Rocio Romero - Triangle Modernist Houses - Documenting, Preserving, Promoting Residential Modern Architecture

Enjoy browsing, but unless otherwise noted, these houses are private property and closed to the public -- so don't go tromping around uninvited.

View slides from Romero's 2011 presentation at the NCSU College of Design. It was filmed as well, but the video malfunctioned and did not properly record.

ROCIO GARCIA ROMERO (1971-)

Romero grew up in Chile. She received a Bachelors of Architecture from UC-Berkeley in 1993 and a Masters of Architecture from the Southern California Institute of Architecture in 1999. Before starting her own design firm Rocio Romero LLC in Perryvile MO in 2001, she worked for Guthrie+Buresh, Eric Rosen, Matias Klotz, and Space International.

Romero's prefab homes are affordable, easily built, and highly customizable. They contain the exterior shell and can be delivered anywhere. The Laguna Verde (LV) series uses traditional construction materials and techniques so any General Contractor can build it. In contrast to most prefab, where major pieces are factory-assembled, this is a gigantic erector set. Her biography lists a staggering amount of media articles reflecting a tremendous national interest in her work. Her website, which in contrast to many design firms is navigable, contains extensive detail on each model.

These are the best PR shots of an architect, ever. Frank DiPiazza took the photos, brilliant juxtapositions of fruit, flowers, furniture, Kennedy, and Nixon around Rocio Romero and her husband Cale Bradford.

2000 - The Romero Vacation House, aka LV Prototype, Laguna Verde, Chile. 960 sf. Commissioned 1999. Designed for her parents, it was her first prefab.

2003 - The Rocio Romero and Cale Bradford House, 1799 PCR 810, Perryville MO. 1150 sf. Photo by Aaron Eisenhaur. This was house #2.

2003 - The Fish Camp House Prototype, 1799 PCR 810, Perryville MO. 312 sf. Located on Romero's property.

2004 - The Marian Anderson House, South Haven MI. Located as part of 7 acres overlooking Lake Michigan. Used as an artist's studio.

2005 - The Jennifer Watson and Barry Bless Vacation House, aka Luminhaus, 336 Forks of Buffalo Rd, Amherst VA. 6.2 acres. They were Romero's first paying customers for the LV Home, which they built themselves along with friends and local contractors for just under $100,000. Top two photos by Steve Rapport, bottom by Jennifer Watson. Was on the market 2006-2007. Available for rental.

Bless and Watson were thinking about starting a 30-acre vacation community with one of every modern prefab home on the market. The rentals would allow potential buyers to test out a prefab home before taking the plunge. Anyone know if that happened?

Dec 2004 - The Shane and Holly Thompson House, Crestwood area of St Louis MO. They purchased an LV kit. Unsure if it was built. By this point, Romero had sold three other LVLs and six LVs, according to the Riverfront Times.

Year - The Chris and Beth House, Gardiner NY.

2006 - The Gregg Schultz House, 90 Welsh Hollow Lane, Sperryville VA. 1200 sf. For sale in 2011.

2006 - The James and Rui House, 28 Levesque Road (Route 236), Eliot ME. LVL model.

2007 - 4645 Handy Road, Clinton WA. On Whidbey Island. 1190 sf. 11 acres. For sale in 2011.

2008 - The Vacation House, aka the Michael and Aaron House, aka the Copper House, aka Casa Solariega, Tucson AZ. Available for rental.

2007 - The Dan Edmonds-Chris Waters House, Pope Valley CA. 48 acres. Available for rental.

2008 - The Joe and Jeanne Marie Spezia House, 4827 Theiss Road, St. Louis MO. 1453 sf. Top two photos by Toby Weiss; bottom photo by Joanna Linsley.

2008 - The Matthew and Allison Meek House, Gallatin NY. 1453 sf. LVL Model.

2008 - The Andrew and Arlette Parker House, 19942 Valley View Drive,
Topanga Canyon CA. Was on the market for two years. Sold in August 2011.

2009 - The Darvin (Dar) and Rebecca Kuehl House, 607 North M-553, Sands Township, Marquette MI.

Year - The Sara and Peter House, California.

Around 2010 - The Oliver and Siara Berkeley House, Kootenay Lake Village,
Nelson BC, Canada. LVL model. 1453 sf.

2011 - The Steve Rapport House, aka the Minnie House, 451 Talbot Avenue, Pacifica CA. An LV model. The site architect was Ben Hidalgo and the contractor was SEA Construction. Photos by Steve Rapport.

Sources include: Donna Williams, ABC News, St. Louis Magazine, VOX Magazine, Steve Rapport's blog, Luminhaus.