San Diego House: 2015 BoY Winner for Piéce de Résistance
When it comes to collecting, there’s the thrill of the hunt—and the joy of showing off the trophy. Such pleasure is built right into this garage by Steven Harris. At 2,500 square feet, it’s as large as the house above, also by Harris with interiors by Lucien Rees Roberts. That’s because the owners, a family therapist and his real-estate agent partner, needed that much space to store their extensive collection of vintage Porsches.
A stucco wall at street level offers little hint of what’s behind. When the garage door rolls up, however, a hint is revealed: a surprisingly elegant car elevator. It descends one level to reach a 70-foot-long tunnel with a red Porsche sign running across one wall. At the end is the garage proper, containing its candy-colored autos.
Perhaps in homage to the steering wheel or the tire, circles are a recurring theme. Porthole windows form rows in the poured-in-place concrete wall facing the Pacific, while industrial-chic round fluorescent ceiling fixtures glow after dark. With a nod to fabled dealerships past, Harris—a fellow Porsche collector—also installed a steel turntable to eliminate the need for reversing down the tunnel.
“You can use a remote control to activate the turntable from the house’s front hall,” he says. “There’s even a glass panel in the floor there, through which you can view the revolving car. Great party trick!”
Project Team: Steven Harris Architects: Tommy Lee White. Rees Roberts + Partners: David Kelly; Lane Lamerson.
