Claremont House

Photos

(Click each for a larger version)

Claremont House photo #1
Photo: Christopher Barrett, Hedrich Blessing Photographers
Claremont House photo #2
Photo: Christopher Barrett, Hedrich Blessing Photographers
Claremont House photo #3
Photo: Christopher Barrett, Hedrich Blessing Photographers

Citation of Merit

  • Brininstool + Lynch, Ltd.
  • Brad and Karen Lynch
  • Consultants C.E. Anderson & Associates (structural)
  • Division Residential
  • Location Chicago, IL
  • General contractor Goldberg General Contracting

Overview

Jurors immediately noted the skillful hand that designed this house. "It's well resolved. Nice volumes. They're paying attention without overdoing it," one juror observed. This brick, concrete, steel and zinc residence, set in a North Side neighborhood, takes traditional materials and creates a strikingly contemporary three-story house. Its open plan, 63 feet in length, has only one fixed element on the entire first floor: a stainless steel island in the kitchen. Outside, passersby get a peek into the westward-facing basement-level guest bedroom and a clear view into the first floor living room. The top-floor's brick façade provides privacy. It seems the program left little if anything off the client's wish list—an outdoor courtyard sits below grade within view from the kitchen, the garage sports a green roof, and custom-designed furniture fits perfectly in the living room, at home alongside older classics.