The Gamble House in Pasadena
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. The Gamble House in Pasadena was designed by the architects Charles Sumner Greene and Henry Mather Greene, and was built in 1908. The large house, which has been described as "the apotheosis of the American Arts and Crafts Movement," combines a number of stylistic influences to produce a truly indigenous vernacular architecture (Steele 38). The house also puts into practice many of the theoretical concepts of early twentieth-century architecture: the integration of interior and exterior space; design for the client's particular requirements; use of natural light; open-plan organization of flowing interior space; and, an organic relationship between house and site. As the crowning achievement of Greene and Greene's very personal style, Gamble House also displays their devotion to craftsmanship as practice and principle. Charles Greene, in particular, held to the concept of "total design," and "no detail was too small for their attention" (Bosley 6). The Gambles allowed the architects a great deal of latitude in designing the details of the house and their aesthetic is, therefore, apparent in everything from the light switches to the living room rugs. The house is renowned for the high level of craftsmanship in all its parts, but, even more remarkable, is the manner in which this craftsmanship in the details, becomes the guiding principle for the construction of the entire house. As Jordy put it, theirs is, "a craftsmanship of elaboration, where the simple element appe
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d to get there. The back entrance is approached by the same type of stairs as in the front, but they meander up around the enclosed open space that fronts the back door. The entrance itself is tucked away, inside the negative space underneath the sleeping porch above it.
All the views of the house offer the fascinating contrasts between the horizontal thrust of the bracketed porches and the individual beams that support the roofs. The emphatic nature of the roof beams emphasizes the great importance of the roofs themselves. Jordy has compared them to "parasols pulled down close to the head, and thus firmly related to what is below" (229). The mention of parasols is particularly apt, because the roofs have the important function of sheltering the interiors from too much direct sunlight. This function simultaneously serves to invite the viewer into the house. The coolness that is offered by the projecting eaves would be apparent without the right-hand portion of the building. But the large covered balcony, and the covered verandah below it, actually demonstrate what the other eaves promise. The shade of their open spaces is immediately apparent to the viewer. Appropriately, it is the roof over the right side that extends
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Approximate Word count = 1957
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page)
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