Leopold House

The clients had raised their family, a son and a daughter, in a large traditional house on five acres of property. Their plan was to build three houses, one for themselves and one for each of their married children, around a small lake on the back of the property and sell the old house. The small house, basically one bedroom, has an interior tropical garden at the waters edge, on the lower level. The entrance, on the upper level, contains the master bedroom suite, kitchen and dining area, which cantilevers over the garden below. The several roof levels are flat, and a diagonal sloping gable defines the main space. The owner died before the construction was finished and his widow lived there for many years, near her family. Eventually a new owner remodeled including a second floor addition, but the character of the original design remains.