cover image Powerhouse: The Life and Work of Judith Chafee

Powerhouse: The Life and Work of Judith Chafee

Christopher Domin and Kathryn McGuire. Princeton Architectural, $50 (272p) ISBN 978-1-61689-717-8

Architects Domin (Paul Rudolph: Florida Houses) and McGuire provide an overdue examination of the life and career of architect Judith Chafee (1932–1998) in this rich monograph, chronologically revealing the evolution of her work. Chafee grew up in Tuscon, Ariz., where she explored the arroyos, visited family friends and acquaintances such as Margaret Sanger and Frank Lloyd Wright, and learned how to make adobe bricks. Through these experiences, she would later become known “for her finely tuned buildings carefully situated in iconic desert landscapes” and her blending of modernism with indigenous materials and environmental concerns. She attended Yale School of Architecture as the only woman in her class; after studying and working with Walter Gropius, Philip Johnson, and Edward Larrabee Barnes, Chafee returned to Arizona, where in the 1970s and ’80s she designed such residential landmarks as Ramada House, Riveschi Residence, and Russell-Randolph Residence, all revealing a “celebration of living in the desert.” Domin and McGuire display gorgeous photos and floor plans of each of the houses they cover. Insightful and illuminating, this illustrated volume serves as an excellent overview and analysis of the environmentally conscious Chafee and her innovative work. (Oct.)