No, not the shoes…people who sketch! Something that most people in the architectural field started doing when they were a kid or found interesting in art class is sketching in place–going somewhere, be that a park bench, a bus-stop, a sidewalk cafe, a city square or just a seat on a front stoop, and drawing what you see in front of you. The Urban Sketchers are an international group of people connected by the web who enjoy location drawing in mostly urban situations and share their passion and works with one another and with anyone who is interested. They state their mission in this fashion:

We aim to show the world, one drawing at a time.

Location drawing is probably something that most architects would like to do more of…so let their work be an inspiration to you. Get out and sketch!

Found the above house while browsing through the online collection. This house was photographed in February 1983. A quick google and bing maps search revealed nothing on Belcaro Road in Knoxville that looks remotely like this. Probably have to do some foot work and a bit more research to find out what happened to this amazing house.

The estate also included a formal garden on the back lawn.

The Knoxville Parade of Homes is just around the corner, literally! Beginning today, October 1st, and running the next three weekends, Friday through Sunday of each weekend, 26 homes around town will be open for viewing from noon until 5pm each day. The event is completely free and showcases some of the newest homes and latest interior design trends in the area. Jonathan Miller Architects is pleased to have three homes from our studio included in the Parade this year (if you get the Parade guide, they are homes 2, 12 & 14).

We hope you get a chance to visit some of the homes while they are open to the public. This is an exciting opportunity for the general public to see some of our latest projects as they come to fruition. We are honored that they are included in this year’s Parade.

As always, the builders are the real heroes. They are the ones out on the site every day making sure all the little details are in, from foundation to finishes. A big thanks to Charles Atkins of Charles R. Atkins, Inc. and to Mike Dulin of Ethics Construction. They make it happen.

If you haven’t been to Madison, Wisconsin, you should go. Make sure you go in the warmer months as things tend to get a bit cold up there in the winter, but on any given Spring or Summer day you will find the city filled with bicyclists and pedestrians, walking and riding the greenways, enjoying the two (big!) lakes that sidle up on either side of the downtown, and living in the great urban environment that Madison has become.

There are so many things to like a about Madison that it is hard to choose what to do if you only have a long weekend to be there. The essential list for someone interested in experiencing some great urban life would probably include:

1. Staying in one of the downtown neighborhoods. The city is built on an isthmus between lake Monona and lake Mendota and that’s where all the best urban action happens. The terrain is flat which allowed the planners to smack down a grid which makes for some great traditional neighborhoods.

2. Renting a bicycle and using that as transportation. It won’t take you long to figure out that about half of the town does the same thing, every day. Make sure to ride over to the Capitol Building on a Saturday morning during the spring and buy some fresh local produce from one of the Nation’s largest farmer’s markets. Also, don’t miss the beautiful, bike-friendly greenways down by the lakes.

3. After the Farmer’s Market, take a tour of the Wisconsin Capitol Building, a beautifully designed building that will have you walking around with your camera glued to your eye. You see a couple pictures of it here, but exploring the building is half the fun. This is one of the few examples of a great public building that you can still enjoy without getting searched as you enter and without feeling like you are limited to only a few interior vantage points. So much of the building is open to explore…don’t miss the viewing patio at the top.

4. For Frank Lloyd Wright fans there are plenty of his works nearby, including the Unitarian Meeting House directly in Madison.

5. Last, but not least, the Terrace at the University of Wisconsin offers a taste of the European square right in the heart of America. Take an afternoon to slow down a bit, grab a beer from the Student Center, play cards, wax philosophical and watch the sailboats float by on Lake Mendota. You won’t regret it.

We love this place…. and if you love homes, planning, architecture (particularly English Tudor), gardens, and trees you must put this place on your bucket list.  Forest Hills Gardens was developed by the Russell Sage Foundation in 1909 and largely completed by 1940.  The Architect was the brilliant Grosvenor Atterbury and the Landscape Architect renowned Fredrick Law Olmstead.   We have never seen a development that has such a wide array of residential offerings, from single family homes, garden homes and carriage houses to apartments and duplex homes.  In addition to the wonderful homes, there are several outstanding church buildings, a train station, parks, and a marvelous commercial center.  The design ideas found at Forest Hills are endless.  This community will be loved forever and for that reason it is truly a “green development”. No modern “cutting edge” development will ever improve on the timeless beauty and rightness found in Forest Hills Gardens.

For additional reading on this development get a copy of The Architecture of Grosvenor Atterbury and/or Tudor Style. Either book is a great addition to the library.

Just returned from Asheville, NC where I was attending to my father who is recovering from surgery, and yes, even in a serious time like that, I could not resist the urge to take a quick drive through a few downtown neighborhoods. I came away refreshed and inspired by Asheville’s rich architectural tradition and with plans to spend more time there in the near future.

It is very hard finding communities in the US that have their own local style of architecture.  But in Asheville you can find the same architectural theme on homes and commercial buildings: pebble-dash stucco walls, half-timbering, cedar shake accents, broad overhanging eaves with dove-tail rafters, timbered brackets supporting deep gable ends, and warm earth-tone colors resting on split-face granite foundations.  The best term I have found for this style comes from The Architectural Pattern Book by Urban Design Associates: “Biltmore Mountain Shingle” (p. 184).

Above are some prominent examples of this style. They are (top to bottom) the Southern wing of the Manor Inn and Cottages on Charlotte Street, a cottage once associated with the Manor Inn, and the new Grand Bohemian Hotel in Biltmore Village. Next time you are in town be sure to go by both locations. They are great examples of Asheville’s living tradition of a timeless local architectural style that is making Asheville one of our Nation’s most loveable places.

Serenity

A perfect garden, no matter what its size, should enclose nothing less than the entire universe.  -Barragan

Can you find the garage?

Can you see it now?

Hidden Garage Entry

This home was built in the mid-1930s and is one of our all-time favorite garage designs.  If it were raised up to ground level, this three car garage would be the first thing seen in the approach to the house.  But, due to the ingenious design, it fades out of view.  We are fascinated by the architect’s decision to design it as a subterranean structure.  It is lovely on the back side and completely disappears from the front entry side.  This design solution would be perfect for a downhill building lot.

traditions

We love looking through traditional designs of other architects past and present to glean ideas and gain inspiration.  So we thought it would be a neat idea to put a bunch of our plans together into a book, gathering them into a central place for easy perusal.  We hope it inspires others in the design of traditional residential architecture.  Get your copy here.