THIS BOOK FOLLOWS ANOTHER ENTITLED SIMPLY ROBERT A. M. STERN: HOUSES(1997), in which I set out my philosophy for the design of houses, but perhaps came up short in neglecting the inextricable relationship of house and garden. The power of a house and a garden working together as a unified spatial com position was first brought home to me when, as a student, I heard the name of Sir Edwin Lutyens in a seminar taught by Professor Vincent Scully, and, pro voked, went to the library to discover Lawrence Weaver's Houses and Gardens by Sir Edwin Lutyens, R.A. (London: Country Life, I913).

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Architecture should be an affirmation of place--that is, the physical product of a truly environmentally responsive approach. To work with the place and its traditions is not to be trapped in a dull set of conventions. The tension between timeless ways and the all-too-timely circum stances that call a new building into being should lead to a vital architecture. The tension between the past and the presence of the past should foster an architecture more culturally resonant than one that is either all about the past or all about the present.--ROBERT A. M. STERN

ROBERT A. M. STERN IS DEDICATED tO the synthesis of tradition and innovation. In more than thirty-five years of practice, he has produced a wide range of building types with a variety of stylistic influences, all inspired by the great legacy of American architecture. His firm, Robert A. M. Stern Architects, was first recognized for its distinguished houses, and residential design remains the cornerstone of the practice. This beautifully illustrated monograph--a companion to the best-selling ROBERT A. M. STERN: Houses (The Mona- celli Press, 1997)--presents twenty-six of the firm's most memorable houses.

Located in diverse settings across North America--from a valley in Colorado with sweeping views of the Aspen mountains, to a bluff overlooking Long Island Sound, to an island off the coast of British Columbia--these remarkable houses reveal the architect's emphasis on the importance of context and his dedication to exploring the nature of place. Each house invokes the vernacular architectural heritage particular to its region, while gracefully reflecting its unique natural surroundings. Whether they are shingle style "cottages" by the sea, colonial Georgian country estates, or elegant Regency designs, Stem's houses are unique both for their timelessness and their ability to evoke a conversation with the past-a dialogue he believes lies at the heart of architecture.

PREFACE

THE FORCEFUL ECLECTICISM OF ROBERT A. M. STERN  Witold Rybczynski

HOUSES AND GARDENS

Villa in New Jersey

Elberon Residence

Chestnut Hill Residence

Residence at River Oaks

Residence at Apaquogue

Residence in Starwood

Kings Point Residence

Residence in Preston Hollow

Residence in Montecito

Residence at North York

Life Dream House

Residence in Pacific Heights

Southampton Residence and Guest House

Residence and Guest House at Katama

Kiawah Island Residence

Heavenly View Ranch

Guest House and Tennis Pavilion in Brentwood

Long Island Residence

Palo Alto Residence

Dream House for This Old House Magazine

Bearings

Residence in Edgartown

East Hampton Residence

House in Tidewater Virginia

Residence on Salt Spring Island

Residence in California

Project Credits

Photography Credits