The Douglas House, designed by Richard Mayer in 1973, is included in the US National Register of Historic Places, which contains not only "historic sites" themselves, but also architectural and urban planning monuments. However, for various reasons, not all buildings of the first half of the 20th century are included in the register, not to mention the buildings of the post-war period (therefore, even the buildings of F. L. Wright and Ero Saarinen are under threat of demolition - and sometimes perish -). Therefore, the awarding of the highest possible conservation status to a private home in the early 1970s reflects the significance of the Douglas Villa to the history of architecture - American and world.
The Douglases originally approached Richard Mayer to sell them the blueprints.
Smith's houses so that they could build something similar for themselves, to which the architect suggested designing a villa especially for them. The developer, from whom the Douglases bought land for construction, did not approve the candidacy of the architect: Mayer's portfolio included exclusively modernist houses with flat roofs, and the future village was to consist of traditional buildings with gable roofs. So the customers quickly sold the site and bought another, on the steep, forested shore of Lake Michigan, near Harbor Springs. There the house was built according to the project of Mayer.
Due to the unusual location, they enter the house from above, through the roof terrace: there is a bridge from the highway. This is not the only original feature: if usually the house only lets in the surrounding space, then here the visitor goes out with the help of the house - to the forest and lake, opening from the roof and through the glazed western facade. A special role is played by open and closed stairs, as well as steel chimneys of the fireplace. The structure is made of steel and wood, the walls are made of wood siding, and unpainted wood is used extensively in the interior design, along with Mayer's signature white color.
For Richard Mayer, the inclusion of his building on the national register was a reason for thinking about the role of an architect. In his opinion, he helps to create something that can later become more significant than just a building, and find a life longer than that of any of the participants in the process. Meyer emphasized that when working on a project, it is not enough to think about all kinds of context, one must also remember what a building can become, how it can retain meaning for future generations. He recalled that - despite all the changes in the world - it is very important that architecture continues to influence us aesthetically, that is, speaks of the meaning of beauty, which is really rarely mentioned in modern architectural discourse.
Mayer also thanked the current owners of the home who
it was carefully restored. We can only add that being the owners of this architectural monument is almost a feat: after all, the Douglases' house is besieged by Mayer's lovers, who, if the opportunity arises, even go inside without an invitation.
