Richard Meier's Douglas House Added to National Register of Historic Places

It is difficult to think of Meier's subsequent great buildings – The Atheneum in New Harmony, the Museum for Decorative Arts in Frankfurt, the Getty Center in Los Angeles, the Jubilee Church in Rome – without this early house, a house that brought the then 39-year-old architect a lot of attention. Yet as a story recounted by Meier explains, the now 43-year-old house almost didn't happen:

One day I received a letter from a Mr. and Mrs. James Douglas inquiring if I would sell them the blueprints for the Smith House. I replied that while I was not prepared to sell the drawings I would certainly be willing to design a new house for them along similar lines. They accepted, and I started designing a house for a site that they had purchased in a residential subdivision in northern Michigan. As it happened, the developer who had sponsored the subdivision insisted on reviewing the design of any house that would be built within its boundary. He asked me to submit photographs of my work, whereupon he immediately refused to permit a house designed by me since it did not have the prerequisite classic pitched roof. To my delight, the Douglases responded to this impasse by promptly selling the plot and looking for another site, and that was the beginning of a very gratifying collaboration. 

The popularity of the house upon its completion was thanks in part to photos by Scott Frances that show the modern white building standing out within its steeply sloped, densely forested site. Those photos can be seen in the profile of Richard Meier & Partners Architects, but here we feature some brand new photographs taken by James Haefner that reinforce the dramatic siting and the contrast the house makes with its site. The photos also reveal that the house is in great condition. Bought by Michael McCarthy and Marcia Myers about eight years ago after it had fallen into some disprepair, the couple (pictured in the last photo) fixed up the house to its former glory.

Upon the National Register listing, Richard Meier said further:

Reflecting on the history and the design of the Douglas House I believe the architect is really the facilitator of creating something which goes on to have an existence that is much greater than itself and has a life that is longer than any of the people involved in the creation of it. ... With all of the changes that are taking place in the world today, it is important that architecture continues to move us aesthetically, as great architecture always has.

We are deeply honored by this historic distinction of the Douglas House, and we are very grateful for all the dedication, care and supervision given by the current owners of the house.