Now, thanks to its new status on the National Register, this residential rarity will be preserved to impress future generations – pitched roof or otherwise. 'We are deeply honoured by this historic distinction of the Douglas House,' Meier concludes. 'With all of the changes that are taking place in the world today, it is important that architecture continues to move us aesthetically, as great architecture always has.'
Meier explains, 'Usually when people enter a house, they expect the outside to be brought in, but in the Douglas House, the opposite occurs: you are transported outside, over the lake and into the trees. Visitors all depart with an experience they’ve never had before.'
'One day, I received a letter from a Mr and Mrs James Douglas,' explains Meier. 'They were enquiring if I would sell them the blueprints of the Smith House.' While Meier was not prepared to sell the drawings, he was willing to design a house for them along similar lines.
Similar to Smith House in colour and materials (wood frame, steel columns, glass), the new structure differs in its architectural make-up, due to the sheer grading of the slope it clings to.
The house is entered at roof level, where stunning westerly views are framed by stainless-steel smokestacks, and enjoyed by a roof deck stretching the length of the building.
The house's five distinct levels are traced in the mullions of the glazing, reflecting the lines of the shoreline, lake and the distant horizon.
Meier concludes, 'With all of the changes that are taking place in the world today, It is important that architecture continues to move us aesthetically, as great architecture always has.'
INFORMATION
For more information, visit the Richard Meier & Partners Architects website (opens in new tab)
Elly Parsons is the Digital Editor of Wallpaper*, where she oversees Wallpaper.com and its social platforms. She has been with the brand since 2015 in various roles, spending time as digital writer – specialising in art, technology and contemporary culture – and as deputy digital editor. She was shortlisted for a PPA Award in 2017, has written extensively for many publications, and has contributed to three books. She is a guest lecturer in digital journalism at Goldsmiths University, London, where she also holds a masters degree in creative writing. Now, her main areas of expertise include content strategy, audience engagement, and social media.
-
Veil House balances openness and seclusion in Winnipeg
A large steel screen shields Veil House, a striking private residence in Winnipeg, Canada, designed by local practice 5468796 Architecture
By Ellie Stathaki • Published
-
S94 Design makes the most of its uptown location to blur the lines of art and design
S94 Design brings displays from Kwangho Lee, Donald Judd, Max Lamb and more to its Rafael Viñoly-designed location
By Julie Baumgardner • Published
-
Oasi Cashmere is taking Zegna back to its roots in the Italian Alps
Oasi Cashmere – an environmentally-conscious, all-embracing cashmere collection – is inspired by the Oasi Zegna nature park in the lush Biella Alps
By Jack Moss • Published
-
Lasting Joy Brewery injects design sophistication to Hudson Valley farmland
Lasting Joy Brewery by Auver Architecture brings contemporary energy and sophistication to the growing Hudson Valley craft beer scene
By Pei-Ru Keh • Published
-
Khanna Schultz’s House in Michigan is an exercise in balancing contrasts
House in Michigan by Khanna Schultz was conceived to fulfil contrasting needs – and does so with poise and efficiency
By Ellie Stathaki • Published
-
Marfa’s El Cosmico campground hotel is getting a 3D-printed revamp
El Cosmico in Marfa, Texas, is being reimagined by BIG, 3D-printing specialist Icon and hotelier Liz Lambert
By Pei-Ru Keh • Published
-
Sonoma home gets dramatic flowing studio extension
Mourning Dovecote by Schwartz and Architecture is a Sonoma home’s eye-catching studio extension for an architect
By Ellie Stathaki • Published
-
Black Creativity in architecture celebrated in Chicago exhibition
New exhibition in Chicago is centred on honouring Black Creativity in architecture through the ages
By Audrey Henderson • Published
-
Highgrove House is an architect’s own home embedded in Malibu nature
A family home in tune with its surroundings, Highgrove House by Lorcan O'Herlihy is sensitive architecture embedded in Malibu nature
By Ellie Stathaki • Published
-
Palm Springs Modernism Week 2023: architects reveal desert’s best-kept secrets
As Palm Springs Modernism Week 2023 unfolds, we’ve spoken to architects and designers participating in the festivities to pick their brains about the desert city’s hidden gems
By Ellie Stathaki • Published
-
A gem among the midcentury homes of California, this is Clear Oak
A gem among the midcentury homes of California, Clear Oak by Woods Dangaran, is an artfully renovated residence in Los Angeles
By Ellie Stathaki • Published