Mallet House, SITE Architects, 1985

the cover of the apr 14, 1986 issue of new york magazine has the title, special effects, by marilyn bethany, and a full page photo of a greek revival fireplace mantle, with a sculptural but and candelabrum that seems to be receding at an angle into the smooth white plaster wall, but which is actually an element created by SITE architects for Laure Mallet's west village townhouse. the corner of a very thin orange/pink marble table with one white book and a narrow black vase stuffed with poppies or ranunculus spilling out of it juts into the picture from the right edge.
Google Books scan of the cover of New York Magazine, Apr 14, 1986, which features o photo of SITE’s Laurie Mallet House, 1985

Speaking of that 1986 New York Magazine interiors issue with the feature on Willi Smith’s loft, it has another Smith-related project on the cover: the 1820 Greek Revival townhouse in the West Village which SITE renovated for WilliWear president Laurie Mallet. On her website, SITE co-founder Alison Sky said the project was titled, House of Memories, and the elements incorporated into the building were part of or referred to the house’s own history.

sunlight from an upper window hits a staircase and the white plaster wall behind it, which includes a partial plaster mold of a door and frame, receding into the wall. actually there is no door; but there is a black umbrella leaning in front of it. a photo from ny magazine 1986, of SITE's Mallet house, NYC
The way this overlaps the bottom stair shows how far out this plaster cast of another door in the house sits against the party wall. SITE”s Mallet House via NY Mag, Apr 14, 1986

SITE’s other co-founder James Wines has a few photos on his website, but not these. Also he doesn’t call it House of Memories, either. Let’s set that aside because, I gotta say, the NY Mag photos throughout this issue feel weirdly cramped and askew.

a 1986 ny mag photo through a greek revival door frame floating freely after the wall that originally surrounded it has been removed, of a wall of bookshelves with the ghostly plaster casts of the ends of other books against the back, and some fake white plaster books scattered about, all the architectural elements painted white, while the leather butterfly chair in front of the bookcase is black. very dramatic, but tbqh, a weirdly angled photo
Has Rachel Whiteread seen this? Has anyone? SITE’s Mallet House, via NY Mag, Apr 14, 1986

Though this does tell me how the doorframe left behind after a wall was removed relates to the bookshelf with cast plaster book ghosts seeming to poke through the wall from next door. Or did. This real estate listing photo shows the bookcase intact, but not the door.

a compass realtor photo of a white painted dining room in a new york city townhouse with a blue cushioned banquette on the right corner, a round marble table, and a couple of black painted, perriand style rush seat chairs, and two large windows on the back wall. on the left wall, where SITE architects created a ghostly fireplace mantle, candelabrum, and bust that seems to be receding at an angle into the white plaster wall, someone has drawn a whimsical flower arrangement in a vase. to the left of that is an inset shelf painted light blue inside.
I do not own a $6.3 million West Village townhouse that is the only residential project of one of the most fascinating and influential architecture firms of the late 20th century, but I like to think if I did, I wouldn’t tear chunks of it out for my random renovation and draw all over the rest. via realtor

Ok, it’s not Le Corbusier at E-1027, but the current [?] owners clearly did not feel constrained from adding their own paintings to SITE’s design.