“We weren’t just building it for ourselves,” says Jerry (who prefers to use his first name) of this capacious modern house in Kittery Point that he owns with his wife, Connie. “This could go on for another hundred years.” Jerry is referring to the five generations of his family who have been summering on these shores since his paternal grandfather and a friend made the trek from Boston to rough it at a small, one-bedroom cottage a century ago.

That house has been revamped since, but Jerry remembers it as sleeping up to 14 people at times. Some 60 years ago, the family bought more land and put up another house. And 25 years ago Jerry and Connie purchased the parcel next to that and worked with Paul Bonacci and Lucy Schlaffer of ARQ Architects and with Chase Construction to erect a third home, this one a two-part structure connected by a breezeway, with public spaces in one building, sleeping quarters in the other. 

When another lot became available a few years ago, its magnificent viewshed—across a marsh to the Isles of Shoals, Seapoint Beach, and Crescent Beach—proved irresistible. The couple purchased that property and once again contracted ARQ and Chase to build them yet another house.

“This parcel was even more dynamic than the rest of them,” recalls Bonacci. The lot presented challenges, however, mainly in the form of setbacks from the wetlands and the ocean. “We had a very small footprint on which we could build.” 

Not an easy feat, especially considering their clients’ desires. “I wanted a showstopper,” Connie remembers telling Bonacci and Schlaffer, adding that, since they live most of the year in California, they lean toward a more contemporary aesthetic. “I didn’t want it to stand out as overtly modern, or to be the odd one on the block,” Connie says. But, adds Jerry, “We weren’t interested in building something colonial.” 

“They really liked that we had this strong idea for the other house, of separate living and sleeping areas,” says Bonacci, “so we started with a more segmented plan. But, with Jerry’s suggestion, we explored a curved facade to exploit the views better.” 

Jerry, an engineer by training, was deeply involved in every aspect of the design. The curved wall was the first of many ideas he offered but also the one that presented the greatest challenges for almost every member of the team. “All the steel I-beams had to be specially fabricated,” recalls builder Barry Chase of Chase Construction. “They act as headers and supports for the roof. It’s pretty unusual for a residential project to have a curve. And when you have so much glass and an open concept, you need that support.” Though the generous fenestration itself would not be curved, the framing for all those windows had to be specially engineered to the bend of the double-height wall.

The ramifications of this choice cannot be underestimated. It affected everything, from copper flashing that had to conform to the curve to custom boxes to conceal window shades that had to be built from scratch by the Webhannet Company, Chase’s woodshop. It also impacted the work of landscape designer Soren deNiord. “Working with the curved geometry of the house and the radial terrace took a lot of precision,” he says.

Aesthetically, observes Bonacci, “It’s not trying to be more modern or more traditional New England.” So, although the overall shape is rectilinear in a contemporary way, he explains, “It’s modest in some ways that make it typically New England—its detailing and massing—so the experience of nature and the place is what stands out. It also has a simple palette outside, of its stone foundation and hemlock siding, and inside, an abbreviated palette of maple and basswood, all with clear, light grains.”

But a traditional peaked roof would have made the structure feel massive, Bonacci explains. “The flat roof allowed us to have pretty tall heights on both floors inside.” This means, Schlaffer adds, “Every big room has a big view. It still creates a sense of awe, very welcoming and dramatic,” without being obvious from the approach. “The rectilinear massing on the front is subdued.” Further dissimulating size are specimen trees deNiord selected that will break up the tall facade when they top out at about 25 feet.

DeNiord also worked with ARQ to orient the building more directly toward the view. The previous structure on this land had been rotated about 30 degrees away from that panorama. Picking up on the exterior materials palette, deNiord designed retaining walls on the front of the house to contain native plantings and other walls at the entry, all reminiscent of the granite walls of area farms. Finally, he designed a “refined woodland garden, because the house emerges from an oak forest.” Blueberry sod, bunchberry, and hay-scented ferns surround the residence. On the ocean side, deNiord recently completed planting a pollinator meadow, and he installed outdoor illumination that creates “pools of light so they’re not looking out at only darkness through the glazing of the windows.” 

Many of Jerry’s recommendations were implemented throughout the project. The firepit, for instance, was originally going to be sunk into the patio. But he realized that this would mean someone would inevitably have their back to the spectacular ocean views. Instead, a custom firepit now straddles the stairs leading from the terrace to the backyard, so that everyone can enjoy the cozy flames and the view beyond them.

Because they entertain not only themselves but also two daughters with spouses and children of their own, as well as extended family staying in the other houses, functionality was paramount. The kitchen thus accommodates both induction and gas ranges to cater to people’s different cooking preferences. Jerry asked that one of the two islands be on wheels, the better to meet the needs of various-sized groups. “It can turn 90 degrees to make it a ‘T’ or an ‘L’ shape,” says Jerry, “or the islands can be put next to each other to make one long counter.” He also worked with Chase on lots of custom-built furniture, such as bureaus with pull-out desk surfaces so folks can work from the house when necessary, multifunctional tables that can be pulled together for dining, and headboards throughout the four bedrooms. 

Of course, where there are crowds of people, there is also noise. So another challenge for Chase was to build a ceiling of spaced basswood slats that would absorb sound. “Each piece had to be made and placed individually,” remembers Chase, and lighting recessed into the spacing.

It was a three-year undertaking, all of it aiming toward a single goal. “It’s a gathering place for a tight, multigenerational family where over 100 members with only a great-grandfather in common can come and get to know each other,” explains Jerry. That makes this house one that is not only physically generous but also large and long of vision. It’s easy to imagine it here a hundred years from now.