Five decades ago, Carole Smith called Richard Meier and told him about a site in Darien, Connecticut that she had bought with her husband. This was a rocky piece of land with dense evergreens and coastal outcrops. A dramatic slope at the back of the plot gave way to the Long Island Sound and a small, sandy cove. Carole wanted to place her weekend home on this particular site and she wanted Richard Meier to do it. At that time, he was just 31.

© Mike Schwartz

Five decades ago, Carole Smith called Richard Meier and told him about a site in Darien, Connecticut that she had bought with her husband. This was a rocky piece of land with dense evergreens and coastal outcrops. A dramatic slope at the back of the plot gave way to the Long Island Sound and a small, sandy cove. Carole wanted to place her weekend home on this particular site and she wanted Richard Meier to do it. At that time, he was just 31.The Smith House was built between 1965-1967 by Richard Meier & Partners Architects. Richard Meier recalls of the project that would later propel his career as an architect: ?I was working out of one room of a two-room apartment shortly after leaving the office of Marcel Breuer. One day I had a call from Carole Smith asking if I would be interested in designing a weekend house for her...She was looking for a young architect who would give full attention to her house.?In never-before-seen photos and an exclusive interview with the architect himself, we tra...