After Lewis Fisher, AIA, bought an oddly shaped vacant lot in downtown San Antonio in 2005, he started the process of turning it into a place that he hoped would attract young professionals or empty nesters to live in the heart of the city. “I figured that four unique townhouses would fit well on the site so I proceeded with the process of rezoning, replatting and putting in utilities.” The goal was for the dwellings to be “less maintenance than a suburban home, energy efficient and on a small lot.”
Then the recession hit, leaving Fisher to ponder his options for almost a decade while never giving up on his downtown dream. By 2013 and with several revisions and reconfigurations of the plan, Fisher was ready to consider other options. When three fellow architects approached him about selling the lots, he agreed — except he kept one for himself.
With a professional background in historic renovation and restoration, Fisher found himself in two new territories — being a land developer and building from the ground up. “I had to put on a new cap and not fall back on elements from historic projects, but try to push myself to do something that was contemporary and clean.”
A success on both counts. The 2,400-square-foot home is a cool mix of old and new, paying tribute, he says, to “a King William house with a two-story porch, blended with a mid-century modern look with the roof and overhangs.” Fisher calls the wood frame construction simple and straightforward, with energy efficient components such as reflective exterior color, xeriscaping, dual pane low-E windows and more.
Inside, clean lines continue, with pure white walls providing a crisp backdrop for artwork and spots of color, like the living room chairs from West Elm in Cayenne and a collection of folk art throughout. The downstairs floors are stained and polished concrete (“always a scary procedure,” he adds). The living room sofa is from Crate and Barrel.
The upstairs is warmed by white oak floors, including in the master bedroom with its sleigh bed and selected pieces of American Empire mahogany furniture. French doors open to a balcony with a view facing HemisFair Park’s Tower of the Americas.
The modern white kitchen was designed with function in mind, allowing “enough room for friends to gather around and several people to cook at the same time,” says Fisher, who adds that he is not one of those people, but is thankful that his partner Johnny Martinez enjoys that task. The subway tile backsplash and dark grey Silestone® countertops are attractive and practical accents, with a whimsical folk art snake of painted sycamore wood from Santa Fe appearing to make its way across the wall to the adjacent dining room.
Dining chairs of black leather and white stitching from Copenhagen Imports surround a table that seats up to 12 and looks directly out onto the courtyard. The buffet is an American antique from the 1920s, stained and finished and topped with a statue of St. Joseph by Mexican folk artist Josefina Aguilar. A photograph of Mission San Jose hangs overhead, part of a popular series on San Antonio’s missions by the late Rick Hunter.
Religious elements of the interior design, he says, are mainly about “the appreciation of San Antonio’s culture and its Catholic background. It’s everywhere, in its historic buildings, in folk art, and in its culinary culture. The expression of that faith is quite beautiful.”
Between the living and dining rooms is a wooden staircase that, Fisher says, “was one of the design struggles I had with myself, to not design a historic looking handrail.” The solution was a handrail of steel uprights, glass panels and a cedar cap. At the top of the stairs is a striking digital photograph of the Guadalupe River bridge by San Antonio photographer Robert Strovers.
Even with such contemporary touches, Fisher’s affinity for the past is never far away. “Many of the houses in old San Antonio had French doors, especially those from the mid-19th century,” he says. At the entry is an eight-foot-tall double door made of solid Spanish cedar by woodworker John Hall, who also constructed additional exterior doors of Spanish cedar and glass panels with transoms above.
More history, but this one is from Fisher’s own past: The collection of earthenware crocks atop the antique pine armoire in the living room sparks fond childhood memories for the native Texan. “I would go to my aunts’ and uncles’ farmhouses back in the 50s and they used crocks every day for all sorts of things,” says Fisher. “Some of those are from my grandmother.” A wooden hutch at the opposite end of the living room displays more pottery and stoneware.
Fisher clearly embraces mixing modern and historic styles, inside and out, and encourages others to follow their heart. “I think you should buy what you like and what you think is beautiful to surround yourself with.”
For Fisher, surrounding himself with a vibrant community was as essential to the project as the development and design itself. While acknowledging that downtown living is not for everyone, he says it has always been where he feels most at home, especially when shared with others who feel the same. “Living where you are part of the neighborhood is really wonderful. Strengthening community is about the most important thing we can do in America today, getting people to live together and feel comfortable with each other. That’s always been a part of what I wanted to do.”
Suburban Life
Interior photography by Dror Baldinger;
exteriors by Chris Cooper
When first-time visitors arrive at the stately home of James Heck, AIA, they haven’t a clue what lies beyond. With no indication that the impressive home is situated on a bluff, what greets them as they come through the front door is a wide expanse of windows at the other end of the open floor plan with a breathtaking panoramic view. The usual reaction never fails to delight Heck. “People walk in and just say ‘Wow.’” It’s exactly what Heck was going for in what he calls “the single most important aspect of the design. I wanted the element of surprise.”
Heck himself experienced that element when six years ago he ended up living in the home he had originally designed for clients, never imagining that it would be his one day. At annual Christmas parties, Heck would give tours of the house at the insistence of the owner, and in turn Heck would joke, “If you ever want to sell, let us know.” They eventually did, and to this day Heck is still amazed at how things turned out.
“The clients had given me so much design freedom. They liked the work of Frank Lloyd Wright, that’s why there are deep overhangs and horizontal lines.” Heck combined that aesthetic to take full advantage of the incredible views on the west-facing house. “My wife Tricia has always loved views of the sunset, and I thought it would be nice to be able to sit out there in a hellacious rainstorm and not get wet.” The 12-foot-wide back porch and three to four feet of overhang were the result of Heck’s vision, long before the house became theirs. “I think that every architect, when you design something, there’s a piece of you that goes into it.”
The 6,300-square-foot home is filled with dramatic architectural details at every turn — recessed ceilings with well-placed lighting, soaring windows, eight-inch-high baseboards that conceal power outlets, and gorgeous solid five-inch-wide walnut flooring throughout. All of the doors in the house, except the door to the garage, are eight-foot-tall custom walnut. Heck designed all of the custom casework, including those in the study that contain books and sound equipment. “This was the office for the original client,” says Heck. “Now it’s sort of an extra room that overlooks the pool area that we use when friends come over to watch TV.” The glass table is from Copenhagen Imports.
A graceful spiral staircase was inspired by a photograph that the original clients showed to Heck, who added a simple white painted rail with curved wood cap. A five-foot curvy steel vase that Heck bought at the now-gone gift shop at the then-Southwest Craft Center sits next to the bottom of the walnut stairs (“it reminds me of something out of Dr. Seuss,” he says), while a stamped steel painted lizard from Phoenix crawls overhead. Nearby, a sculpture by neon artist Fritz Ozuna glows against a painted purple wall. The staircase leads to a pool table room upstairs, flanked by two guest bedrooms on either side, making the private space perfect for guest quarters, complete with a baby bed for grandchildren.
The home’s main living area consists of sofas and chairs set on a custom area rug that Heck designed. “It’s actually commercial grade nylon carpet, curved on both ends to mimic the curve of the back of the sofas.” Opposite is the dining area with a mesquite table designed by Heck and built by Bulverde woodworker Jim Butcher, surrounded by black and gold chairs from Copenhagen Imports. The gold accent wall echoes the chair color and serves as a brilliant backdrop for metal artwork of unknown origin left behind by the original owners. “It was too heavy and they didn’t want to move it,” says Heck. Neither did he, meticulously painting around it with a small foam brush.
Around the corner, the breakfast area features a glass table that was the former owner’s desk, with Matteo Grassi dining chairs that Heck had ordered directly from the manufacturer about 30 years ago. The armoire is one of two matching pieces from a previous home, and the framed artwork is by Taos artist Veloy Vigil. Heck purchased the model ship Vasa from a museum in Stockholm in 2005. “It was the pride of the Swedish navy, and sank on its maiden voyage in 1628 after sailing for about five minutes in Stockholm harbor,” says Heck. The 30-inch wood and fabric model is now the pride of the breakfast area.
The downstairs master bedroom features a bed and storage bench made of plastic laminate and fiberboard designed by Heck. The brown leather sofa is vintage, and the cowhide area rug was purchased at the San Antonio rodeo. The small light next to the fireplace, says Heck, is “from my plexiglass phase right out of college. I’ve had that forever and found a place for it here.” The three niches over the bed hold small glass vases in the shape of prickly pear cactus leaves by San Antonio glass artist Gini Garcia.
The transplanted New Yorker unabashedly loves life outside the city center. “I grew up in Queens and we would always vacation at Lake George in the Adirondacks. We spent two weeks there every year, and it was such a relief from the congestion of the city.” The location now, he says, is ideal. “We can step out into our backyard and it’s so private, yet we’re convenient to the airport and shopping. It’s the best of both worlds.”
For more AIA San Antonio Homes Tour information, www.aiasa.org.
Fisher Heck Architects
210-299-1500 | www.fisherheck.com