Sandstone Ruins

The White Stucco House, sadly, is condemned. Its historic wood structure has deteriorated beyond repair and will need to be taken down. Its sandstone foundation, however, once used as the house’s cistern, still stands strong. Likely quarried nearby, the sandstone is a material native to the local geography and is a reminder of the bedrock on which the house sits.

This new void created by the house’s demolition is uniquely secluded: while it is disconnected from the main path and surrounded by overgrowth, it directly faces the Old Stone Barn, the heart of the site’s art and exhibition programming. The Sandstone Ruins, then, provide a perfect platform for the creation of purpose-built artist studios that reoccupy this space productively and ecologically.

Two cedar-clad artist studios perch above the Sandstone Ruins, the cistern reborn as a water garden.

The two artist studios float above the back wall of the ruins, their roofs directing rainwater into the garden. They create an unexpected space for art to engage with nature, and bring new energy to the dormant site.

Constructed with sustainable methods and materials, each studio is specifically designed for a combination of light, view, and privacy, including a large garage-style door allowing them to open up. They would serve as the home of the preserve’s artist-in-residence program.