Little Prince - sad news for sleuths

[pahonu]

Here are the views from the side, next to the neighboring property and the rear, facing the alley.  These facades have minimal window openings reflecting the close proximity of the neighbor to the side and across the alley.  The facades previously posted show more fenestration taking advantage of the long views.  The neighbor to the side is just 6 feet away and the alley to the rear is just 15 feet across to the rear of the neighboring homes facing the next street over.  The vents upstairs on the side open to the two bathrooms.  The windows with iron grills on the rear face the rear alley,

 

Edited February 3, 2019 by pahonu

[pahonu]

Here are some other possible configurations for the courtyard besides the mashrabiya.  The first one, along with the windows on the opposite wall of the upstairs family room, creates an open loggia not unlike a ryad.  I prefer the simpler upstairs balcony with the column separating the doors on the first floor as shown in the lower pic.

Edited February 3, 2019 by pahonu

[pahonu]

I found dimensioned floor plans in the files.

 

 

Edited February 4, 2019 by pahonu

[pahonu]

jpm,

Did you ever work on a model with your changes?

I found a couple of other cool details in the files that weren't in the final model he presented.  Don't know why?

[jpaul1]

my 'changes' were 'eye sighted'. i don't plan to buy that house, nor try to sell it . but all your posts are very interesting. i'm not into millimetric measuring, i'm into creativity observation

[pahonu]

On 2/19/2019 at 11:03 AM, jpm1 said:

my 'changes' were 'eye sighted'. i don't plan to buy that house, nor try to sell it . but all your posts are very interesting. i'm not into millimetric measuring, i'm into creativity observation

[pahonu]

I wasted a bunch of time and added more detail to my model of 42 Star Island.  It could have been restored and remodeled into a beautiful home. 

I selected the yellow as a nice contrast to the white trim.  It could be any of the colors you see in structures along the Mediterranean like the picture of Portofino I've included.  It could also be white like it was but an alternate trim color would be desirable.  I never cared for the white tile roof, preferring the traditional terracotta, so that's what I included.

I doubt the original colors of the home back in 1924 were all white.  White tile roofs do exist in the Mediterranean which is the inspiration for this home.  In fact, the style of architecture is called Mediterranean Revival.  It seems likely the body of the house was some other color with white trim, windows, columns, etc... so that's what I modeled.  Over the years, everything was just painted white, no contrast, no depth.  An architect designed home of this scale would not have been completed like that.  I've also noticed in looking carefully at some photos that not only were the 3rd floor porch and front galleries closed in, but also some windows at various spots.  The patches can be seen in some photos.  This was all likely done when air conditioning arrived in the post-war years.  

I've added a picture that shows a window of the master bedroom closed in and the AC added next to it.

Edited May 3, 2019 by pahonu

[pahonu]

I few closer up

 

[vicegirl85]

Amazing!

[Matt5]

Very impressive work. Love the link into Cinque Terre in Italy.

[Kladdagh]

Wow ... Just WOW ... Impressive ... 

[pahonu]

Thanks all for the compliments.  By the way, the pool house in the final photo is completely made up by me.  I looked at some records and the original house was built in 1923/24 with the garage/service spaces remodeled a year or two later.  Both designs were by Walter Degarmo.  A dated phot shows that the enclosure of many spaces was done by the 1950's with the arrival of AC, I don't know by whom.  The pool and addition adjacent to the pool in the most recent photos was done some time after MV filmed there because they are not present in 1984.  I also have no clue who designed them.  I liked the pool design and location so included it in my model, but not the other structure connecting to the house.  I decided to make my own freestanding pool house.  It contains a guest suite upstairs, a bath and changing room, and pool equipment room downstairs.  There are two servant rooms and bathrooms over the garage in my model, which were later converted into an apartment including the three garage bays.  Again, I have no information about who or when.  

I've said it before, but I have to repeat it.  These structures could have been restored and remodeled into a stunning home rather than torn down for the monstrosity that replaced it. 

 

Edited May 5, 2019 by pahonu

[pahonu]

I found a drawing in an architectural style book showing something like 42 Star Island and a likely original color scheme.

It has the shallow pitched tile hipped roof with bracketed overhangs.  It also includes classical columns and the arch along with a stucco exterior.  It has the balustrade in front of the lower left casements and a belt course under the second floor windows.  Even the chimney top is similar to Star Island.  There is the Palladian motif at the entry and decorative plaques above it.  These are all present at 42 Star Island  Even the years it was popular fit with its construction in 1924.

[jpaul1]

#46 Star island looks a lot to #42

 

[pahonu]

Here's some more views of the home inspired by the detailing of the nearby Villa Vizcaya.  This could have been such an incredible restoration rather than a tear down.

Edited September 19, 2019 by pahonu

[pahonu]

I put some furniture in a few rooms in my model for fun.  I included the living room, dining room, library, and master dressing room.

[mjcmmv]

That's really cool, pahonu!  Thanks for posting this! 

[miamijimf]

Cool, appreciate the post.  You should look at the movie - Nobody’s Perfekt (correct spelling of title) with Gabe Kaplan and Alex Karras (released August 1981)  It can be found on ebay or Amazon for just a few dollars.  This movie and the Vice  episode described below probably provide the only existing looks at the inside of this classic mansion, 42 Star Is Dr.. The movie gives you a more complete look, furniture, rooms etc than the Vice episode.

[pahonu]

2 minutes ago, miamijimf said:

Cool, appreciate the post.  You should look at the movie - Nobody’s Perfekt (correct spelling of title) with Gabe Kaplan and Alex Karras (released August 1981)  It can be found on ebay or Amazon for just a few dollars.  This movie and the Vice  episode described below probably provide the only existing looks at the inside of this classic mansion, 42 Star Is Dr.. The movie gives you a more complete look, furniture, rooms etc than the Vice episode.

Awesome, thanks!  I’ll take a look.  I found some brief glimpses of the interior and the owners from the early 80’s in a news story about the neighboring house being owned by Rastafarians.

[miamijimf]

13 hours ago, pahonu said:

Awesome, thanks!  I’ll take a look.  I found some brief glimpses of the interior and the owners from the early 80’s in a news story about the neighboring house being owned by Rastafarians.

Great, let us know if you find the movie useful.

[Matt5]

1 hour ago, miamijimf said:

Great, let us know if you find the movie useful.

Thanks Jim I never knew about this movie I will check it out also. I enjoyed your "The Perez Family" (1995) recommendation highlighting the Orange Bowl and North Beach in Miami as well as starring the very beautiful Marisa Tomei.

[miamijimf]

Ya Nobody’s Perfekt is hardly a great movie but captures a number of classic Miami Vice sites in 1981.

[pahonu]

On 11/21/2019 at 8:05 AM, miamijimf said:

Great, let us know if you find the movie useful.

I saw it today and did show me a few new details of 42 Star Island, thanks!

It showed the library/office at the end of the dining room in more detail than in Little Prince.  It was depicted as a billiard room but with bookshelves.  It has been altered since Walter DeGarmo’s original design.  I’ll comment on that in more detail later.

[pahonu]

Hey Jim,

In watching the movie I was able to see some of the changes to 42 Star Island over the years.  The top drawing is based on DeGarmo's original plan.  The lower one shows some changes made that I quickly sketched in.

It seems the butler's pantry between the kitchen and dining room was removed.  Most of that space was added to the library/den, making it a bit like a modern, less formal, family room that was linked to the kitchen more closely.  In the movie, it shows a pool table in this new, larger space.  Not having servants cook and serve meals formally diminished the need for a butler's pantry, whose function was to store china, crystal, and silver to be used in dinner service as the food arrived from a cook in the kitchen. 

The upper area highlighted in red became a new glass conservatory/greenhouse type of space connecting the family room to the kitchen.  The lower area in red was enclosed to become a laundry room.  I believe the original laundry space was in the one-story section attached to the garage across the service yard.  Both of these changes reflect a change in function over the decades as live-in servants became less common and newer, less formal ways of living, even among the rich, changed how spaces were used.  New technology made doing laundry much faster and simpler than 100 years ago and the space for doing so became much less.  The room was moved into the house proper as the need for a drying yard and large wash sinks disappeared, to be replaced by a washer and dryer.

Edited November 26, 2019 by pahonu

[pahonu]

Just found this:

https://www.scribd.com/document/135160306/LTC-119-2013-Proposed-Designation-of-42-Island-Dr-as-Historic-Site

 

Edited November 26, 2019 by pahonu