Steinmetz studio with ralph Twitchell

The photography studio for Joseph Steinmetz, built along a residential street near downtown Sarasota, is an example of Twitchell and Rudolph's construction and design methods used in a conventional suburban context. Low and compact, it is innovative though not fully resolved, lacking the expansive character of the beach houses. Here, space is focused inward and natural light tightly controlled as befits a photography studio and darkroom. The side walls extend to the front property line, interrupting the typical pattern of suburban grassed front yards while creating a protected semicourt area at the front of the building. The cantilevered cypress beams and wooden joist roof structure create a protective cover over the sidewalk as a gesture to the public realm, while extending the building's horizontality.