Imagine living in a Frank Lloyd Wright designed house for just 5,000 dollars. Hi everyone,
ken here, today we are exploring the most affordable Frank Lloyd Wright House
of all time. Hit that subscribe button so you never miss an exciting episode of "ThisHouse"!!
In the 1930s, Frank Lloyd Wright’s fame was launched to new heights after designing his
masterpiece, Falling Water. But, unfortunately for most, his designs were associated with
astronomical price tags, putting them far out of reach for most people. Herbert Jacobs was once
such admirer of Wright’s work, an average man by all accounts, making a middle class income as a
newspaper journalist in Wisconsin. He didn’t have the equivalent of millions of dollars to spend,
but wanted nothing more than to live in a house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.
In 1936, Herbert and his wife Katherine decided to take a gamble. They travelled across the state to
meet Wright at his home and studio, Taliesin. There they told him of their appreciation for
his work and of their dream to one day live in a house designed by him. During this conversation,
Herbert boldly challenged Wright, betting him that he could not design a house that would cost
only 5,000 dollars. Wright thought about this for a moment, and then accepted his challenge.
In the following months, Wright became obsessed with this notion
of creating affordable, stylish homes for the masses, saying,
“The house of moderate cost is not only America’s major architectural problem,
but the problem most difficult for her major architects. As for me, I would rather solve
it with satisfaction to myself and Usonia than build anything I can think of at the moment.”
By the following year, in 1937, Frank Lloyd Wright had solved Herbert’s
problem and delivered him a house which could be built for exactly 5,000 dollars,
the modern day equivalent of about 100,000 dollars.
Unlike his other houses which boasted servants quarters, guest suites, and cantilevered concrete,
this house would be simple, but it would not compromise a connection to nature.
Finished at 1,560 square feet, the L shaped home was arranged for an overlap of function,
so that each space blended with the next. Forsaking the idea of rooms,
Wright chose to plan the spaces around function, so that the carport would double as a porch,
and the main interior space would double as an area for dining and living. This concept of open
living was only something he had dabbled with in his Prairie style homes, but in economizing
design, he had invented a new style altogether, giving birth to the first Usonian Style House.
Entering the home from the carport, Frank integrated his signature compress and release
tactic for manipulating space to feel larger. After making your way down the narrow hallway, the
space would rapidly expand upwards and out into the living room, clad with pine boards running
horizontally to further visually stretch the space. Here he planned several alcoves, allowing
natural variations of space to separate function with multiple sitting areas and a work area.
This space was complete with all the elements which distinguish Wright’s
homes including Cherokee red floors, built in book cases, floor to ceiling windows,
and linear elements playing on the space’s 90 degree geometry.
To further exaggerate the size of the home,
the dining area was situated in an alcove below windows, but still open to the living area,
granting the area with a sense of intimacy in an otherwise open room.
The pocket kitchen was positioned directly across from the dining area,
behind the brick fireplace we saw earlier,
once again compressing the space, changing the scale, to make the kitchen feel larger.
This becomes the crux of the house, as we make our way to the other wing, natural light floods
through to illuminate the way, where we will find the bedrooms and a study, each
continuing the same earthy palette of pine and Cherokee red with large openings to the backyard.
Herbert and Katherine loved their new house and enjoyed it for several years,
but as the young couple’s family grew, they simply needed more space and had
Wright design for them a second house - but that is a story for another video.
The house went on to be sold several times with modifications being made over the years.
Since the 1980s, the house has gone through a series of tedious,
and well thought-out restoration projects to restore it to its original appearance.
As of 2019 the Herbert and Katherine Jacobs House is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage
Site in a collection of Frank Lloyd Wright designed houses, but unlike many of them which
are open to the public for tours, this one is not as it continues to be a private residence.
What did you think about this about this house? Let me know down below in the comments section.
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