A Streamlined ADU in Texas Pays Homage to Midcentury Architecture

On a recent evening in Denton, Texas, Anthony Marks and his partner placed a projector and screen in front of the new 672-square-foot guest house in their backyard. A dozen or so people spread around the adjacent pool deck and watched Young Frankenstein against the backdrop of the boxy, broad-roofed structure.

It wasn’t the large unveiling party the couple had planned prior to the pandemic, but the accessory dwelling unit (ADU) was indeed designed with company in mind. Anthony and his partner live in a modern limestone and redwood house built in the late 1940s by local design luminaries Ray Gough and Roland Laney. But since the house has only two bedrooms—one of which is used as an office—their frequent weekend guests were often subjected to an air mattress.

"At first, we considered simply adding on to the main house," says Anthony, "but given its history and local significance, we decided to honor its architectural integrity and build a guest house instead." 

The couple hired Michael Gooden, a Denton native and principal of M Gooden Design, for the project. The idea was to build a patio, a pool, and the ADU on a five-foot planning grid (hence the name, Five House) that complemented their main home.

"We wanted to pay homage to the house, but not copy it exactly," says Anthony. Gooden, who worked with project architect Kevan Russell, describes the design as "a reinterpretation of how the original architects might have approached the new build seventy years later."

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Passing through the ADU’s private gate, you’re first struck by the large sloping roof, with its five-foot cantilevered extension on the west side, facing the pool. A series of angled metal columns then draws your eye down to the large side patio, covered by another overhang. "There is an arrival sequence and approach to the unit that gives guests a sense of anticipation, delivering an expression of architecture that is both familiar and unique," says Gooden.

Five House also appears to float above the ground, a result of the foundation’s being placed on a five-foot incline that runs east to west. River rocks around the dwelling’s perimeter add to this effect, while tall trees and a luxuriant landscape heighten the sense of its being suspended in nature. 

Inside the structure, wood finishes pop against black elements like the kitchen backsplash, lighting fixtures, and dining table, while tapered furniture legs, a platform bed, and geometric pendants maintain an updated midcentury theme. 

Since its completion last spring, Five House has allowed the couple to host overnight guests at a safe remove, and it has been the centerpiece of a few socially distant backyard gatherings. "Eventually, when the pandemic is over—and it will be, someday, right?—we hope to use Five House as a way to bring family, friends, and neighbors together as often as we can," says Anthony. 

Project Credits:

Architecture: M Gooden Design

Construction: Larson Construction (adam7@hotmail.com)

Structural Engineering: BC Structural Engineers (steven_bai@hotmail.com) 

 Woodwork: Affinity Custom Woodwork (customww@aol.com)