A pair of structures on the banks of the Wye River

Two of the nine projects that make up the Memory Houses.

A timber boat house and a concrete dwelling sit side by side on the banks of the river, like an old married couple . . . individuals with their own physical identities and personalities, yet irrevocably connected. The dwelling looks towards life—towards the winery on the top of the hill. The boathouse looks towards death—towards the Light House situated across the river.

Within the House for a Widow’s austere concrete shell, a stacked wood assembly serves as a cabinet of curiosities, providing storage for a lifetime’s collection of objects while also defining rooms for living. The structure of the boathouse resembles the wooden frame of an upside-down boat hull. Mirrored within the boathouse is a suspended 25’ Hooper Island Draketail workboat. Each morning and evening, the widow lowers the boat into the water to make the journey across the river for the tending of the Light House.

Design: Robert Hutchison, 1996, 2016
Drawings: Sharon Fung, Marika Meinen, Hillary Pritchett
Models: Xiaoxi Jiao, Jackie Hensy, Siyu Qu, Kejia Zhang, Wenjing Zhang
Visualizations: Tristan Walker
Location: Wye River, Wye Mills, MD
Model: Blackened Steel Base (fabricated by Dovetail Contractors), Cast Concrete, Painted Wood
Boat Model: Scale model and drawing of 35' Draketail Workboat provided by Garry Cerrone
Drawings: Pencil on Trace
Photography: Mark Woods Photography

Sources: Eastern Shore Maryland Boat Shed + Marine Railway + Stacked Timber Boat Props + Eastern Shore Draketail Workboat