HOME PORTRAIT
Architecture with a Twist
Sullivan O'Connor Architects
Profile by Karla Araujo
In the summer of 1994, Chuck Sullivan came to the Vineyard to wait tables and hang at the beach. A short stint of leisure was his reward after graduating from an intense program at Boston Architectural College. But summer turned into fall, and Chuck found himself interning for a local architect. By 1998, he was ready to strike out on his own, claiming the Vineyard as home in the process.
Maurice “Mo” O’Connor, a few years younger, followed a similar trajectory: He graduated from the same college but headed to Nantucket to start his career. Mo had a history on the Vineyard as well, and, after gaining some experience, he decided to swap Islands. He lined up interviews with several Vineyard architects and quickly attracted three job offers. A friend suggested that he call Chuck Sullivan for advice. Chuck, by then, had established his own practice in Oak Bluffs and had more than his share of ambition and work. The two chatted, hit it off, and decided, sight unseen, that Mo would join Chuck in his burgeoning firm. Within a couple of years they became partners.
Today, if there were an insider’s list of smart, highly respected architects on the Vineyard, Sullivan O’Connor would likely rank among the top. Keeping their business lean, lithe, and hands-on, Chuck and Mo, along with staffers Adrian Johnson, Marisa Higham, and Michelle Brescia, are dotting the landscape with their inventive approach to home and commercial building design. Headquartered in their own building at 52 Narragansett Avenue in downtown Oak Bluffs, the company is quietly making its mark on the Vineyard.
“We approach each project individ-ually,” Chuck explains. “We purposefully avoid sameness or a signature look.”
Mo concurs. “Each job is its own unique challenge. We take what the client wants seriously and work within what the person likes to make it happen.”
From the smallest project (a screened porch, for example) to a new 3000 square-foot contemporary home on Quansoo, the team strives to be accommodating. “We’re accessible and affordable,” Chuck says. “Often a minor job turns into something major down the road.”
The firm’s experience with Mary and Jackson Kenworth is a prime example. The couple, owners of State Road Restaurant in West Tisbury and former owners of Slice of Life and The Sweet Life Café, both in Oak Bluffs, retained Chuck and Mo on four separate occasions. Sullivan O’Connor masterminded the complete renovation of the Slice of Life building, the kitchen expansion of The Sweet Life Café, the design of the Kenworth’s personal residence in Vineyard Haven, then served as architects for State Road Restaurant, which has earned national accolades both for its inventive cuisine and inimitable style.
Working with acclaimed interior designer Michael Smith of Los Angeles and New York and Island builder Josh Flanders, owner of Flanders and Crew of Oak Bluffs, Sullivan O’Connor tackled the State Road project on a tight timeline – eight months from concept to completion. A total teardown, the restaurant would rise on the hallowed site of the former Red Cat, Ice House, Bittersweet, and Deon’s restaurants, the last of which was significantly damaged by a fire in November 2007.
“We started the job and knew it would be high pressure from beginning to end,” Josh says. “But working with Mary and Chuck was like working with friends. Everyone was completely committed. We worked really hard but never stressed out.”
While the architects did approach several builders about State Road, Chuck says he chose Flanders and Crew due to past experience. Having known one another since childhood, Chuck and Josh speak highly of one another’s dedication and skills.
“He’s flexible,” Josh explains. “A lot of architects are not. He’s easy to work with. He never forces an idea. Each project is individualized. He’s not a copycat who reproduces the same idea over and over. He doesn’t fit a customer into his firm’s ideas – it’s vice versa.”
Jackson Kenworth considers himself “lucky” to have had Sullivan O’Connor on board through each of his four projects. “I can’t say enough about these guys,” he enthuses. “We asked them to work with a big designer from California on State Road. That’s a lot to ask of an architect. Michael Smith was flabbergasted by Chuck’s knowledge and artistic ability. He can talk to officials knowledgeably and persuasively. He’s a sharp, sharp guy but extremely humble.”
The result: a New England farmhouse-style tavern, modest from the outside, with warmth, character, and innumerable custom finishes on the inside.
“It was fun to create different but related rooms,” Chuck says. “It has nice details that took time and money, but the finished look is all about the details.”
Details, in fact, are often what make Sullivan O’Connor’s designs so distinctive. The company approaches its work with passion, inventiveness, and a heartfelt desire to deliver whatever their clients say they seeking. But what really engages Chuck in the process, he says, is his quest to “keep it interesting.”
“I guess it’s my competitive spirit,” he offers. “This is fun, interesting, and an opportunity to make other people’s lives better. Put a little twist on it, and it makes it even more interesting.”
That little twist is often inspired by Chuck’s two architectural role models: Charles Rennie Mackintosh, a Scottish architect, designer, and artist of the early 20th century, who left behind a legacy of buildings that reflected the elegance and clarity of their spatial concepts as well as skillful detailing; and Frank Gehry, the Canadian-born, Los Angeles-based architect whose striking contemporary buildings are widely considered to be among the most important of our age.
Chuck particularly admires Mackintosh’s use of asymmetry and clean lines, along with Gehry’s atypical choices in shapes and materials. “Gehry’s work always provokes a reaction,” he chuckles. “It stretches the boundaries. I think that’s important. I did a crooked dormer on my house. It worked for the space, but it drives one friend crazy. I like that. It’s interesting. If you create thought, it’s good. Otherwise, people just go home and put the television on.”
While Chuck clearly enjoys design with a visible quirk or two, he is quick to clarify his approach. “Our number one goal is client satisfaction,” he says. “But our biggest challenge is to encourage clients to step beyond where they might think they want to go by offering something different and unique – that helps to satisfy our own architectural integrity. When you suggest something a little different, after some hesitation, after they’ve done it, they’re very happy. And it sets us apart.”
With both father and brother in the construction business, Chuck grew up accompanying them to work from the time he was five or six years old. As a result, he designs with construction in mind, creating what he calls “sensible buildings that will last and are realistic to build.”
None of these buildings would come alive without the unique partnership forged by Chuck and Mo. Their success is due, in large part, to their ease in working together and their uniquely complementary skills. Chuck enjoys client meetings and design, while Mo puts his engineering talents to work on the structural and technical aspects of each project, as well as managing the firm’s commercial contracts.
“We just work well together,” Mo concludes. “We never decided on a division of labor. It just goes back to enjoying different aspects of the business.”
The firm is currently hard at work on a new 3000 square-foot home in Quansoo, designed for Paul Osterman and Susan Eckstein, both professors in Boston and part-time Vineyard residents. Anticipating eventual grandchildren, the couple will move from their existing Chilmark home off Tea Lane to their new, more spacious home in mid-June.
“We talked to people, asked around,” Paul says. “I interviewed three or four architects and looked at their properties. I asked about their approach. I liked Chuck’s personal style and the quality of his work. We were right. They’re easy to work with and responsive. Chuck has opinions but is receptive to ours and tries to accommodate. He stays on top of everything.”
As for what’s ahead, both Chuck and Mo are excited about the new technologies and materials that seem to emerge daily in their field. Their own 3D computer modeling capabilities have made it much easier for both clients and town officials to interpret plans. Chuck heralds products that afford greater energy efficiency and a shift toward smaller, tighter structures.
“The whole world is changing fast,” Mo observes. “Our challenge will be in incorporating new technologies and new ways of working and living into the way buildings are built. I’d like to think we’re just hitting our stride.”
You can view more work by Sullivan O’Connor by going to www.sullivanoconnorarchitects.com
Maurice “Mo” O’Connor, a few years younger, followed a similar trajectory: He graduated from the same college but headed to Nantucket to start his career. Mo had a history on the Vineyard as well, and, after gaining some experience, he decided to swap Islands. He lined up interviews with several Vineyard architects and quickly attracted three job offers. A friend suggested that he call Chuck Sullivan for advice. Chuck, by then, had established his own practice in Oak Bluffs and had more than his share of ambition and work. The two chatted, hit it off, and decided, sight unseen, that Mo would join Chuck in his burgeoning firm. Within a couple of years they became partners.
Today, if there were an insider’s list of smart, highly respected architects on the Vineyard, Sullivan O’Connor would likely rank among the top. Keeping their business lean, lithe, and hands-on, Chuck and Mo, along with staffers Adrian Johnson, Marisa Higham, and Michelle Brescia, are dotting the landscape with their inventive approach to home and commercial building design. Headquartered in their own building at 52 Narragansett Avenue in downtown Oak Bluffs, the company is quietly making its mark on the Vineyard.
“We approach each project individ-ually,” Chuck explains. “We purposefully avoid sameness or a signature look.”
Mo concurs. “Each job is its own unique challenge. We take what the client wants seriously and work within what the person likes to make it happen.”
From the smallest project (a screened porch, for example) to a new 3000 square-foot contemporary home on Quansoo, the team strives to be accommodating. “We’re accessible and affordable,” Chuck says. “Often a minor job turns into something major down the road.”
The firm’s experience with Mary and Jackson Kenworth is a prime example. The couple, owners of State Road Restaurant in West Tisbury and former owners of Slice of Life and The Sweet Life Café, both in Oak Bluffs, retained Chuck and Mo on four separate occasions. Sullivan O’Connor masterminded the complete renovation of the Slice of Life building, the kitchen expansion of The Sweet Life Café, the design of the Kenworth’s personal residence in Vineyard Haven, then served as architects for State Road Restaurant, which has earned national accolades both for its inventive cuisine and inimitable style.
Working with acclaimed interior designer Michael Smith of Los Angeles and New York and Island builder Josh Flanders, owner of Flanders and Crew of Oak Bluffs, Sullivan O’Connor tackled the State Road project on a tight timeline – eight months from concept to completion. A total teardown, the restaurant would rise on the hallowed site of the former Red Cat, Ice House, Bittersweet, and Deon’s restaurants, the last of which was significantly damaged by a fire in November 2007.
“We started the job and knew it would be high pressure from beginning to end,” Josh says. “But working with Mary and Chuck was like working with friends. Everyone was completely committed. We worked really hard but never stressed out.”
While the architects did approach several builders about State Road, Chuck says he chose Flanders and Crew due to past experience. Having known one another since childhood, Chuck and Josh speak highly of one another’s dedication and skills.
“He’s flexible,” Josh explains. “A lot of architects are not. He’s easy to work with. He never forces an idea. Each project is individualized. He’s not a copycat who reproduces the same idea over and over. He doesn’t fit a customer into his firm’s ideas – it’s vice versa.”
Jackson Kenworth considers himself “lucky” to have had Sullivan O’Connor on board through each of his four projects. “I can’t say enough about these guys,” he enthuses. “We asked them to work with a big designer from California on State Road. That’s a lot to ask of an architect. Michael Smith was flabbergasted by Chuck’s knowledge and artistic ability. He can talk to officials knowledgeably and persuasively. He’s a sharp, sharp guy but extremely humble.”
The result: a New England farmhouse-style tavern, modest from the outside, with warmth, character, and innumerable custom finishes on the inside.
“It was fun to create different but related rooms,” Chuck says. “It has nice details that took time and money, but the finished look is all about the details.”
Details, in fact, are often what make Sullivan O’Connor’s designs so distinctive. The company approaches its work with passion, inventiveness, and a heartfelt desire to deliver whatever their clients say they seeking. But what really engages Chuck in the process, he says, is his quest to “keep it interesting.”
“I guess it’s my competitive spirit,” he offers. “This is fun, interesting, and an opportunity to make other people’s lives better. Put a little twist on it, and it makes it even more interesting.”
That little twist is often inspired by Chuck’s two architectural role models: Charles Rennie Mackintosh, a Scottish architect, designer, and artist of the early 20th century, who left behind a legacy of buildings that reflected the elegance and clarity of their spatial concepts as well as skillful detailing; and Frank Gehry, the Canadian-born, Los Angeles-based architect whose striking contemporary buildings are widely considered to be among the most important of our age.
Chuck particularly admires Mackintosh’s use of asymmetry and clean lines, along with Gehry’s atypical choices in shapes and materials. “Gehry’s work always provokes a reaction,” he chuckles. “It stretches the boundaries. I think that’s important. I did a crooked dormer on my house. It worked for the space, but it drives one friend crazy. I like that. It’s interesting. If you create thought, it’s good. Otherwise, people just go home and put the television on.”
While Chuck clearly enjoys design with a visible quirk or two, he is quick to clarify his approach. “Our number one goal is client satisfaction,” he says. “But our biggest challenge is to encourage clients to step beyond where they might think they want to go by offering something different and unique – that helps to satisfy our own architectural integrity. When you suggest something a little different, after some hesitation, after they’ve done it, they’re very happy. And it sets us apart.”
With both father and brother in the construction business, Chuck grew up accompanying them to work from the time he was five or six years old. As a result, he designs with construction in mind, creating what he calls “sensible buildings that will last and are realistic to build.”
None of these buildings would come alive without the unique partnership forged by Chuck and Mo. Their success is due, in large part, to their ease in working together and their uniquely complementary skills. Chuck enjoys client meetings and design, while Mo puts his engineering talents to work on the structural and technical aspects of each project, as well as managing the firm’s commercial contracts.
“We just work well together,” Mo concludes. “We never decided on a division of labor. It just goes back to enjoying different aspects of the business.”
The firm is currently hard at work on a new 3000 square-foot home in Quansoo, designed for Paul Osterman and Susan Eckstein, both professors in Boston and part-time Vineyard residents. Anticipating eventual grandchildren, the couple will move from their existing Chilmark home off Tea Lane to their new, more spacious home in mid-June.
“We talked to people, asked around,” Paul says. “I interviewed three or four architects and looked at their properties. I asked about their approach. I liked Chuck’s personal style and the quality of his work. We were right. They’re easy to work with and responsive. Chuck has opinions but is receptive to ours and tries to accommodate. He stays on top of everything.”
As for what’s ahead, both Chuck and Mo are excited about the new technologies and materials that seem to emerge daily in their field. Their own 3D computer modeling capabilities have made it much easier for both clients and town officials to interpret plans. Chuck heralds products that afford greater energy efficiency and a shift toward smaller, tighter structures.
“The whole world is changing fast,” Mo observes. “Our challenge will be in incorporating new technologies and new ways of working and living into the way buildings are built. I’d like to think we’re just hitting our stride.”
You can view more work by Sullivan O’Connor by going to www.sullivanoconnorarchitects.com