'Something inside me': Architect Bart Prince's unique structures take on a life of their own

Stepping into Bart Prince’s home, often referred to as the “spaceship house” or “UFO house” by locals, feels like entering another world. Despite its futuristic nickname, Prince himself never calls it that.

“You’d have to ask them why they call it that,” he said with a smile, referring to the tourists who stop by daily.

One of his many other buildings that’s earned a nickname is the Hight Residence in California, often referred to as the “Whale House,” for its flowing, organic shape that mirrors the contours of a whale.

'Something inside me': Architect Bart Prince's unique structures take on a life of their own

He said the nicknames are because the unique structures take on a life of their own, like all of Prince’s creations that capture the imagination of those who encounter it.

As you walk through the so-called spaceship house, surrounded by his intricate models and innovative designs, it’s clear that each project, like his home, tells a story that goes beyond its original intent.

Pointing to the architectural models surrounding the space, Prince recounts how he had been designing for as long as he could remember.

“At the age of six, I was building models and making drawings,” he said.

Prince said there wasn’t any one defining moment or experience that piqued his interest in architecture. It was just something that always felt like second nature to him.

“I didn’t know any architects, but it was something inside me,” he said.

During his high school years at Highland High School, Prince’s dedication to architecture became apparent.

“As soon as I got out of school every day in high school, I immediately went to the construction site of things that were under construction. That’s where I liked to spend my time,” he said.

His frequent visits caught the attention of a contractor, who gave Prince the opportunity to see his designs come to life.

“One contractor kept seeing me all the time and said, ‘Why don’t I just put you to work?’ ” Prince said. “He showed me a lot and said, ‘Can you design a house to build?’ I did. Of course, when I showed it to him, he said, ‘Oh, you have to tone it down a little bit.’ ”

Toning his designs down, however, is something Prince refuses to do.

“A lot of times you’re criticized for things that are very different,” said Prince. “You’ve got to hang on to your own beliefs.”

After high school, Prince attended Arizona State University, where he earned his Bachelor of Architecture.

After graduating in 1970, he began gaining experience with other architects.

One person he worked with was Bruce Goff, an architect who was based in Kansas City, Missouri.

Later, he worked in Tyler, Texas, before returning to New Mexico to start his own practice in 1973.

Since then, Prince’s career has taken him everywhere, from designing a new town center in Wales to speaking at schools like Yale, giving lectures in countries such as Japan, Saudi Arabia, and Australia, and designing for high-profile clients like ’70s model and actress Barbi Benton.

He said that having a unique style throughout his career means that people come to his practice for his vision, not theirs.

Prince’s process involves a deep dive into the lives of his clients to create spaces that resonate with their lifestyles.

“We don’t talk about shapes and things like that. We talk about life, how they live, what their aspirations are,” he said.

“I never start with some kind of an idea, because I don’t know what it’s going to be until I find out what the site’s like and what the people are like,” he said.

He said this organic approach allows the design to evolve naturally.

“It’s kind of like giving birth, in a sense,” he said laughing, “I know when it’s ready to come out.”

Prince said he can’t pick a favorite building he’s designed, likening them to children difficult to choose from.

“People say, ‘What’s your favorite project?’ and I always say, ‘Well, the next one,’ because I don’t know what I’m going to be doing next, or whatever I’m working on now,” he said.

Each project has a unique meaning to Prince because of the personal connections he forms with his clients.

“I look at each one of them, and I immediately see that client in my mind. It’s essentially kind of a portrait of the person or people you’re working with,” he said.

For young architects, Prince said that being hands-on and authentic is key to success.

“You can be so bowled over by somebody that you might end up just copying what they did, which is not a good way to do it,” he said. “You can be inspired by somebody and appreciate what they did, but you’ve got to take what you see and integrate it. Then what comes out will be original, coming from you.”

Prince thinks that the creative process is a universal language among different types of arts, drawing inspirations from musicians like Claude Debussy and artists like Pablo Picasso.

“I was interested early on in music, so to me, composers like Claude Debussy and others were doing the same kind of thing, except their result is orchestral work or piano work,” he said.

He also appreciates the sentiment of Picasso that art doesn’t need to be explained.

“Somebody once asked Picasso to explain a painting he had done. And he said, ‘I if I could explain it, you wouldn’t need the painting.’ That’s the best way to explain what I think,” he said.

“If it’s a work of art, then it’s a statement that ought to be able to explain itself,” he said.

An architect that Prince drew inspiration from earlier in life was when he was in seventh grade at Jefferson Junior High School.

“We had a teacher who gave us an assignment to do a report on a person, and I ended up with Frank Lloyd Wright,” he said.

This assignment sparked a deep appreciation for Wright’s work, which influenced Prince’s own architectural philosophy.

Prince said that despite his inspirations, “It was important that I find my own way.”