NICARAGUA PART TWO

IN THE EARLY SUMMER OF 1999 WHEN I RETURNED TO SLEEPY OREGON TO WORK ON THE HOTEL PRELIMINARIES, I WAS IN HEAVEN. MY RECENT WORKS IN OREGON WERE HOUSES AND AN ART GALLERY. NICARAGUA WAS THE OPPORTUNITY TO BUILD AT A LARGER SCALE IN A MANNER THAT REFLECTED MY SENSUOUS INTERESTS. I THREW A DINNER PARTY AT MY TEMPORARY RENTAL HOUSE ON THE FOURTH OF JULY TO SHOW MY FRIENDS WHAT I WAS DOING IN NICARAGUA. WALDPORT, SEALROCK, NEWPORT OREGON IS ALL ABOUT BEAUTIFUL SCENERY AND PEOPLE WITH LIMITED VISION. SO MY STORIES OF NICARAGUA WERE FAR OFF FANTASIES.

PETER HOLSTEAD HOTEL: FIRST FLOOR MODEL

 

PETER HOLSTEAD HOTEL MODEL. ROOF PARTIALLY REMOVED TO SEE FRAMING SYSTEM TYP.

 

PETER HOLSTEAD HOTEL: HANGING OUT PEOPLE AREA

 

PETER HOLSTEAD HOTEL: GROUND FLOOR AND SITE PLAN

 

PETER HOLSTEAD HOTEL: SECOND FLOOR

 

PETER HOLSTEAD HOTEL: DINING AREA

 

PETER HOLSTEAD HOTEL: DINING AND SERVICE

 

I WAS IN SEARCH OF THE PERFECT MATE, PLAYING THE STOCK MARKET, AND DEVELOPING THE NICARAGUA PRELIMINARIES. A TRIPLE THREAT OF DOWNSIDE DISASTERS THAT I WAS OBLIVIOUS TO.

THE MATE THING WAS CONFUSING, BECAUSE I AM CAPABLE OF LOVING MANY WOMEN. LIKE IN THE MOVIE SHAMPOO, WHERE WARREN BEATTY, THE MACHO HAIR DRESSER, CONFESSES TO FALLING FOR ALL THE BEAUTIFUL WOMEN WHEN HE DOES THEIR HAIR. I FIND THEM SO DESIRABLE AND CAN RELATE TO THEIR WORLDS EASILY. I HAVE A POSITIVE SELL THAT MAKES ME ATTRACTIVE AND INTERESTING SO I FELL IN LOVE EASILY AND BECOME DISTORTED AND CONFUSED WHEN THE LOVES DISCOVERED MY PASSION FOR ARCHITECTURE AND MY BLATANT HONESTY. THE U.S. WOMEN THAT I AM ATTRACTED TO ARE SELF SUFFICIENT, SO THEY BOLT AT THE LEAST SIGN OF DISCOMFORT. I HAVE TOLERANCE AND STAYING POWER TO MAKE A RELATIONSHIP WORK. I WENT INTO MOURNING WHEN A SERIES OF WOMEN LEFT ME THAT I HAD FALLEN FOR. THIS WAS ALL NEW TO ME, BECAUSE I WAS THE ONE THAT USUALLY LEFT A RELATIONSHIP. WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND AND I ACTED LIKE A SCHOOL BOY LOSING HIS FIRST LOVE. MY ADULT KIDS WERE BEWILDERED THAT THEIR DAD COULD BEHAVE IN SUCH A CHILDISH WAY, BUT ROMANCE IS THE SAME AT ANY AGE. ALL THOSE GREAT SONGS IN DIFFERENT LANGUAGES TELL THE COMMON STORY OF A JILTED LOVER HEARING “HIT THE ROAD JACK AND DON’T COME BACK NO MORE NO MORE.”

I SET UP DESKS WITH HOLLOW CORE DOORS AND SAW HORSES IN MY LIVING ROOM AND USED A TEAM TO ASSIST ME, COMPOSED OF A HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT, MY DAUGHTER YASMINA, BRANDY MY SON’S LOVE, BOB KOLOWSKY A COMPUTER MAN AND BRIAN HANNA ARCHITECT, MY EX WIFE’S HUSBAND WHO I CALL SAINT BRIAN. I USED THE LOCAL DRIED GRASS FOR MODEL MATERIAL. WE WERE IN A TIME SQUEEZE TO MEET THE RENDEZVOUS DATES.

ERIK, MY SON, MADE ELABORATE CRAFTED PLYWOOD CARRYING BOXES TO TAKE THE MODELS ON THE PLANE WHEN I TRAVELED. THE EXQUISITE BOXES COUPLED WITH THE DESIGNS IMPRESSED THE AIRLINE ATTENDANTS AND CLIENTS, AND SUFFERED NO DAMAGE. ALL PRE 911.

PETER HOLSTEAD SITE PLAN, HOTEL AND VILLAGE

 

WEAVING AT VILLAGE SCALE

 

PETER HOLSTEAD VILLAGE

 

MY FIRST STOP WAS NEW YORK CITY TO DROP OFF THE BROCHURE AND MODELS TO PETER HOLSTEAD. THE LAST MAJOR PUSH OF BROCHURE WORK DONE AT KINKO’S IN BOSTON.

PETER HAD A NEW YORK BANKER CONNECTION THAT HE WANTED TO SELL THE HOTEL, VILLAGE AND DESTINATION POINT SENARIO TO. FOR YEARS PETER HAD GREAT HOPES TO MARKET THE PROJECT AND TRIED TO DO SO WITH NO LUCK .THE CONVERSATIONS WITH HIM WERE FULL OF HOPE AND JUST ABOUT TO BE FUNDED. THERE WERE SQUATTERS ON HIS LAND AS WELL THAT HE SPENT YEARS LEGALLY FIGHTING. A COMMON TALE IN NICARAGUA WHERE THE LAND IS NOT USED AND SQUATTERS HAVE RIGHTS.

HERTY HOTEL FROM THE BEACH: PARTIAL REMOVAL OF ROOF TO SEE FRAMING

 

HERTY LEWITES HOTEL: AERIAL, OCEAN SIDE

 

HERTY LEWITES HOTEL: AERIAL, ENTRY SIDE

 

HERTY LEWITES HOTEL: SECOND FLOOR

 

HERTY LEWITES HOTEL: CROSS SECTION

 

BY THE POOL

 

HERTY LEWITES HOTEL: THE ENTRY

 

HERTY LEWITES HOTEL: GROUND FLOOR PLAN

 

THE NEXT PUSH WAS A TRIP TO NICARAGUA TO PRESENT THE HERTY HOTEL. ALL WENT WELL, BUT NEITHER PETER NOR HERTY HAD ANY FINANCING TO BUILD. THE COUNTRY WAS GEARING UP FOR ELECTIONS AND THERE WAS AN UNCERTAINTY ABOUT INVESTING WITH POLITICAL UNREST.

HERTY ENDED UP SELLING THE HOTEL LAND TO THE ARMY FOR A RETREAT. THE LAST MEETING I HAD WAS WITH SOME MONEY CRUNCHER FOR THE ARMY THAT HAD NO IDEA OF THE SENSITIVITY OF THE DESIGN NOR HOW TO IMPLEMENT THE CONSTRUCTION. IT WAS A SHAME THAT HE HAD THE BEAUTIFUL MODEL IN HIS POSSESSION.

HENRY LEWITES HOTEL BEACH

 

PETER HOTEL AND VILLAGE BEACH

 

SO WHAT WAS LEARNED? A BUNCH OF STUFF ABOUT TROPICAL HOTELS. THE DESIGNS CATCHING THE EYES OF OTHER ARCHITECTS, AND GIVING MEANING TO SENUOUS FORMS . THE BOTTOM LINE IS I MADE INROADS INTO NICARAGUA.

I RETURNED TO THE STATES WAITING FOR THE NEXT CALL FROM ROGER. HERTY HIS UNCLE WAS RUNNING A CAMPAIGN FOR THE MAYOR OF MANAGUA AND ROGER WAS HIS RIGHT HAND MAN.

NICARAGUA TO BE CONTINUED.

4 comments

  1. Glen
    Love the Nicaragua work, my favourite piece of yours there is the colon rotunda.
    I recently saw the documentary your daughter produced and really enjoyed it. I was captivated by your biomorphic biosphere idea and think you should do a full post on the blog about it. Some things i’d question is how does it manage to work above a living ecosystem when it would be reducing the light coming into that system, and possibly be contaminated from building run off, and how does it compare to the modern idea of the vertical farm tower eg: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vertical_farming
    Anyway, keep up the blog it is great!
    Richard

    • RICHARD THANKS FOR THE REPLY,

      IT HAS BEEN VERY QUIET RECENTLY, THE READERSHIP HAS STAYED CONSISTENT ABOUT 1,500 READS A DAY SPIKING TO OVER 2,000 SOME DAYS,

      I AM JUST WARMING UP ON NICARAGUA, AND WILL SHOW THE RECENT PROJECTS IN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS. THEN JUMP TO THE BIOMORPHIC BIOSPHERE WHICH IS A BOOK .

      I AM ESTABLISHING THAT I BUILD BUILDINGS, SO WHEN I GET TO THE BIOMORPHIC BIOSPHERE I WILL NOT BE CAST OFF AS JUST A DREAMER.

      I WOULD MAKE A LOUSY SCIENCE FICTION WRITER, BECAUSE I DO NOT PROJECT BEYOND WHAT I THINK IS POSSIBLE. MANY OF THE THE THINGS I ADDRESSED 45 YEARS AGO WITH THE BIOMORPHIC BIOSPHERE ARE HAPPENING BIG TIME NOW, LIKE COMPUTERIZED BUILDING MACHINES AND KINETIC STRUCTURES. ALL THE NEW SCIENCE THINGS ARE COMING SO FAST THAT IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO STAY CURRENT.

      WHICH BRINGS ME TO THE ADVANCES THAT ARE WAY BEYOND THE GRASS HUTS IN AFRICA, AND DESTROYING SIMPLE NATURAL SYSTEMS THAT WORK. IT IS ALL IN THE NAME OF CIVILIZATION . WHAT A JOKE. ANOTHER BLOG.

      I WILL ANSWER ALL YOUR CONCERNS ON THE BIOMORPHIC BIOSPHERE WHEN I GET THERE.

      KEEP CLOSE AND WRITE MORE,

      GLEN

  2. I’m not sure why but this blog is loading extremely slow for me. Is anyone else having this issue or is it a issue on my end? I’ll check back later and see if the problem still exists.

  3. Hi Glen,
    The design for the village is in itself a study in tropical architecture, the stuctures are sensual and inviting.
    The project for Casares / Rio La Flor is complex and quite extensive, it’s ecological aspirations are challenged by the intensive use of the land, in short – I feel it’s a bit too much for it to be truly ecological. Too many activities, too many attributes, too much building mass for that property.
    I would like to do something simpler, same design principles, just fewer buildings.
    Cheers.

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