The White House and Gracie Mansion are two famous examples of homes constructed to home leaders; all these are the houses of the president of the United States along with also the mayor of New York. This convention also exists in nongovernmental institutions, like the chancellor’s home at North Carolina State University at Raleigh.
Hobart Upjohn designed the very first purpose-built home for NC State’s chancellor in 1928 in the neo-Georgian style. (For the college’s first four years, the chancellor dwelt in various different homes ) This 7,900-square-foot construction, just east of the school’s north campus, is currently being turned into an art museum with a fresh addition.
Architect Marvin Malecha, dean of the NC State College of Design, designed the slightly larger replacement with interior designer Judy Pickett. Completed in late 2011, the chancellor’s residence, called The Point, is part of a intricate construction that must balance its function for a residence upstairs using its key role as a place for college events. An average of five times each week, the chancellor hosts fundraisers and other actions to support the school’s programs.
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in a Glance
Who lives here: Chancellor Randy Woodson and his household
Location: Raleigh, North Carolina, on NC State’s Centennial campus
Size: 8,500 square feet (5,400-square-foot semipublic fun degree on the first floor; 3,100-square-foot private home on the next floor)
That is intriguing: The home got its name, The Point, from donor Ann Goodnight, that gave the largest sum for its $3.5 million project; it was funded entirely by private donors.
Also on the design and construction team: Architect Ellen Weinstein, builders John Rufty and Randy Beard, and landscape architects Thomas Skolnicki and Derek Blaylock
Malecha’s design picks up on the main campus’ traditional redbrick design through the predominantly brick outside. Gables, chimneys and a symmetrical composition combine with minimal details to hint at how in which the home balances the traditional and modern.
“Familiar modern” is your term Malecha uses to characterize the arrangement. He looked to conventional houses of the South for inspiration, picking up on their gabled rooflines, hearths (the residence has nine of these, together with seven chimneys!) , a prominent staircase near the foyer plus a heart-of-the-home kitchen, among other items. The sparse surfaces, open spaces and simple-looking details, inside and outside, give the residence its modern attributes.
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The gables, chimneys and symmetry continue to be evident in back, even more ins and outs happen in the outside of the floor plan.
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From this view of the trunk, the symmetry is much more pronounced, but so are all the outdoor chairs and space. Also note the screened-in porch upstairs along with the covered seating area below it.
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Here we see the covered seating area under the screened-in porch. Bear in mind, the first floor is your semipublic area, where fundraisers, dinners for six to 60 and events for up to 300 happen at the speed of five times a week. The design of this level addresses this reality inside and outside.
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The screened-in porch, complete with ceiling fans, caters to the chancellor and his family, giving them a great vantage point from which to enjoy the surroundings. Lake Raleigh is visible through the trees.
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One of the house’s many awards includes a Brick Industry Association award for outstanding design incorporating real clay brick for both aesthetics and sustainability, at the single-family-residence class.
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The large entry hall is marked by a grid of construction, stone and wood on the ground, and even including the light. The wood ceiling collection between the beams was created by a cypress tree developed in the college’s Hofmann Forest. These squares using a secondary grid within them stage toward the hearth and doors in the end of the hall — fitting, because the formal stair lies next to them.
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The central stair oozes Southern tradition, with its gentle swoop and corner steps under a landing that functions as a podium for the chancellor to address guests on. However, a good look at this pickets reveals a modern touch. The profile of this pickets strengthens the rhythm of the steps nicely.
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Locally sourced hardwood oak floors are found throughout, as are quite light and constant colours for the walls and ceilings that were open. Judy Pickett’s interior design provides the interiors warmth through reds, reds and off-white colours that match the wall colour.
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Randy Woodson’s wife, Susan, is a artist and also a gallery owner, and she did her part to help with the project. The art selected by Susan with Pickett is a extension of the furnishings’ warm colour palette.
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With all the fundraisers and parties being thrown onto the first floor, a large dining area was crucial. Like the rest of the home, the formal dining room benefits from natural lighting on at least two sides. Here there is just one of the nine fireplaces as well as direct access to the patio outside.
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Another award for the home came from the National Association of Home Builders, which called the kitchen Room of the Year at its 2012 Best in American Living Awards.
The large kitchen (employed by cooks for occasions from small to big ) on the first floor features a cathedral ceiling and plenty of natural lighting. The white cabinets and black granite countertops are extremely pleasing, but a few really nice details can be found, like the hand-hewn steel range hood and the manner by which the stools tuck beneath the countertop extension between the wing walls.
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Next to the kitchen is a cozy dining area that borrows light from the kitchen (and vice versa) through the opening between cupboards and the glass doors onto the uppers. Notice how the uppers are accessible from both sides, the kitchen and the dining area.
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This last view of the home is upstairs, at the chancellor’s living area, which is restricted by skylights. Beyond is a bedroom and access to a patio.
The downstairs may have most of this space and direct access to the outdoors, but upstairs the chancellor and his family benefit from the cathedral ceilings and more sunlight from above.