Raleigh Art, Architecture and Urbanism, a nice addition to the local blogscape, reports that the Catalano House will be rebuilt near Dorothea Dix. No details available yet. We wouldn’t be surprised if George Smart and the Triangle Modernist Houses gang were involved in some capacity. Perhaps some blog with a bigger research team (we’re looking at you, Goodnight, Raleigh!) will run down the details on this.
For now we’ll speculate that this will not be a remake of the Catalano House, but rather a pavilion with the hyperbolic paraboloid shape of the original Catalano House roof, as was planned but never built on NCSU’s Court of the Carolinas and on the grounds of the NC Art Museum a few years ago. We’ll also speculate that Catalano himself will bankroll a large chunk of the cost, which was part of those previous plans that fell through. Here’s hoping it all works out this time around.
You’re right, Triangle Modernist Houses has been involved in getting the ball rolling. We approached Catalano in early 2009 and made several trips to his home in Boston. Working closely with Catalano and his colleague Peter Sugar, we helped move the project from idea to blueprints in about six months. As planned, it will not just be a pavilion but a full house. This is a tremendous opportunity to bring back one of the most significant Modernist houses in North Carolina, ever. We are delighted to see this project moving forward under the NCSU College of Design, at long
last. I commend the College of Design for its commitment and initiative and look forward to their getting it built.