Rafael Herrin-Ferri

I grew up in neighborhoods built by developers who named their new developments after the things they replaced (Great Oaks, Fair Lakes, Green Acres, etc.). The developers who built my neighborhood, and others like it, saved costs by offering just a few models of houses to choose from, painted in limited, muted palettes. For all the downsides of the 'Little Boxes' approach to real estate development, the consistency did provide a sense of security and stability.

Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. where I now live, is absolutely anarchic in comparison, and my first reaction to the aesthetic chaos was not enthusiastic. Honestly, it seemed ugly to me - too much of a disorganized hodgepodge. Over time though, I've come to really appreciate and even love the unexpected flourishes, strange brickwork, and quirky architectural surprises you'll find in a stroll around my neighborhood.

Architect and photographer Rafael Herrin-Ferri, who lives in Sunnyside, Queens, a neighborhood with an even more anarchic mix of styles and influences became fascinated with the organic and adaptive evolution of the residential architecture in his neighborhood, coming to see it as an 'urbanism of tolerance.' He embraced it and set out to document all the strange and wonderful houses and architectural juxtapositions he could find. That documentation became a popular Instagram account, and now a book, All The Queens Houses.

I love this portrait of Queens, and feel it's a perfect response to the cliche idea of New York City as a collection of ostentatious skyscrapers and Manhattan street scenes.

I asked Rafael to tell me a little more about his start in photography, and his project All The Queens Houses:

I’ve been making photographs since my junior year of high school, spent in Seville, Spain. My father had his friend bring me over a 35mm Minolta purchased at B&H and it really opened my eyes to the built environment.
I started All The Queens Houses to document the eclectic character of the Queens housing stock.
After making several hundred photographs exploring the neighborhoods I realized what a truly unique urban environment Queens is. I began to see my ongoing documentation as a project, came up with this funny title, and eventually enough material—and ideas—for a book.
I talked to a few of the homeowners while making the photographs, but not as often as I would like—there never seemed to be enough time since cloud cover was precious and Queens is enormous! On a couple of occasions I was confronted, wondering why I found their houses of such interest, but for the most part, after a brief explanation, they were very supportive. I even got a couple of “you’re doing God’s work” comments.
In terms of my professional work as an architect, making these photographs has confirmed my preference for vernacular architecture—especially residential vernacular architecture.
If I were designing my own house, I’d make one with a large balcony, an interior courtyard, and a patterned brick façade.
I consider All The Queens Houses an architectural project and a photographic project, and even though I now have a book of the work, I hope to continue the project on Instagram and in the real space of museum galleries one day, adding a video component to the documentation.
My book is available through most booksellers but if you decide to buy it, I hope you will choose an independent bookseller based in Queens!

“All the Queens Houses features over two-hundred color photographs representing the highly idiosyncratic housing styles of every neighborhood in the borough, from Astoria to Auburndale, Long Island City to Laurelton, and College Point to Far Rockaway.”

“Rafael Herrin-Ferri is a Spanish-born architect and artist living in Woodside, Queens. He received a B.Arch from Cornell University in 1996 and spent the following six years working in architectural studios in San Francisco and Barcelona—including a seven-month stint with the late great Catalan architect, Enric Miralles. He returned to New York City in 2003 where he realized two private house commissions inspired by the local fauna while working in various award-winning Manhattan design studios.”

Follow Rafael Herrin-Ferri

Photo at top of post: Portrait of Rafael Herrin-Ferri

↓ ↓ ↓ All Photos in this post © Rafael Herrin-Ferri / @allthequeenshouses ↓ ↓ ↓