SIX PONDS
HISTORIC PRESERVATION
Left to right: Tea house, main house, studio
Westchester County, NY
In 1950, Frank Lloyd Wright disciple Roy Johnson planted this house on the wooded, rocky flank of a stream. His client, designer Arthur Umanoff, guided the stream’s descent through six ponds, transforming this suburban property into a modernist verdant retreat.
For the current owners, STA subtly enlarged and refurnished the house, adding a garage/studio and a tea house. The general outlines of the original ponds were deciphered from traces of railroad ties, surviving masonry weirs, impounded water and a relic bridge. The resulting landscape is a place that is both tranquil and vibrant, surrounded by ancient rock formations and native trees with the sounds of water cascading between the revived ponds.
Award:
2017 Honor Award for Recognition of Architectural Excellence
American Institute of Architects, Westchester/Hudson Valley Chapter
Interior, entertaining area
Interior, kitchen area