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ArchDC Summer 2017.qxp_Summer 2017 5/24/17 10:48 AM Page 39

View from the dining area toward the main living area.

the street. The lack of large windows in front hints at the preemi- This is a modest house—nothing like the thousands-of-square-feet
nence of the view to the rear, but this isn’t an example of a house extravaganzas that increasingly dominate the Chesapeake and
turning its back on the street and its neighbors. Individual glass other waterfront locations.
blocks are scattered across the walls, an abstract ornamentation On the reactions of neighbors and friends to the house: “The
honoring the street, glinting in the light, and providing hints of biggest compliment to me is how many people say how comfortable
movement within. The effect is a friendly welcome, especially the house is.” The site previously had an aging tract house on it,
at night when they glow like candles. from a stock floor plan that was a remarkably bad choice for the
On the program of the house: “The narrative that mattered site, considering that most windows looked away from the water
the most,” said Dynerman, “is that we host a big New Year’s Eve view. “The best views were from the utility room!” marveled
party and sleepover each year.” This involves two couples, each Dynerman. As part of the larger effort to clean up the Chesapeake
with children, who come from afar (New Mexico and Paris). The Bay, the state of Maryland has very strict limits on waterfront
children bring a joyful mess that Dynerman sought to contain. The development. “Replacing or renovating an existing structure is almost
lower level was designed for this in particular, with the family a necessity,” noted Dynerman, if one wishes to avoid literally years
room space becoming the toy-strewn playroom. “It’s complete of permit reviews.
chaos down there at New Year’s Eve,” said Dynerman of the lower The house is near the end of a dead-end street, on which only the
level, “and I love it all because I don’t have to see it.” It also last three houses are waterfront structures. The rest are middle-class
works, of course, for visits of the Dynermans’ friends and adult suburban/exurban houses of average character scattered on fairly
children, although with less need for containment of messes. ordinary, if pleasantly wooded and generously sized, lots. The
But the house couldn’t feel empty during those times when Dynermans’ house is different—one of the new neighbors interpreted
just the Dynermans are in residence, which is the majority of the the glass blocks as an indication that it’s a church, and then was
time. The main living spaces are open and informal. They and the surprised to meet the owners, gardening like regular people—but
master suite are graciously sized but by no means extravagant. it has become part of the community.

A HOUSE OF ONE’S OWN 39