Established 2005 MAGAZINE MARIANNE SANDHAGE...

Editorial DirectorMARIANNE SANDHAGE

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PhotographersCATHY & MARK LYONS

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DesignerSTEPHEN SULLIVAN

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About BestBest Magazine is published 3X each year: January,May and September. Its editorial focus is on featuringfamilies in their homes: who they are, what they do,what they like. Its advertising focus is to present products / services most likely desired by its readersand provided by Cincinnati’s top businesses.

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BESTEstablished 2005

Featuring 143 Families…So Far

Issue 18 Living Modern in Cincinnati

32 112

insi

de

feature stories16 Susan and Arlen Rissover of Amberley Village

32 Ann Segal & Jerry Malsh of Pierce Township

56 Alleen & Shayne Manning of Indian Hill

74 Cora & Jose Garcia of Amberley Village

96 Aaron Betsky & Peter Haberkorn of Clifton

112 Cheryl & Carlin Stamm of Mt. Lookout

introducing110 Go!

Best readers love to travel . . . and relax at the same time.

128 Best Story TellersMore than 1,400 full pages have been devoted to 143 families since we introduced Best Magazine to Cincinnati in 2005. Coming this Spring: BestStoryTellers.com

off the top of my head10 Marianne Sandhage: The Walkers30 Ruthann Sammarco: The Breadmakers

126 Rebecca Worple: The Wedding Dress Trashers130 Doug Sandhage: The Architects

BESTLIVINGMODERNIN CINCINNATI

M A G A Z I N EIssue No. 18Est. 2005

Seven dollars

best magazine74

José Garcia has a dream. It’s one inwhich his legacy is secured, because,he says, it will involve a project thatwill require “everything you know andyou don’t know.” He is an architect.

The Garcias of Amberley VillageStory by Douglas Edward Sandhage

Photos by Cathy and Mark Lyons

Cora Garcia has the same dream, only in it she is wearing a pink

robe ready to enjoy the fruits of her husband’s hard work and

the shared visions that have resulted from their nearly 30-year

marriage. She is a teacher, who clearly understands José be-

cause every day she helps kids to know what they don’t know.

Neither dream is just a one-night-stand. The dream is real.

Here’s what we know so far:

• The dream has a name.

• An artist’s conception has been drawn.

• The financing has been secured, the ground purchased.

• The ground breaking will occur in May.

• People from around the world will be coming to see it.

• José will design it in its entirety.

• Heaven’s doors will open.

While the latter may be pushing it a bit, the Garcia’s End ofthe World Spa has a fitting name to make you think so.

Before you read any further, go to your computer and open

Google Earth. Location: Achupallas, Ecuador. You will see what

appears to be a pasted-in aerial view of a small South American

village, surrounded by farm fields still tilled with oxen and moun-

tains on the perimeter. Zoom out a bit and you’ll see that most of

the contiguous property was covered with clouds on the day these

aerials were shot. From a marketing standpoint, the gods were

with José and Cora.Artist conception: End of the World Spa

living modern in cincinnati 79

- - - - - - - -

At the dinner table in the Garcia’s Mid-Century Modern

Amberley Village home, this Argentina-born couple talk

about it a lot. They add the details necessary to make this

vacation destination more than memorable. Even daughter

Julia will have an active role.

As surely as you would go see a building designed by his

former employer, Michael Graves, you will want to go to this

spa. The name alone is magical, sexy, as much fun to say as

José Garcia. But it gets better.

It is being built at the confluence of four valleys, at the

foothills of the Andes, and sited specifically so that all visitors

can have a Kodak moment with Chimborazo, a 20,565 ft.

inactive volcano whose summit is considered to be the

farthest from the center of the earth (3,957.1 miles).

The nearby village of Achupallas, Ecuador includes but 500

residents. The surrounding farm fields will be where the spa

will get its food.

It looks like a tapestry, says José. “You can see the sun

moving, casting its shadows over the four valleys. It’s like the

sun is playing with it.”

Why here? Achupallas is just a few hours drive from Quito

or an hour from Guayaquil International airports that are key

hopping-off points for bucket-list travelers heading to the

Galapagos Islands and to Machu Picchu in Peru. Both are

World Heritage Sites.

People with money and dreams come here now. People

with ideas to share. The kind of folks that José needs to

spread the good news about his End of the World Spa which

he plans to open in the fall of 2012.

But until then, José and Cora are plenty busy in Cincinnati.

Cora teaches Spanish at Horizon Science Academy, a charter

school in Bond Hill that is focused on science, math and read-

ing. Prior to that job, she taught Spanish at Seven Hills School

for six years and at Xavier University for four years.

The couple has four children: Santiago, nine, Gloria, 15,

Celeste, 23, and Julia, 25. Cora says their kids’ names were

chosen because they sounded “right in both languages (Eng-

lish and Spanish)” and would be easy to pronounce.

The Garcia Compound

The Garcia home in Amberley Village is Mid-Century Modern,

an architectural, interior and product design form that generally

describes developments in modern design from the 1930s to

the mid-60s. A seven ft. tall, 18” thick, Tennessee marble wall

almost completely surrounds the 3,300 sq. ft., U-shaped home,

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If you stand in the middle of the courtyard that fits exactly this U-shaped house, there is no place to hide, unless you duck into a bedroom. Inside the home, ceiling-to-floor windows and doors serveas the wall between the courtyard and the interior. Outside the home,a perimeter wall of 7-foot-tall Tennessee marble provides the family privacy from the street.

in a compound type of arrangement. A spacious courtyard sits

dead-center between a south wing and a north wing. The north

wing contains the living room and kitchen; the south wing in-

cludes four bedrooms and two baths. The bottom of the U is a

corridor/foyer that connects the two wings. Floor-to-ceiling

glass is the sole wall surface looking into the courtyard so it’s rel-

atively easy for everyone in the house to know when anyone

gets up and walks around. But because of the perimeter wall

around the home, privacy from the road is assured.

José says the layout of the home is very similar to the

“spirit of many Japanese houses, more introverted than

extroverted. You enter through a portal then the house opens

up inside, while being closed to the outside.”

The house was designed in part by a California-based archi-

tect, Richard Neutra, and started in 1954. He was replaced

sometime during the process by Woodie Garber, says José.

Garber’s legacy also includes the design of Cincinnati’s main

library building and Sander Hall at UC.

When the Garcia’s bought the house in 2001, José fell in

love at first sight. It reminded him in many ways of his own

home growing up and those of his friends in Argentina. These

homes, though not necessarily designed by an architect,

predominantly featured open spaces and clean lines.

As we walk through the house, José points out finished proj-

ects and those underway. José and Cora are continually in re-

model mode and say they will have a big celebration when

everything is done. Normally, with each story featured in Best

Magazine, we credit the names of builders, architects, and de-

signers who have been involved with the house in

recent years. But to José, the credit goes elsewhere: “The pa-

tience of all the members of my family, from my nine year old

to my wife.”

Cora was born in Cordoba, Argentina, the eighth of 10

children. Her mother, Theresa Revol, is now an active 82 and

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Celeste, the Garcia’s 23-year-old daughter who is currently attending Cincinnati State studying to be a pastry chef, relaxes on the unique Tennessee marble floor. Each piece was cut and placed to enhance the contemporary styling of the house.

story continues on page 85

never tires of learning new things – like Cora, Theresa was a

teacher. Cora says she recently taught her Mom how to use

iTunes on a Macintosh while they were video-conferencing

using Skype.

Cordoba is a city of about two million people. Cora

graduated with a degree in medicine from the National

University of Cordoba; José holds a degree in architecture

from the Catholic University of Cordoba. They met while

both were attending college. In 1984 they married and

moved to Cincinnati for José to get his Master of Science in

Architecture from the University of Cincinnati, and to start

raising a family. In addition to becoming a mother, Cora

decided to change her career from physician to teacher.

José was born, one of three children, in the Patagonia

region of Argentina. His Dad, José Manuel Garcia, has a high

school named after him in honor of his good work as its

principal. “My father encouraged me to utilize my energy and

passion,” says José.

Following his degree at UC, José and Cora moved to New

Jersey where he attended Princeton University to get a

Master of Architecture degree. While there, he worked as a

project architect for the well-known Michael Graves. “I

learned from a pretty diverse office and learned how he

integrated different disciplines under his name. In going from

floor to floor, you would be exposed to architects, interior

designers, painters, rug designers, jewelry makers and

more,” he says. “It was quite exciting. It was a time when he

(Graves) was designing things for Target, Alessi and other

big manufacturers.”

The Garcias returned to Cincinnati in 1990 for José to

teach design classes at Miami University, and later to become

Director of Design for Al. Neyer, Inc. In 2006 José decided it

was time to start José Garcia Design.

Once you meet Cora, you can easily see why José said she

too was “love at first sight.” She is a first-visit hugger, a hearty

laugher, a good listener, a mother mightily involved in her

children’s well being and sporting events. When she talks

about family and get-togethers back home with her siblings

in Argentina, you find yourself smiling. It’s hard not to make

a mind’s picture of this gathering.

José, age 55, says that referrals have led the way to his

success as well as to having “fun” being an architect. It is, he

says, an “addiction.” He holds professional registrations in

several South American countries and Europe and works in


The Garcia’s front entry is an opening in a seven-foot wall that almost completely surrounds the house. The floor leading to the front door is made of granite slabs. “I likethe gold color it gives out when the light hits it,” says José about the floor. Just to theright of the door, the kitchen is well exposed at night with well-placed lighting.


partnership with various architectural firms in the U.S.

Completed Cincinnati area projects are noted on his web-

site: joségarciadesign.com. A quick review of the website

photos will show you José’s style – clean lines, the novel use

of natural materials, and open spaces. Some of the houses

“that look luxurious,” will include “high priced materials, but

a number of them (use materials) that are just plain and

inexpensive.” Projects of note that he has completed include:

• Tom Schiff home in Hyde Park.

• 2801 Erie, a 13-unit condo development in Hyde Park.

• The Mayfield Clinic in Norwood. This project was done

while José was working for Al. Neyer.

• Lightborne Studios in Over the Rhine.

• Ken and Kim Schon House near Kings Mills.

• B’nai Tzedek Synagogue in Kenwood.

• Malsh-Segal House in Pierce Township (see story/photos

in this issue of Best Magazine).

More About the End of the World Spa

“I wanted to be involved in a project that is bigger than I

am. A project that I could glue together everything that in-

terests me,” says architect José Garcia. Indeed it will. José

plans not only to design the building, but also to oversee

its construction, landscaping, environmental presence and

staffing of the facility. A management firm will be contracted

to run it day-to-day. And after this one opens, José says he

dreams of four more: two in Argentina, one in Columbia and

one in Costa Rica.

The 500-acre resort in Achupallas will include 30 rooms

and five freestanding villas, for visitors José expects will stay

three to five nights. The largest structure on the property will

be a 30,000 sq. ft. spa. “It will be dedicated exclusively to re-

laxation and spa treatments,” says José. Flowers will be abun-

dant, and the waters that flow through the spa will be of

different types, temperature and fragrance. Up to 80 guests

can be accommodated at one time.

The spa will be marketed primarily to those who “have

traveled the world and who like to learn more about it,” says

José. Other activities enjoyed by guests will be to visit small

towns in the area and to taste foods from surrounding farms;

to attend nightly lectures on topics including politics, history,

art and science; and to gaze at the stars. “Here you can see

two skies at the same time, both the northern and southern

hemisphere. It is virtually unpolluted, almost pristine,” he

adds. “It will be like going back, or forward to where you

want to be.”

For him personally, José says he will most enjoy the fact that

the spa will allow him to “meet people from all over the world.”

86

The best place to custom-make a 13 ft., 3,000 lb. concrete table is exactly whereyou plan to use it, says José Garcia. Using a fiberglass mold leftover from a priorconstruction site, he poured the concrete into place and rebar was inserted toadd stability. It only had to be polished once the mold was removed. “We don’thave a basement, so the table also serves as our tornado shelter,” José jokes.Three-eights inch thick Danby marble, above the wall ovens, exposes a lightedbook-matched pattern. The chairs are from IKEA, the cabinets are all custom-made, and the appliances include a Sub-Zero refrigerator.

While every room in the Garcia home enjoys a healthy dose of sunlight,primarily because the entire structure was sited to incorporate the sun’spath, it is the bedroom that is José’s favorite light show. “When the sunhits the bedroom in the morning, it just explodes.” The floor is marble,imported from Turkey.

best magazine88 living modern in cincinnati 89

The living room is exactly as its name implies here in the Garcia compound. The family can spend time together at the dining table, made of quar-ter-sawn oak, or sit on the long leather sofa and enjoy a movie on the pull-down big screen. In the winter a wood-burning stove makes the roomespecially cozy, and even more so when it is snowing. “It’s nice to see it coming down in the courtyard,” says José. The furniture and lampsthroughout the house are from many years of collecting by José and Cora. José says his decorating secret is to include a mix of low and high-end pieces. The ceiling is 4x8 ft. sheets made of birch veneer plywood.

The spa will cost somewhere between $10 and $20 million

prior to opening which is planned for fall of 2012. He has two

partners in the project: Joe Thomas, an attorney living in

Cincinnati, and Pacho Yanez, originally from Ecuador but also

now living here. Yanez’s family is the original owner of the

land where the spa is being developed.

“This is a quantum leap for me,” says José. “Every project

I’ve done is a fractal of what I intend to build in the next 10-

20 years.”

Cora says she is ready for opening day and has already

chosen a pink robe to wear on her way to the spa. Daughter

Julia is currently designing all of the surface materials for the

spa, which will include the shades, rods and wall treatments.

She has, she says, a “passion for design, nature and animals”

and is devoting herself to “creating a label that is both

socially and environmentally responsible.” For more, go to:

www.agostoprints.com

José says that he doesn’t remember exactly the spark

that created the spa project, or even if it happened all at

once. But he does recall a long period for him in which he

searched for a place that “was the edge, or the border, or

the beginning or end of something.” But not, as the name

End of the World Spa might imply, in an apocalyptic way.

He wants the spa to show “the possibility of a different way

of life; an alternative to the way we normally live.” Food,

health, taking care of your body, living away from stress will

be part of the experience. “We will grow our own food;

nothing will be imported, nothing will travel more than 100

miles” says José. He adds that the spa will be “at the cutting

edge of environmental consciousness. We will produce

energy, manage our own wastes; the building will be com-

pletely inert. It will not release toxic agents and will be

virtually built of local materials.” Local labor will build the

resort, he adds.

José says he also expects to add a health clinic to the spa,

not only to serve guests, but also for use by the staff and the

community. He said he has already invited medical doctors

from the U.S. to develop details on how the clinic should be

built and maintained.

The courtyard, says José, is “quite possibly the most important room in the house because you can see it from everywhere. It gets used constantlyin good weather and we have our coffee here in the morning.” The canopy is a white vinyl fabric, normally used by farmers to cover farm equipment or crops from cold weather. The floor is Canadian white marble. The courtyard was completely bulldozed then remodeled about fiveyears ago to José’s design. “The marble is easy on your feet and never gets hot. It is natural looking, very pleasing to us. “When the sun hits themarble, it reflects the light into the house. It is so peaceful.” The furniture is from Frontgate.

CHILDRENSantiago, nine, a fourth grader, and Gloria, 15, a 10th grader, both attending Seven Hills School. Celeste, 23, currently a student at Cincinnati State studying to be a pastry chef. Julia, 25, a graduate ofthe University of Cincinnati with a degree in architecture and nowowner of Agosto Prints, a company that designs and produces interiorsurface materials. At the publication date of this issue, Julia was planning to attend Savannah College of Art & Design in Atlanta to geta masters degree in surface design.

All four children, says Cora, are very close to their relatives living inArgentina, frequently emailing, sharing Facebook pages, and usingvideo chats to stay in touch. “They are 100% American, 100% LatinAmerican and speak both languages,” she says.

VACATIONSFripp Island near Hilton Head is a favorite destination. There the family enjoys the beach, and pretty much nothing else but the beach.“We pay no attention to the time; nobody has to wake up at any time.We eat, we go the beach, we come back. Those are the best vacations.You can do whatever you want,” says Cora.

COOKING WITHOUT DIRECTIONSAnything that includes beef, with a B-B-Q orientation, will be on themenu when José takes the stand in the kitchen. Though, interestingly,it is only prepared with mild spices and his specialties are often a crossbetween Italian and Latin-American fare.

But, says José, the real cooks in the Garcia home are the girls. “Igrew up in a culture where cooking is a must,” says Cora. But, sheadds, she isn’t a conventional cook. “Even though I have tons of cook-books, you will never see me with one. I don’t cook with recipes or follow directions. It is difficult to reproduce my dishes because I don’tknow what I did. If you like it, too bad because I can’t do it again,” shesays laughing seriously.

In answering the famous question, “how long do I leave it in theoven,” she says: “Until it’s done.”

IMPORTANCE OF FAMILYEight of Cora’s 10 siblings remain in Cordoba; the ninth is in Spain.“Usually we go there to visit every year or every other year,” she says.“When we go, everyone is at the airport (to greet) and we all get together at the same house. It’s like a pack.”

AN EVENING WITH THE GARCIAS“I love to be surrounded with good friends,” says Cora.“Summertimeis best when the house is more friendly for entertaining. They (guests)come with something to cook. We never know how many people willbe here at the end. We celebrate birthdays with our friends. I don’twait for anybody to celebrate my birthday; I celebrate it.”

Dancing, any kind, any type of music, is always involved in a Garciaparty and no one is excluded. “The parties are,” says Cora, “for multiplegenerations. Our friends, our friend’s parents, our friends’ cousins, ourfriends’ kids all come.” Cora says that while growing up she and her sib-lings were “involved in everything. We learned to socialize with adults.”

TEACHING TODAY’S KIDS“Kids are kids wherever you go,” says Cora, a teacher for the last 10years. “What I like about teaching is finding ways to get to them (students). I love to create games, to use materials that are appealingto them. They learn by using it, by being able to manipulate whateverit is they are learning. Everything can be put in a graphic way. I wentto a school, where, in the beginning, teachers were not lecturing. Theschool was small. The whole curriculum was based on questions. Youwere supposed to find the answers by research; the teacher helpedguide you.”

BONDING WITH CLIENTSJosé says that one of his biggest joys in designing projects is that the“clients I work for are my friends at the end of the process. It is anamazing connection. I get to know them. We end up being close.”

“He is like a physician. He listens,” says Cora about the relation-ships.

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about the

GARCIAS

The Garcia Family (from left): Celeste, José, Cora, Gloria and Santiago(sitting on floor). Another daughter, Julia, is not pictured; she was in Argentina visiting her grandmother at the time.

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