Just got back from touring the House of Seven Gables in Salem, MA, and I think you've got one up on old Nathaniel. First reaction, Wow! Second, there is a mystical feeling that comes over you as you look at the beautiful rendering, and it's substantiated in the text and links. Perhaps it's because I had the privilege of walking on that special land that I feel this way. The Web site is outstanding; people will be checking in on your progress. I just added it to my favorites

     I was so impressed with Longtree that I immediately sent out a bulletin to subscribers to our weekly newsletter, advising them to get your address on their computers right away. Really a magnificent undertaking. It's something only the Romeros could do. We'll all be watching.

     Castel Sant' Angelo," the AD 139 castle in Rome adjacent to the Vatican, displays a perfect pentagonal plan with a square fortress resting on the baseline. Someone way back then knew what they were doing. The powerful symmetry of the pentagon shows itself in such unexpected places in the world of art and architecture, and it's altogether fitting that it now appears in Longtree.

     Building a pentagon-shaped home is a whole different ballgame. It's the most unusual project in recent memory. Even my men are impressed. They say it's the best home they've ever worked on.

     Robin and John Romero are creative and adventurous people. When they decided to build a home that blended their environmental concerns with their high tech ambitions, I smiled. I knew it would be a marvel. When it comes to most homes, art gets lost in utility. Not in this one.

     When you're building custom homes you always hope for a design that inspires you and that tests your abilities. Longtree, with its pentagonal towers and dramatic use of windows, certainly does that. The beautiful forest that surrounds the home completes the package. It's the most exciting and inspirational project I've ever tackled.

     You can't call it The Pentagon, so I call it the Chrysler Building. It's the most unique structure I've ever worked on.