From the street, few clues convey what to expect inside. Only an uncomfortably narrow, bright red door breaks the solid brick wall facing the street, while floor-to-ceiling windows give unimpeded views to a large fenced courtyard. Skylights from above wash natural light over windowless brick walls. A small bridge from the door leads across a moat of river stones to a raised teak platform.
A. Richard Williams conceived of that platform as a stage; it is the key to understanding the house. The stage manifests modernist architectural theory by emphasizing simple planes of wood, glass, and brick. But it also embodies his own idiosyncratic architectural philosophy at the intersection of theater, anthropology, and design. While Williams continued to expand and rebuild the home in multiple alterations from 1948 to 1969, the stage remains its centerpiece.
