A New Perspective

Built in 1980 and the first house designed by Manchester-based architect Dennis Mires as head of his own firm, the midcentury modern’s features have remained intact over the years. The owners’ furniture includes a unique cantilevered coffee table.

Two years ago, when Jordana Pomeroy was appointed CEO and director of the Currier Museum of Art in Manchester, she and her partner, Tom Grasse, moved from Florida to New Hampshire. They considered renting, at least until they became better acquainted with the area, but couldn’t find a place that would accept their two dogs. Buying didn’t hold much promise, either. “Houses just seemed to go on the market and immediately sell,” says Pomeroy, who was leaving her position as director of the Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum at Florida International University in Miami. Although Pomeroy grew up in New York City and has lived in several regions of the U.S., this would be her first stint as a New Englander.

Pomeroy, an art historian, and Grasse, a retired marketing and advertising executive, had their sights set on a house with character. “Tom would come upon midcentury modern houses, but they were snapped up very quickly,” shares Pomeroy, who, as leader of the Currier, oversees the stewardship of two Frank Lloyd Wright houses owned by the museum. One day, their luck turned: “Something really special came on the market,” their realtor told them. “I think you’re going to love it.”

The house, which they did indeed fall in love with and purchased, is in Manchester, just a four-minute commute to Pomeroy’s office. “My father was an architect,” she says, “and I feel like he was sitting on my shoulder, saying, ‘Get that house. That house has merit.’” Naturally, given her background as a researcher, she was curious to learn everything she could about the house’s history. “I called city hall and found out who the original builders were, but there were no plans filed, nor anything about the architect.”

Eventually, the mystery was solved: “This is one of the first houses I designed when I went out on my own in 1980,” says architect Dennis Mires, founder of Manchester-based Dennis Mires P.A., The Architects. “I had a good client.”

That client was graphic designer Paul Jalbert and his wife. Paul’s brother, Marc Jalbert, was the contractor. “They wanted a modest house that fit their needs, and maybe accommodate a guest,” recalls Mires. “They were young, had great taste and were fun to work with.

Glass galore and a stair with open treads enhance the home’s open and airy feeling.

“Paul was a designer, which was a plus,” continues Mires, “and he and his wife were very environmentally conscientious, concerned about solar gain and energy conservation.” For Mires, the commission represented an important opportunity for his young firm. “(The Jalberts) were all for a more contemporary design—they really didn’t want a colonial house. Their mindset was that they wanted it to be different from what they could buy in the marketplace.”

Mires developed a plan that embraced the backyard, orienting the house toward the solar gain on the south side. The core house has a wing on the east and one on the west and offers privacy on the north, street-facing side. In the back, where two-story windows face south, the patio is an extension of the living room. A stair with open treads and an open balcony in the screened porch further enhance the feeling of openness. Skylights in rooms without windows bring in natural light.

When Pomeroy and Grasse saw the house, after viewing a series of run-of-the-mill listings, they were immediately smitten with its midcentury features, such as its clean lines, flat and low-pitched roofs, open floor plan, extensive glazing, split-level layout and a connection to nature.

Pet terriers Boogie and Artie in Tom Grasse’s skylit studio.

“The house hasn’t had a long history of multiple owners, so it hasn’t been modified very much, which is nice from my perspective,” says Mires. Pomeroy agrees, observing that “the house was ‘magic’” just as it was. “We only put up a fence for the dogs and installed new shades.”

They also added some personal touches. Throughout the house, art amassed by Pomeroy and Grasse is prominently displayed. “Tom and I don’t collect intentionally,” says Pomeroy, whose PhD dissertation was on why and what people collected at the turn of the 19th century. “We just pick up stuff we like wherever we go.” Their eclectic pieces range from a sculpture by Frida Baranek, a Brazilian artist and friend, to a painting by Christian Bendayán, a popular artist from the Peruvian Amazon. There are lithographs, photographs, textile collages and even mosaics crafted by Grasse. “It’s not about investment, not about a theme,” says Pomeroy when asked if there’s a premise behind their collecting. “It’s about joy.”

Nearly 50 years after he was commissioned to design the house, Mires is pleased that the current owner seems to be something of a kindred spirit to his original, progressive client. “Jordana appreciates what the house is,” says the architect, “so that’s good.”

RESOURCE

Architect:

Dennis Mires
The Architects
603-625-4548
thearchitects.net