Whiteford Haddock House - Ann Arbor

[Roderick Grant]

Something else to consider with respect to the inclusion of a fireplace of any kind in a FLW house: No other design element can pull a room together more easily and effectively than a fireplace, in use or cold and empty. While a useless item in a practical sense in the age of central heating, it has been retained primarily as a focal point of design. In this particular arrangement, it may be that FLW got the overall image of the volume of the interior space, the configuration of the exterior, and the relation to the wooded environment before determining the location of the fireplace. It may not be optimal from the standpoint of coziness, but from a design standpoint, it is hard to imagine where else in the room it might have fit better.

[DRN]

Essentially, the fireplace doesn't need its own inglenook�the whole house is the inglenook.

A very interesting thought!

SDR, or someone with image hosting...the great images that are part of the real estate listing will likely disappear once the house sells and the listing is taken down. As the built house is not published, it may be a good idea to save some of the photos and post them separately so this thread doesn’t loose the images which are so integral to the discussion.

[SDR]

That's a good idea. I don't think I'll record all 94 photos, though; anybody want to propose which ones to save, by number ? I'd go for twenty to thirty . .

SDR .

[Rood]

To clarify, my observation about seating near the fireplace wasn't limited to built-ins; there are plenty of examples of Wright designs with stand-alone chairs positioned in front of the fireplace.... It was more about the lack of space for the possibility to sit near the fire. In this case, the proximity of the kitchen entrance appears to prohibit any seating near the fire...

The Willey house does have dining seating near the hearth, and there is also room to pull up some chairs (as you illustrate in your own experience, Rood)... But could you actually do that in the Edith Carlson house? ... I'd suggest that the fireplace's proximity to the kitchen, and being in the middle of a high traffic area, makes pulling up a chair seem awkward.

Unless it's a monster, temporarily pulling up an ordinary chair to sit by the fire shouldn't interfere with access to or from the Workspace ... The entirely comfortable chair I use measures two feet from back to the front edge of the seat, and when placed in front of my fireplace .. the back of the chair is almost exactly four feet from the front of the fireplace lintel. Ordinarily, after such use, it's pushed back, out of the way.

Using those dimensions the Carlson house has 8 feet of space for people to maneuver around a similarly sized chair.

... While a useless item in a practical sense in the age of central heating, it (the fireplace) has been retained primarily as a focal point of design. ... It may not be optimal from the standpoint of coziness, but from a design standpoint, it is hard to imagine where else in the room it might have fit better.

Ah, that's where my fireplace shines. Except for a couple of electric space heaters .... one in the bathroom, and the other seldom used anywhere in the house, on cold winter mornings, my fireplace is the principle source of heat in my house.

I prefer it that way.

[dkottum]

This fireplace and arrangement reminds me of Fallingwater. Workspace and dining table near the fireplace, a large desk and living space with seating some distance away. Distinct functions within the greater space of living, dining and library perhaps. As suggested earlier, the fireplace serves all.

[SDR]

I'm picturing a graphic animation composed of successive Usonian chimney masses with surrounding environment, in plan -- an endless morphing of the
nucleus, the masonry jumping around in section (poché) while the workspace, dining table, and fixed seating rearrange themselves into every position that
Wright and company eventually found for them. A truly "organic" sequence ?

SDR

[DRN]

....anybody want to propose which ones to save, by number ? I'd go for twenty to thirty . .

Easier said than done. Here are my selections, edit down, swap out, or add as you see fit:
1,2,5,6,7,8,10,11,13,15,17,21,22,24,26,27,28,32,33,35,37,
50,51,52,55,63,65,69.

Many thanks again SDR for your image hosting, it truly makes this board as engaging as it is.

[SDR]

It's my pleasure -- and a complete surprise to me, as something easily given and quite rewarding. Who knew that a lifetime of collecting images in books
would have a useful payoff -- and with a computer, no less . . .

I'll save those photos. You're quite right that these listings are the ephemera of our current existence. (AT&T "maintains details from every call, text
message or other communication that has passed through its network since 1987." PBS NewsHour, 6/12/18.)

SDR

[DRN]

Bringing this thread forward....
Keywords: TAA, Taliesin Associated Architects, Legacy, Haddock, whiteford, Ann Arbor

[Tom]

The patio umbrella is downright irritating.