One of very few new houses to break completely from the gable-and-shingle-and-shutter vernacular, 781 Commercial nonetheless looks quite at home on this stretch of beach. Its extreme horizontality and stout cylindrical piers recall a wharf structure; only one set parallel with the shoreline, rather than perpendicular to it. It is the work of Michael Winstanley Architects and Planners of Alexandria, Va., and (as of 2012) it was on the market for $2.65 million, from Coldwell Banker Pat Shultz Real Estate.
Winstanley (b ±1957) is the son of Dr. Nathan B. Winstanley Jr. and Dr. Rosemarie (Montegani) Winstanley. His brother, Nathan III, owns 777 Commercial Street, next door. Michael Winstanley attended the University of Vermont as an undergraduate, then earned a master’s degree in architecture at Yale in 1983. This four-bedroom, 3,000-square-foot house was constructed in 2008. Robert Pahnke designed the interiors and Horton Lees Brogden the lighting. Winstanley is also the architect of the Bay Harbour project on the site of the Tides motel, at 837 Commercial.
