Home Theater
Pb Elemental built a house for two Queen Anne actors to play in. But will there be drama with the neighbors?
Not all neighbors are benignly curious, however. A few months back, before the retractable front door had been installed, a man walking by on the sidewalk stopped in front of PC1. From the street where he stood, he could look all the way back and see Sam in the kitchen. He smiled. Sam smiled back, waved. “Really, what does he want?” says Haizlip. “You can’t get any more neighborly than this.” Then the guy made a fist and extended his thumb toward the sidewalk. Thumbs down.
Passersby often ask the Lais if the building is an office or condo building, even as they see the family sitting at the dining table, or Manny driving his Tonka trucks out front while Angie comes in and out with a stroller in hand and a BabyBjörn strapped to her chest. The truth about PC1 is, some people just don’t get it.
In the end though, when a home is built to push boundaries, the occasional thumbs down just might be a sign that it’s succeeding. “When I think about a project,” says Biddle, “of course I want everyone to love it. But that’s unrealistic. Ultimately the house is for Sam and his family. It explains the lifestyle they want. That’s where you have to leave it.”
Published: February 2009
