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Deep in the woods on the east side of New York’s Hudson River there’s a view. And the view is spectacular. But on a particular property, the view is not one you can see from the house, it’s one you have to be led to. To find. And to find or be shown this view by someone who has found it, is a gift. A gift from experience on the property, the journey, a gift from nature.
And thus standing at the top of this hill, peering out to this view of the Catskill mountains is architect Barry Price and his client. A client who wants to share this view, this space, this moment with his family. To perch out on the hill and become one with the scenery.
“So I said ‘so what? Like a pavilion? Like a deck? What are you thinking?’,” shares Price “And the client says ‘Well I don’t know. You know I think we might want to come in here in the winter…have a glass of wine…’ and it was clear from the beginning that this was something more than just a shade structure.”
And in the end, it is more than just a shade structure. In fact, The Perch is an architect’s “folly.”
“In the history of architecture there’s a thing called a folly,” explains Price. “A folly is when an architect has an opportunity to pursue something that they’re super interested in because the building doesn’t have a specific purpose other than pursuing a particular interest or passion. So from time-to-time you get lucky enough to have a client who gives you an opportunity to go down a worm hole of something that you’re interested in.”
