House VI
House VI, or the Frank Residence, is a significant building designed by Peter Eisenman, completed in 1975. His second built work, the getaway house, located on Great Hollow Road near Bird's Eye Brook in Cornwall, Connecticut (across from Mohawk Mountain Ski Area) has become famous for both its revolutionary definition of a house as much as for the physical problems of design and difficulty of use. At the time of construction, the architect was known almost exclusively as a theorist and "paper architect," promulgating a highly formalist approach to architecture he calls "postfunctionalism." Rather than form following function or an aesthetic design, the design emerged from a conceptual process, and remains pinned to that conceptual framework.
Unfortunately, Eisenman's limited construction experience meant that the entire building was poorly detailed. The tiny building took 3 years to build, went completely over budget, and finally had to be reconstructed in 1987, leaving only the basic structure original. The Franks, in Peter Eisenman's House VI: The Client's Response, claim that they nonetheless love living in such a poetic structure, which they inhabit with their children. Also on the property is a barn for guests and supplies that do not fit in the kitchen.
Of Dreams
She said I know you
And I wanted her to know me
She said it's beautiful
And I asked her to show me
We walked through gardens
Where the flowers sang in color
We touched the things that
Are only sometimes touched by lovers
She moves so gracefully
Through silk and satin shadow
We knew of things that one time were only known
With eyes closed
We both caressed the air
And made it sing
She knew of love
She knew of everything
The sun shone down on her
Through clouds of pink and orange
La la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la la
She spoke in words that told of
Things that really mattered
Be kind to rabbits