Joseph A. Connell Architecture

Joseph Connell designed this residence as a sole-practitioner only eight years after completing his professional education and locating to upstate New York.  Consciously following the “binuclear house” typology developed by Marcel Breuer, the house is organized in two wings, and is entered from a courtyard between the wings. The house plan uses axial relationships, and orthogonal geometry, and exemplifies the modernist values of open flowing spaces.

Originally sited deep within private woods, the house was intended to be discovered from a winding driveway. The geometry relies on a great variety of angles, forming spaces that flow together organically. Significantly more complex than the 1960 Bonady Residence, inspiration may have been from sources as diverse as Bruce Goff and Frank Lloyd Wright, and the painter Willem de Kooning. 

The low and relatively closed entrance is an intentional contrast to the explosively high ceilings of the main living space with a dramatic expanse of glass overlooking the landscape beyond the house.  Sheltered within this expansive living space is the warm embrace of a conversation area with a recessed floor, surrounded by local field stone and with a stone fireplace.  The deliberate play of this smaller more intimate space within the larger living room adds to the flexibility of how inhabitants can use the room. 

Sited at the rise of high hill, this residence is an early example of passive solar design. The gable roof ridge is perpendicular to the long axis, forming a relatively short ridge with a profile reminiscent of the Low House (1886 – 1887) by the architects McKim, Mead and White. Open interior volumes and angular geometry played against linear form relate the house to its earlier precedents.   

Located on a steep precipice next to Keuka Lake, the steep slope was a challenge. The traditional stacking of floors by function was reversed. The upper floors – those with the best views – were for informal living, dining and food preparation. Bedrooms were located on the lower levels. The angled decks and house massing created better views of the lake. 

The lake road is close to level with the top floor of the house. The house has a pedestrian bridge or walkway from the parking area directly to the top floor, the entry level with the living room and other shared spaces. 

At the Shaw Residence, architect Joseph A. Connell rotated the classic American gable roof form to present the primary long side to the Keuka Lake view.  At the ground level, the placement of windows or screened areas at the corners dematerializes the traditional gable roof house form. The second floor bedrooms, thrust forward from the main mass of the house have corner balconies, further dematerializing the traditional house form.