In 1916, West Hollywood, a millionaire had a house built by American architect Irving Gill. It was a house that veered in design from what was typical of its day: symmetrical, with an angled roof. Instead, it was boxy – nothing that would surprise avid home design enthusiasts of today, but was considered progressive then.
Arched windows were characteristic of the home, through which the exterior gardens and landscape would filter in the home’s dose of colour. The plain surfaces, as well, were deliberate, letting light and shifting shadows play a part in the building’s design.
About a century later and some 5,640 miles away in another part of the world, the Dodge House – named for its first owner, Walter Luther Dodge – would inspire the design of an architect’s 430sqft home.
Boxy in form, the Dodged House sits along a narrow street in the historical Mouraria district of Lisbon, flanked by pastel buildings. Built by Dainel Zamarbide together with Leopold Banchini Architects, the narrow building is home to architect Zamarbide and his family.
Four storeys, three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a study occupy the Dodged House’s upward space, totalling 1,000sqft, all levels combined. The house is characterised by concrete – another reference to Gill’s designs – and floors that stagger upon one another, creating a void the full height of the building that doubles as a repository of light.
Windows along one side of the building channel this light source. The architects, in turn, have utilised curtains and transparent sliding doors to segregate the spaces – particularly the bathrooms – and let light penetrate the far reaches of every floor. As in Gill’s design, light and shadow play a part in Zamarbide’s home.
Meanwhile, a glass wall traces the end of every floor, giving residents a view of the living area below. At the back, a spiral staircase connects all levels of the home.
The ground level is home to an open-plan kitchen, living and dining room, while outside a courtyard is accessed through a pivoting arched door made of glass.
All throughout, the minimalistic space is made with locally sourced tiles and marble.
In 1970, after an unsuccessful campaign to preserve it, Irving Gill's Dodge House in West Hollywood was demolished. It is remembered today as one of the West’s first truly Modernist houses, a creation to which Leopold Banchini Architects and Daniel Zamarbide's Dodged House in Lisbon pays tribute.
See more: Explore a Minimal, Mid-Century Modern Portuguese Villa
