Over three decades, William Curtis and Russell Windham have worked to show how their original and adaptive approach to architectural design is strengthened by a lifelong, joyful appreciation of architectural history. As a firm, they express the best of classical architecture’s values, rendered anew for the demands of today’s contemporary lifestyles. In styles reminiscent of the great Tudor manor houses of England to quaint symmetrical clapboard farmhouses, quintessentially Mission-style haciendas, and of course neo-Georgian retreats, the firm builds houses with a faithful adherence to local historical detail, scale and proportion, and physical circumstance that make them stand out as truly world-class designers. 

Their independent but collaborative staff make interiors as much a part of their core practice as exteriors, helping this firm carry and integrity of vision–graciously curved bannisters, warm and inviting mantels, detailed brickwork, and coffered ceilings–that make every project feel truly whole, complete. Yet, a strong sense that these projects are thoughtfully articulated with full adherence to modern lifestyles pervades every residence; they take the best of the past and adapt it to create homes that are truly comfortable and functional for today’s families.

Since the beginnings of their practice in 1992, Houston-based architects William Curtis and Russell Windham have dedicated their work to the principle that classical architecture, in its best sense, should embody the same rigor, the same attention to surroundings and the same thoughtful approach to design theory that fuels the most forward-looking styles and movements. In this beautifully produced book, Curtis and Windham reflect on more than two decades of the practice of classical contemporary architecture, providing an expansive view of eighteen representative projects. Opening with an introduction by esteemed architectural historian Stephen Fox, A Vision of Place documents the authors' quiet assertion that carefully considered work performed along traditional lines can be groundbreaking. Curtis and Windham demonstrate the versatility of classical ideals and methods for instilling a contemporary resonance of place.