"This story was EVERYTHING!!!!! I'm literally in tears!" What if Cinderella said...'no'? When campus prince Marco kisses Maggie, their chemistry sets the world on fire. Soon after, her fairy grandmother shows up ready to indulge Maggie at every tur...
"Welcome, welcome, if we could all stick together, please? Hello! I'm Juan, I'll be your guide today. Welcome to the Catskills and to All-Saints, the home of Marco Santos. Before we start the tour, please remember that All-Saints is only open to the public for one week out of the year and is otherwise a working home. We ask that you do NOT touch anything as much as it is possible. Can you hear me in back?"
"All right, as you all probably know, Marco Santos is an architect primarily of the modernist style and he is known for his work with sustainability. He was awarded the Priztker Architecture Prize two years ago. Unlike Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater, which was an inspiration for All-Saints, this home was always intended as Santos' personal residence. Therefore, it serves as almost a pure example of his style - as his own client, he was free to do exactly as he wished."
"All-Saints is a completely sustainable home. It provides its own water, waste, electricity, heat and cooling - employing active techniques such as solar panels as well as passive techniques such as using this hill itself as a natural insulator and having the windows of the main residence facing south. In addition, All-Saints is noted for its integration with the natural surroundings."
"The entrance to the home had to be dynamited out of the rock. This was highly controversial at the time of building and local residents fought the move in court. It was two years before Santos won the battle and, as you can see, the natural stone walls he originally planned for wall were replaced by the use of exposed concrete. Question?"
"Was that because of the cost?"
"Uh, just a change in direction made during the delay. Anyway, as you can see, the home faces northwest with this large bank of windows. The family call this the "late room" due to the light it gets at sunset. The orientation accommodates the solar panels on the roof the that need a Southern exposure. Any questions?"
"How many bedrooms?"
"Right, as we enter the late room you can see above that the bedrooms open to the main area. Encased by rock, this is the only natural light available. There are three bedrooms above as well as the library. It is mostly used for visitors and students now but for several years, it was the primary residence for the Santos family. All-Saints was planned and built in stages while Santos was a principal with the firm Percy Walker. He did not go independent until it was almost finished."
"Now we're heading down the stairs. Santos put the the main residence of the home on the back of the hill, hidden from the road. Please watch your step."
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"Yes, like FallingWater, All-Saints has its own waterfall - actually several waterfalls. As you can see, this large hall connects the main part of the residence. Known as the Peace Hall, this view has become one of the defining aspects of All-Saints and has hosted several weddings and receptions. It's also been featured in a couple of movies. Question?"
"Did he, the architect, know about the waterfalls when he started over there?"
"Uh...yes, of course. He spent an year surveying the location and designing All-Saints. The surprise of this view at the back of the modern, almost Brutalist, front was always intended to be one of the unique features of the home. Can you all hear me? OK we're going down to the main residence now and I have to ask, again, to please stay with the group and do not touch anything."
