Prothro House Addition
This house occupied a valuable parcel of land near downtown Dallas, featuring green spaces and large mature trees. The size was right, but the layout didn’t suit all the needs of its owners.
Walls of the servant spaces were constructed of sawn and sandblasted antique Lueders limestone, laid in long horizontal planks. Stone is mounted inside and outside the structure, with an inner cavity between for insulation. Slabs of Lueders comprise the steps and patios that surround the structure.
The limestone walls that contribute solidity and warmth to both the exterior and interior are complimented by the extensive use of stone inside for other applications in the house. Countertops and lavatories also utilized a finely polished version of the Lueders limestone. Shower enclosures were also limestone - a very dense French limestone - that complemented the Lueders used throughout the rest of the house.
Both inside and out, tactile surfaces are made even more vivid by a variety of light sources. For example, in the primary stairwell located to the right of the entrance, the thick limestone walls are counterbalanced by a delicate stainless steel screen that hangs from top to bottom and acts as a guardrail for both flights of stairs. Both the surface of the stone and the shimmering metallic surface of the screen are enhanced by the natural light introduced at the top of the stairs through a translucent lantern and by a fiber optic artificial light source at night.
