100 Martin Inn - Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Birdhouses

100 Martin Inn

Roman and Williams Buildings and Interiors: Stephen Alesch & Robin Standefer
Natural untreated red cedar
3 ft. × 3 ft. × 3 ft. 8 in.
Water Garden

Roman and Williams designs hotels and this is the tiniest hotel they’ve ever designed. Designers Stephen Alesch and Robin Standefer created this intricate cedar birdhouse for purple martins, native songbirds that depend on human-made nest boxes and birdhouses for their survival. For the principals and founders of Roman and Williams, purple martins are a symbol of renewal, hope, and hospitality. “The goal and guiding principle of our birdhouse is basic and deeply meaningful to our view of conservation,” Alesch and Standefer explain. “Humans and wildlife protecting each other and supporting each other, one species to another.”

  • A black and white portrait of a man looking off to the left while a woman looks at the camera

    Roman and Williams (est. 2002) is a multidisciplinary design studio. Its practice is focused on creating architecture, interiors, lighting, furniture, and objects. Its holistic vision is centered on bringing beauty and authenticity to the things they make. The founders, Stephen Alesch and Robin Standefer, have a deep love of ecology and horticulture. They are devoted to embracing and celebrating nature in every facet of their work. It has been a pillar of their practice from its inception two decades ago.

    Artist website: romanandwilliams.com
    Instagram: @roman_and_williams_

    Artist website: rwguild.com
    Instagram: @rwguild

Photo: Sebastian Kim

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Beach House

This recording from The Birdsong Project was selected to complement this birdhouse.

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