DEBUSK RESIDENCE
Powell, TN

The Debusk residence consists of a large house and lodge that overlook a small valley in Halls, Tennessee. The neoclassical house was inspired, in part, by the owner's desire to live in a house designed using classical principles. The house is organized around a central courtyard with a large rotunda serving as a grand entry space. Adjacent to the rotunda are the formal, public spaces of the house: reception hall, drawing room and dining room. Groin vaulted hallways lead from the rotunda to the informal spaces on the ground floor, the kitchen and lake room. The second floor contains bedrooms, guest suites and family room. The Basement level contains a large meeting/dining space, commercial kitchen, game rooms, and storage rooms.

Externally, the design serves to resolve the incongruity between the presence of a large, classically inspired house adjacent to a typical suburban development. By establishing a strictly symmetrical north elevation overlooking the valley, yet allowing variation in the forms and fenestration of the facades oriented towards the neighborhood, the design maintains its formal goals while adjusting to its context. The landscape reinforces this approach by creating a broad lawn at the road, a tree lined driveway, and prominent entry court with garden walls and fountains that establish a formal presence for the north elevation. Towards the south and west, the landscape is broken into smaller, informal spaces that relate to specific rooms in the house and particular outdoor functions.

One of the significant challenges of the project was learning how to incorporate the language of classical architecture within the realm of current building technologies. The exterior materials, predominantly Indiana limestone, stucco, bluestone paving and Spanish slate were detailed to accommodate a masonry and steel frame structural system while retaining their elegance as traditional materials. The interiors were made from a wide variety of indigenous and imported materials, utilizing the skills of local and regional craftspeople.