AUDIO
Pines Modern is a brand-new, non-profit 501(c)(3) endeavor dedicated to the rediscovery of all that the Pines has created, particularly its mid-century architectural and cultural heritage. We ask for your support in the form of tax deductible contributions to help us to continue discovering, documenting, and sharing the best that Fire Island Pines has to offer. There is much more to document! Our significant expenses include professional photography, drum-scanning of vintage images, creation and maintenance of the web site, required non-profit insurance, preservation consultations with homeowners, and the staffing of Pines Modern functions. Our officers are not paid for their efforts.
Donors at the $50 annual level and above will receive priority notification for house tours and other Pines Modern events. Each donor who contributes $150 and above will receive a free ticket to the next Pines Modern house tour. Please contact us if you would like to place an advertisement on our site.
For support regarding donations, send your message here.
2019 Contributors
Adam Wade
Pines Modern is a brand-new, non-profit 501(c)(3) endeavor dedicated to the rediscovery of all that the Pines has created, particularly its mid-century architectural and cultural heritage. We ask for your support in the form of tax deductible contributions to help us to continue discovering, documenting, and sharing the best that Fire Island Pines has to offer. There is much more to document! Our significant expenses include professional photography, drum-scanning of vintage images, creation and maintenance of the web site, required non-profit insurance, preservation consultations with homeowners, and the staffing of Pines Modern functions. Our officers are not paid for their efforts.
Donors at the $50 annual level and above will receive priority notification for house tours and other Pines Modern events. Each donor who contributes $150 and above will receive a free ticket to the next Pines Modern house tour. Please contact us if you would like to place an advertisement on our site.
For support regarding donations, send your message here.
2019 Contributors
Adam Wade
499 BASS WALK
AUDIO
Architect: Attributed to CARL KOCH, via TECHBUILT, c. 1959
Renovation: BoND ARCHITECTS, 2021. Landscape Design: GAY GARDENS, 2021. Renovation: ASHKAR AND PAUL, c. 1999
This charming kit home may remind viewers of Palm Springs more than the Pines, but it is most likely a kit home designed by Massachusetts-based architect Karl Koch, founder of Techbuilt.
Its 1990’s owners found it in a forlorn state, with a choppy floor plan and stacks of old belongings. Ashkar and Paul distilled the architecture down to its glass-and-post essence, liberating its floor plan and adding a swimming pool while preserving its razor-thin roofline. Where privacy from the outdoors is desired, the glass simply changes from clear to ribbed, a sleight of hand that is replicated in back-to-back shower enclosures. The craftsmanship was smart but un-fussy. As Tad Paul recalled, “tricky detailing gets you nowhere on Fire Island. You need simple details you can trust the contractor with.” These took the form of a prefinished plywood partition system, connected by exposed bolts, with grooves between the panels to facilitate art hanging. Built-in cubbies made of the same material resolved all storage needs.
Twenty years later, Ilan Cohen enlisted BoND Architects to take a fresh look at the house. A low-lying kitchen and a relocated fireplace further refine the spatial flow. Laminate walls have given way to a more tactile and vernacular wood cladding, inspired by Horace Gifford. In another nod to Fire Island’s creative heyday, the home functions as a residency of sorts and canvas for Ilan Cohen’s many artist friends. Works by Doron Langberg, Steven Truax, and T. M. Davy fill the space with local, queer color. The home is surrounded by native summersweet, blue vervain, and hibiscus planted by Liam Davy.
BoND-era photos: Chris Mottalini. Ashkar and Paul-era photos: Catherine Tighe. Floor plan: Ashkar and Paul. Axonometric drawing: BoND Architects. Techbuilt brochure cover: Courtesy USAModernist.com.
BoND RENOVATION
