Property of Mr. and Mrs. Jacques Makowsky of Kings Point, Long Island | Architect: Edward D. Stone

Mr. and Mrs. Jacques Makowsky of Kings Point, Long Island, like to live at home.

They have four children, many relatives, innumerable friends, and they enjoy seeing them all frequently-at home. They have entertained 50 people at dinner, yet lunch for four in this house is delightfully intimate. It is that kind of house.

With such a philosophy of living, it is necessary to have a large place, but one in which the individual will not feel lost. In this house Edward D. Stone, the architect, has skillfully balanced spaciousness with intimate areas. As a result, the house is comfortable, congenial, relaxing. Only 55 minutes from Mr. Makowsky's New York printing plant, the five-acre property at Kings Point slopes gently to the Sound. Built in a slight hollow which rises to the north, the house is hidden from the road, while on the other side it opens wide to a view of the water. The first floor is built on two levels with most of the rooms overlooking the loggia and living room, five steps down. This lower area is generous in all dimensions; high-ceilinged because of the sunken floor and visually extended to the outdoors through glass walls. The rooms on the higher level are smaller, more secluded, with a view of the garden to the north, and a southerly glimpse of the Sound through the loggia and living room windows. There is nothing static about the living area, one room leads naturally to the next and there are no doors to bar the way. Like a French Baroque garden, it has infinite variety and contrast.

When the Makowskys decided to build a house, they admittedly knew little about architecture, but they were determined to have a house which would be fun to live in, easy to maintain and possess a sense of continuity with the past. They decided to learn about houses. They bought books on the subject, subscribed to magazines, dis- cussed, noted. They "psyched" themselves and their requirements. This was during the war, when home building had virtually stopped. A less determined family would have postponed everything. Instead, they purchased land, drew up plans and built a model to test the design. V-J Day was celebrated by breaking ground for the house.

At every turn there are original ideas, excellent space planning and modern conveniences. Although this is a thoroughly modern house, it has a kinship with the past. There are waxed brick floors, whitewashed brick walls, the warmth and richness of wood paneling and everywhere an abundance of green.

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source: House and Garden Magazine | July 1947