Rosenbaum letter

Roderick Grant · Post by **Roderick Grant** » Fri Mar 25, 2016 1:15 pm

Weren't those walls extended before Mrs. died? She obviously didn't have air conditioning, according to the anecdote.

SDR · Post by **SDR** » Fri Mar 25, 2016 1:26 pm

Ah -- I suppose so. I have always assumed that they were raised to improve fireplace performance. On the other hand, it may be that they were extended as a part of the addition work, perhaps to satisfy Mr Wright's notion of proper proportion ? One recalls the almost comical "smokestacks" of the Lusk proposal:

Roderick Grant · Post by **Roderick Grant** » Fri Mar 25, 2016 2:31 pm

Lusk looks like a small factory.

The point is, that if the walls were extended before Mrs. Rosenbaum died, it could not have been to hide AC paraphernalia, since she didn't have it a that time.

SDR · Post by **SDR** » Fri Mar 25, 2016 4:41 pm

Right -- got it.

S

Tom · Post by **Tom** » Fri Mar 25, 2016 7:06 pm

Korman House LK:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/eager/924 ... P2y-5DiVX9

Next up on Rosenbaum should be LivingRoom upper roof framing plan and sections.
Other thoughts: The original house did not have A/C but the addition did I think because these drawings show duct space in the sections.
Second, regarding the structural aspect of Usonian walls - it's helped me to think the the middle core is oriented vertically not horizontally, the outer layers tying it tightly together.
In any case can you blame contractors out in the country in the 30's for walking away from this work.

SDR · Post by **SDR** » Fri Mar 25, 2016 9:34 pm

SDR · Post by **SDR** » Fri Mar 25, 2016 9:36 pm

I believe the original specification for the core was vertical boards. It is doubtful that many houses were constructed that way; were any ?

SDR

JChoate · Post by **JChoate** » Fri Mar 25, 2016 10:13 pm

Here are some photos from my visit to the Rosenbaum House in August 2015, including some interior detail views. I haven't looked at these photos in a while and they are better than I'd remembered.

I think it's interesting to look at these photos in conjunction with seeing the detailed drawings:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/140080283 ... 5839853690

Roderick Grant · Post by **Roderick Grant** » Sat Mar 26, 2016 11:27 am

Jacobs I: "Building With Frank Lloyd Wright," construction photos on pages 32, 33, interior of walls in place, boards stacked vertically, edge to edge.

Hanna: "Frank Lloyd Wright's Hanna House, The Clients' Report," page71, section drawings with note on core: 7/8"x8" studs at 2'2" o. c.

So at least two Usonian houses were built with solid boards as core, as opposed to plywood.

SDR · Post by **SDR** » Sat Mar 26, 2016 12:32 pm

Thanks; well done. I find other examples of vertical-board center ply, beginning with Wright's own words on the subject. His prescription for the Usonian building system can be found in several publications: on page 170 of "FLLW The Masterworks" (Pfeiffer and Larkin; Rizzoli, 1993), for instance, where the editors note that the description appeared "[a]t about the same time that the Jacobs house was completed," and a later version published by Wright in "The Natural House," pp 85-7:

"The walls will be wood board-walls the same inside as outside -- three thicknesses of boards with paper placed between them, the boards fastened together with screws. These slab-walls of boards -- a kind of plywood construction on a large scale can /will be high in insulating value, be vermin-proof, and practically fireproof."

As for the roof construction, Wright continues, "The roof framing in this instance is laminated of three 2 x 4's in depth making the three offsets seen outside in the eaves of the roof and enabling the roof span of 2 x 12 to be sufficiently pitched without the expense of "building up" the pitches. The middle offset may be left open at the eaves and fitted with flaps used to ventilate the roof spaces in summer . . ."

(in red, additions found in the later version)

SDR

SDR · Post by **SDR** » Sat Mar 26, 2016 1:25 pm

Photos of Jacobs wall construction, as cited by R Grant above:

Photo of Richardson wall construction, from Sergeant, "FLLW's Usonian Houses," p 114:

Photo of Pope wall construction, from Morton, ed., "The Pope-Leighey House," p 80:

Excerpts from the same book; first, an interview with project supervisor Gordon Chadwick:

And from an interview with builder/rebuilder Howard Rickert:

Tom · Post by **Tom** » Sun Mar 27, 2016 5:40 am

See, the difficult thing about Wright Chat is that one keeps finding the content of books you don't have but now want to have.

That last paragraph is the first description I've read of how the house was wired. I knew the runs went through the ceiling
... but I did not realize the vertical wiring must have been done after the wall cores were erected and before the horizontal boards were in place.

Tom · Post by **Tom** » Sun Mar 27, 2016 6:09 am

JChoate: Beautiful spring shots of Sequoya on Flickr. I'm wondering if you'd be willing to posts construction drawings of your house. I, for one, would love to see how that was framed?

JChoate · Post by **JChoate** » Sun Mar 27, 2016 9:08 am

Thanks Tom. When the Georgia azaleas blooms you have to pay attention because they aren't out that long. (They time The Masters in Augusta accordingly). So, it's a good time to get out the camera.

https://flic.kr/p/FAwyAg

I need to remember to carry to my office my notebook full of old photos (that came with the house) so that I can scan them. There are a couple of photos of the framing being erected, but mostly it's a series of photos taken over the subsequent years. All pretty interesting, nonetheless.

SREcklund · Post by **SREcklund** » Sun Mar 27, 2016 9:20 am

Tom wrote:See, the difficult thing about Wright Chat is that one keeps finding the content of books you don't have but now want to have.

The amazing thing about the internet is that, between eBay and Amazon, you can usually find a used copy of pretty much any book you want - it's how I created my Wright library (somewhere north of 300 titles I'm afraid). If like me, you care more about content than condition, you can often get a weathered but perfectly readable copy of most any book for under $10. Lets you feed the addiction without going broke in the process ...