OWL HOUSE: Mickey Meunnig Architect, 1974

Bernard Trainor Steward, 2023

Mickey Muennig was a pioneer of California’s organic architecture movement, and became known as the “man who built Big Sur”. From the early 1970s, he amassed a portfolio of striking houses with unconventional forms that frame scenic views and blend in with the landscape using mostly timber, stone, and glass. In 1971, Muennig left Denver where he was living, to take a two week Gestalt therapy class in Big Sur at Esalen Institute. He described it as an enlightening experience and decided to stay a week longer - and never left. Having studied under Bruce Goff, one of the few US architects whom Frank Lloyd Wright considered creative, he was able to blend his architectural design with local materials and create homes that felt like they were a part of Big Sur. He was a proponent of underground houses for both temperature control and fire proofing, as well as building on stilts. Many of his works have been described as "magical", "creative", or "visionary". Owl House is no different.

Owl House, which hovers above Pescadero Canyon, is considered to be the only house Muennig designed in Carmel. This unique work of art, a nautilus-influenced redwood structure, bears elements of his emergent style that can be seen in his work that followed in Big Sur, notably Post Ranch Inn, completed in 1991, nearly 20 years after Owl House was designed. It is likely that the initial design ideas for Owl House were formulated around 1971-1973 with construction completed in 1974.

Bernard Trainor took stewardship of Owl House in early 2023 and has been working to protect and restore Meunnig’s original design intent. This includes stabilizing, waterproofing, and protecting the materials, while otherwise leaving it as is. Behind every design and materials decision, the mantra remains, “What would Mickey have done today?”. His spirit remains intact first and foremost. The expected date of completion for the remodel is April 2024.

After completion, Owl House will be used as an extension of Trainor’s multi-layered and integrated art practice where he will combine painting, sculpture and installation work with landscape design, historic architecture, and interior design - highlighting his seamless and full creative life. Owl House will be available for private exhibitions, tours and events, and will, on occasion, be open to the public.