About the Architect The Legacy and the Land Architect Dennis Stevens discovers Idaho and creates a perfect match. By Ed Guthro Just half an hour from downtown Boise, amid the rugged mountain majesty of Idaho's Robie Creek, a master architect is quietly fulfilling a vision. This architect is no whimsical dreamer; he has impeccable lineage to the father of modern American architecture, Frank Lloyd Wright. Dennis Stevens worked and lived with the fabled architect over a period of five years. Now five decades later, Stevens is undertaking the greatest challenge of his award-winning career: Fifty acre Robie Springs is the site for CLIFFSIDE, on its own 10 acre plot, designed to integrate with some of the most spectacular country in the American West. True to the philosophy of his mentor, these homesites will be designed to be "of the land." Stevens views the land as a sacred trust. "it's an awesome responsibility, not to defile it," he has said. This majestic escape is like no other. Stevens will personally design the homesteads to be part of the environment. The landscape will have no fences, no visible boundaries. It is to be an example of modern habitation harmoniously integrating with a natural wilderness landscape. FINDING ROBIE SPRINGS Such a development has been Stevens' dream for over 35 years, and now, clad in a denim shirt, silver-brown hair touching his collar and the dust of a hard day's work on his trousers, Dennis Stevens stands near his latest endeavor. His youthful demeanor and enthusiasm for the project are much in evidence. The homestead, "CLIFFSIDE", having been completed, the architect is eager to share the fruits of his labors. Cliffside's site is located near the tree line, where rich patterns of pine curve up and down the hillsides. Deer and elk are frequent vistors; wild currarnts and raspberries grow freely. He and his wife Jackie, searched three years for this location - considering Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona before falling in love with the Robie Creek region. "There are a lot of beautiful areas," Dennis says, "but they are not easily accessible." The rugged, natural grandeur of Robie Springs is only 25 minutes from Boise's Airport. Once he found his dream location, he had another - albeit pleasant - problem. "I couldn't make up my mind where the view was - because it's everywhere," Stevens says, "Which view do you want me to eliminate?" LIVING IN A CONCEPT Stevens' solution is a remarkable, two-level 5,000-square-foot home that "grows out of the hill" - following the land's natural slope while offering multiple breathtaking views. In fact, even indoors there is no sense of enclosure, just interaction between nature and the home. And that's exactly how Stevens planned it. There is a synergy between the contemporary house and it's majestic setting overlooking the reservoir. Stevens' blends the exterior and interior environments seamlessly. The materials, tones and textures choosen for the inside of the home reflect the natural elements and visual lines outside of it. "Living in a concept," Dennis calls it. "If it looks like it's been here for 50 years, I've done my job." REMEMBERING WRIGHT Stevens is a robust 72-years' young. He looks considerably younger, with the energy of a man half his age. He is dignified, yet open and accessible. His eyes sparkle with the joy of a man at home in his environment. It doesn't take long to see that Dennis Stevens is a visionary who's not afraid to get his hands dirty. "When I first started working with Mr. Wright, he handed me a mason's trowel," Stevens reflects, while sitting on the magnificent 1700-square-foot deck that flows around the exterior of the house. "I didn't get to do any drawings for two years." As he recalls his days with Frank Lloyd Wright, you realize you're getting a rare glimpse into architectural history. Fifty-four years ago, young Stevens (a native Midwesterner) took it upon himself to visit Wright at Taliesin, his Wisconsin home, seeking advice on potential architectural schools. Impressed, the legendary architect invited him to stay. It was a priceless, coveted opportunity - over 400 students applied annually, of which only a total of sixty students shared the opportunity to work with the master. At age 17, Dennis was one of Wright's youngest apprentices. Stevens stayed almost four years (returning later for another year) - lighting the house fireplace in the early mornings, waking the great architect to start the day, and learning at the feet of the man who revolutionized architecture. It's a legacy Stevens honors in his work today. "All the best concepts come from nature," says Dennis. "You abstact the lessons of nature. Nature did the work, I just copied it." Stevens points to the surrounding landscape. He singles out five distinct foothills and a plateau with a larger mountain rising regally above them - the secret to the Cliffside's unique design. "It's a modular house," he says, "five smaller units echoing the five foothills, and one big one." ONE WITH THE LAND Though the structure is anchored 12 feet into granite with 650 anchor bolts, the house "floats freely," creating a feeling of movement and reinforcing the symbolic interaction with its surroundings. Stevens explains the design of the great room as a glass prism with "no corners - all facets." All the floors, corridors, and traffic areas are composed of large-slab Sedona Red Rock, creating a river-like sense of motion on both levels of the home. The rugged basalt rock of the core room's towering fireplace restated the strong vertical lines of the high canyon walls above the reservoir. It's easy to forget you're in a building. But that's the idea. Though the massive house has three full bathrooms; a central great room adjacent to a wonderfully functional kitchen; three bedrooms including the master suite (Stevens estimates the home can comfortably sleep 14); other rooms suitable for office, library, or home entertainment areas; whirlpool bath; and a gallery corridor that leads to a secondary great room under the first, you never get the feeling of being cut off from the outside. Stevens explains that all the walls are hand-textured (by Robie Creek neighbors) and his objective was to make the home feel "of the ground." The dusty-green roofing matches the sage that grows abundantly in the region. He has incorporated the natural granite into which the home's foundation in notched, as a countertop surface throughout the home. Beautiful beams of smooth, natural-stained timber, are a major unifying element both inside and out, with western cedar comprising both the exterior soffits and interior decking. Even though the house has two levels, there is no real sense of going "downstairs," as the base level retains the atmosphere of space and movement. The various elements and rooms blend, flow, overlap, integrate, and weave wonderfully throughout both floors in this clean, contemporary design. The kitchen is a particularly favorite space for the architect. Dennis calls it the "control center." Indeed, it has ready access to the great room and is immaculately equipped with a state-of-the-art gas range, oversize refrigerator and separate freezer, and tasteful cherrywood, shaker-style cabinets. The kitchen's "wow factor" is again the incredible view. "It takes the drudgery out of doing the dishes," Stevens reflects with a smile. LAND, SKY, AND ARCHITECTURE MERGE WITH HIGH TECH There is no doubt Stevens' house is in harmony with the land, but he has also subtly equipped it for the computer age, with outlets geared for total system sychronization throughout the building. This home is wired for communication and sound within and without. Motion detectors provide security, and - naturally - the house is energy efficient. Stevens designed a clever system of air circulation that takes advantage of the fact that the lower level is partly encased in granite. Interior fans force cool air from the downstairs up, creating a comfortable overall temperture, and often eliminating the need for air conditioning. During the day, the spacious home utilizes natural light beautifully. "At night the house is a whole other animal," Dennis laughs, pointing out the 253 small, recessed warm lights and subtly placed spotlights postioned throughout the interior. The special lighting enhances the atmosphere and reinforces the sense of movement in the home. CLIFFSIDE... AS NATURAL AS A ROCK OUTCROPPING What does Robie Springs mean to Idaho? It is an opportunity to show the world that homes and nature can exist harmoniously when approached with conscientious design and respect for the land. Walking the sage-sprinkled hills at Robie Springs and listening to Stevens explain his vision, you realize the world would be radically different if all builders had a similar philosophy. As other wilderness areas of the American West deal with expanding population and housing development, Idaho's Robie Springs will be a model of how this growth should be approached. His mentor, Frank Lloyd wright, was 70 years of age when he built his landmark house, Falling Water, in Pennsylvania. Stevens smiles as he points that out: "So I figure I'm just getting started." Indeed, he looks nowhere near retirement, and after decades of acclaimed design for houses, office buildings, and hotels in the MidWest, Florida, and exotic Jamaica, Stevens is very much at home walking the hills of Robie Springs. Something unique is happening up there. It's about pioneering. It's about environmentally aware, habitational design. It's about a master's legacy. And a love affair with the land.