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'Something inside me': Architect Bart Prince's unique structures take on a life of their own
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Stepping into Bart Prince鈥檚 home, often referred to as the 鈥渟paceship house鈥� or 鈥淯FO house鈥� by locals, feels like entering another world. Despite its futuristic nickname, Prince himself never calls it that.
鈥淵ou鈥檇 have to ask them why they call it that,鈥� he said with a smile, referring to the tourists who stop by daily.
One of his many other buildings that鈥檚 earned a nickname is the Hight Residence in California, often referred to as the 鈥淲hale House,鈥� for its flowing, organic shape that mirrors the contours of a whale.
'Something inside me': Architect Bart Prince's unique structures take on a life of their own
He said the nicknames are because the unique structures take on a life of their own, like all of Prince鈥檚 creations that capture the imagination of those who encounter it.
As you walk through the so-called spaceship house, surrounded by his intricate models and innovative designs, it鈥檚 clear that each project, like his home, tells a story that goes beyond its original intent.
Pointing to the architectural models surrounding the space, Prince recounts how he had been designing for as long as he could remember.
鈥淎t the age of six, I was building models and making drawings,鈥� he said.
Prince said there wasn鈥檛 any one defining moment or experience that piqued his interest in architecture. It was just something that always felt like second nature to him.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 know any architects, but it was something inside me,鈥� he said.
During his high school years at Highland High School, Prince鈥檚 dedication to architecture became apparent.
鈥淎s soon as I got out of school every day in high school, I immediately went to the construction site of things that were under construction. That鈥檚 where I liked to spend my time,鈥� he said.
His frequent visits caught the attention of a contractor, who gave Prince the opportunity to see his designs come to life.
鈥淥ne contractor kept seeing me all the time and said, 鈥榃hy don鈥檛 I just put you to work?鈥� 鈥� Prince said. 鈥淗e showed me a lot and said, 鈥楥an you design a house to build?鈥� I did. Of course, when I showed it to him, he said, 鈥極h, you have to tone it down a little bit.鈥� 鈥�
Toning his designs down, however, is something Prince refuses to do.
鈥淎 lot of times you鈥檙e criticized for things that are very different,鈥� said Prince. 鈥淵ou鈥檝e got to hang on to your own beliefs.鈥�
After high school, Prince attended Arizona State University, where he earned his Bachelor of Architecture.
After graduating in 1970, he began gaining experience with other architects.
One person he worked with was Bruce Goff, an architect who was based in Kansas City, Missouri.
Later, he worked in Tyler, Texas, before returning to New Mexico to start his own practice in 1973.
Since then, Prince鈥檚 career has taken him everywhere, from designing a new town center in Wales to speaking at schools like Yale, giving lectures in countries such as Japan, Saudi Arabia, and Australia, and designing for high-profile clients like 鈥�70s model and actress Barbi Benton.
He said that having a unique style throughout his career means that people come to his practice for his vision, not theirs.
Prince鈥檚 process involves a deep dive into the lives of his clients to create spaces that resonate with their lifestyles.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 talk about shapes and things like that. We talk about life, how they live, what their aspirations are,鈥� he said.
鈥淚 never start with some kind of an idea, because I don鈥檛 know what it鈥檚 going to be until I find out what the site鈥檚 like and what the people are like,鈥� he said.
He said this organic approach allows the design to evolve naturally.
鈥淚t鈥檚 kind of like giving birth, in a sense,鈥� he said laughing, 鈥淚 know when it鈥檚 ready to come out.鈥�
Prince said he can鈥檛 pick a favorite building he鈥檚 designed, likening them to children difficult to choose from.
鈥淧eople say, 鈥榃hat鈥檚 your favorite project?鈥� and I always say, 鈥榃ell, the next one,鈥� because I don鈥檛 know what I鈥檓 going to be doing next, or whatever I鈥檓 working on now,鈥� he said.
Each project has a unique meaning to Prince because of the personal connections he forms with his clients.
鈥淚 look at each one of them, and I immediately see that client in my mind. It鈥檚 essentially kind of a portrait of the person or people you鈥檙e working with,鈥� he said.
For young architects, Prince said that being hands-on and authentic is key to success.
鈥淵ou can be so bowled over by somebody that you might end up just copying what they did, which is not a good way to do it,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou can be inspired by somebody and appreciate what they did, but you鈥檝e got to take what you see and integrate it. Then what comes out will be original, coming from you.鈥�
Prince thinks that the creative process is a universal language among different types of arts, drawing inspirations from musicians like Claude Debussy and artists like Pablo Picasso.
鈥淚 was interested early on in music, so to me, composers like Claude Debussy and others were doing the same kind of thing, except their result is orchestral work or piano work,鈥� he said.
He also appreciates the sentiment of Picasso that art doesn鈥檛 need to be explained.
鈥淪omebody once asked Picasso to explain a painting he had done. And he said, 鈥業 if I could explain it, you wouldn鈥檛 need the painting.鈥� That鈥檚 the best way to explain what I think,鈥� he said.
鈥淚f it鈥檚 a work of art, then it鈥檚 a statement that ought to be able to explain itself,鈥� he said.
An architect that Prince drew inspiration from earlier in life was when he was in seventh grade at Jefferson Junior High School.
鈥淲e had a teacher who gave us an assignment to do a report on a person, and I ended up with Frank Lloyd Wright,鈥� he said.
This assignment sparked a deep appreciation for Wright鈥檚 work, which influenced Prince鈥檚 own architectural philosophy.
Prince said that despite his inspirations, 鈥淚t was important that I find my own way.鈥�
