This spectacular contemporary house was a collaboration between a structural engineer, Charles Thornton and his architect, Alfredo De Vido. Charles Thornton was one of the founding partners of Thornton Tomasetti Engineers of New York City, which grew to become one of the world’s largest firms for the design and performance of structures, materials and systems with offices in the Americas, Europe, Middle East and the Pacific Rim countries. The firm not only designed what was the world’s tallest building at the time it was completed, the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia but also six of the current top 15 tallest structures in the world. Alfredo De Vido is an award-winning architect whose exquisite contemporary designs are sculptural forms in their landscapes many of which I have seen in their settings of the flat terrain of Long Island, NY. Both men are titans in their respective professions and had collaborated professionally on such landmark projects in our area as Wolf Trap Farm Park in McLean, VA and the Mann Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia’s Fairmont Park.
Charles and Carolyn Thornton bought 18 acres in Talbot County for their retirement home and it was only natural that they chose Alfredo De Vido as their architect. The house is sited at the outermost point of a peninsula with views of the Miles River framed by the surrounding undulating shoreline. De Vido’s design was worthy of its site with over 8,000 sf enclosed by 160,000 cubic ft of volume spread over two floors and a basement.
I became acquainted with Charles Thornton through his post retirement organization that he founded, ACE (Architects, Construction, Engineering), an after school program for high school students as an introduction to these careers. I had the privilege of being a mentor for two years and I also had the opportunity to attend fundraisers for ACE at the Thorntons’ home.
On my first approach to the house, I drove down a long meandering driveway past a pastoral setting of fields, pastures and a barn. Before the driveway became the large paved motor court, I stopped my car to savor the house’s elongated form and its geometry that balances angular forms linked by curvilinear forms of glass to provide diagonal views of the landscape and water. The front and rear elevations pay homage to the Eastern Shore’s telescoping houses with their two and a half story center wings’ stepping down to two story then one story wings. Brick is used for the exposed foundation, chimneys, terraces and accent walls. I especially liked how both the vertical siding and the window trim are painted light gray for a monolithic look that accentuates the multiple window openings. The center wing of both elevations is a beautifully articulated grid of glass framed by spandrel beams and mullions with the spandrel color matching the brick color. At the front elevation, one spandrel cantilevers out to become a roof floating over the front door.
The stunning rear elevation opens up to the water with its grid of glass and mullions with two chimneys piercing the roof plane at either side of the living and dining areas. One chimney is narrow and flanked by long windows at the upper level. The second floor is further articulated by a balcony off one of the bedrooms above the dining room wall below and the sloped wall of another bedroom that pulls back from the sunroom below so it can break out of the wall.
The main floor plan is zoned very well with the right section containing both a single and a double garage with a large storage room, laundry, powder room and sunroom at the rear corner. A discreet secondary entry off the motor court opens into a long walk-in storage closet and pantry for caterers to service large fundraisers or musical events. The center wing contains the foyer, stair hall, living room, dining room and kitchen. The living room is sunken below the dining area and kitchen by three steps at several points for an easy flow. At the bottom of the living room steps a curved bar directs one into the space and another set of steps behind the bar has direct access to the kitchen for ease of serving large parties.
The steps between the living and dining rooms creates a backdrop for built-in seating that defines one seating area with other chairs grouped around the fireplace by the rear window wall. I am sure any first time visitor would be as mesmerized as I was when I first stood in the space that soars up to the underside of the roof decking two and a half stories above where I stood and the geometry of the upper structural elements that defines the spatial volume. The enclosure of the maple clad structural members and window wall mullions and French doors to the terrace against the white planes of drywall that reflects the light is striking as sunlight casts deep shadows across the wood floors.
Since the Owner/Engineer and his wife are also ardent supporters of the Chamber Music Festival, it is not a coincidence that the space has excellent acoustics for live musical performances. I can attest to that since I was fortunate to join 90 plus attendees to hear players from the Chamber Music Festival one delightful Sunday afternoon. As a counterpoint to the soaring height of the living room, the dining room is a one story space with a rear wall grid of French doors and full sidelights. The side wall is articulated with built-in millwork for display of serving pieces. Sliding doors infilled with rice paper between panes of glass to filter the light from the kitchen can be closed to create an intimate space for candlelight dinners.
The kitchen’s dramatic volume begins at the continuous row of windows above the base cabinets at the food prep area. Above are white upper cabinets below the two story front wall of maple framing and infills of glass seen from the motor court. A side wall contains the R/F and wall ovens. The side of the two-level island facing the front exterior wall echoes its curvature and has a second sink, cooktop and bar stools.
The third section of the main floor is the sumptuous primary suite with a rear curved wall of two pairs of French doors flanked by a pair of full height windows to a terrace. This terrace connects to a series of terraces and steps along the rear elevation that connects the three wings of varied heights above grade. The stunning interior architecture of the two-story primary bedroom has a corner fireplace next to the rear exterior curved wall grid of glass and maple clad spandrels. Another beam spans from the curved wall across the front wall of the chimney to create an alcove at the window bay. The spandrel detail continues around the interior walls to cleverly break up what would have been a very high wall of drywall. Above the spandrel of the side wall next to the living room are two large panes of glass that filter light into the upper area of the living room from the rear curved wall of glass and wood. The photo of this room is taken from the opposite corner so you also see through the living room to its rear curved wall of glass and wood mullions!
It is easy to be fascinated by the view from the second floor landing/bridge overlooking both the living room and the kitchen below. Looking up to the sloped main roof clad in wood planks, you see the trusses disappear into the wood clad wall supports in the end wall with its sloped clerestory and thin cables as bracing between the roof trusses. The mix of geometry and materials from the living room’s exterior grid wall of maple clad spandrels, mullions and glass, the sloped clerestory windows of the second floor bedroom overlooking the living room, the second floor bath’s curved wall and the curved railing overlooking the kitchen below that echo the arc of the kitchen’s front wall combine to create a fantastic enclosure of wood, glass and white wall planes.
The second floor hall/bridge connects the studio/den to the four guest en-suites at each end of the floor. The circulation continues through the corner family room to a pair of French doors leading to a deck then to a flight of stairs with wood treads and open risers between solid brick handrails to the ground. I admired how the family room’s windows are low at the corner but are just the perfect height for watching TV. The roof geometry rises as it turns around the notched corner to meet the side wall with its higher windows.
There is also a full basement for storage and the other parcel of this property contains a two-story barn that echoes the details of the main house’s sloped roofs and clerestory window. Inside are a single car garage, two horse stalls and a wash stall. The barn’s upper level contains a two bedroom, one bath apartment for a caretaker or an extended stay for guests. Nearby are a paddock and a turn out shed.
One of a kind contemporary house that is a work of artful sculpture designed and engineered by a dream team of Owner/Engineer, his wife and their Architect. Superb design solution executed with the finest level of craftsmanship. Eighteen acres of privacy, two separately deeded waterfront lots, each with its own dock, over half a mile of shoreline, barn, tennis court, bi-level pool and spa.
I am indebted to the Thorntons for being part of the 2019 Spy House Tour. The Thorntons have left a legacy not only of ACE graduates but also this magnificent contemporary legacy house-Bravo!
For details about this property, contact Rob Lacaze with Long and Foster, Easton, MD -Realty at 410-770-3600 (o), 410-310-7835 (c),or [email protected]. For more photographs and pricing, visit roblacaze.com, “Equal Housing Opportunity”.
Photography by Eve Fishell, Chesapeake Pro Photo LLC, 443-786-8025, www.chesapeakeprophoto.com, [email protected].
Spy House of the Week is an ongoing series that selects a different home each week. The Spy’s Habitat editor Jennifer Martella makes these selections based exclusively on her experience as a architect.
Jennifer Martella has pursued her dual careers in architecture and real estate since she moved to the Eastern Shore in 2004. Her award winning work has ranged from revitalization projects to a collaboration with the Maya Lin Studio for the Children’s Defense Fund’s corporate retreat in her home state of Tennessee.
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