For sale: John Rayward 'Tirranna' House - New Canaan, CT

[Matt]

Is this all-Wright, or the work of others? I'm not familiar with the house and there's a lot of unusual detailing, especially the abundant use of skylights.

[peterm]

A playhouse was built for the Raywards’ daughters, Victoria and Jennifer designed by Taliesin Associated Architects echoing the hemicycle form of the main house.

There was a second extension also designed by TAA, featuring an observatory above the master bedroom dressing room.

With all the circular elements, I wouldn't be surprised if Wes Peters was in charge of the additions, which I believe were built posthumously.

[DavidC]

Peter:

I'm pretty sure TAA didn't exist until after Wright's death in 1959.


David

[peterm]

Of course, you're right. I edited the previous post. I need to find correct dates, though I think there were two separate additions. I think the original house was designed in '55?

[Matt]

The plywood ceiling and taller-than-usual clerestory windows remind me of the Guggenheim demo house. I'm not sure the square panels on the ceiling quite jibe, however, with the hemicycle form.

[JChoate]

Regarding nearby Philip Johnson, there's that oft told anecdote where FLW visits the Glass House and makes the comment, "I don't know whether to take my hat off or leave it on.", followed by the story where Phil & Frank take turns rearranging the placement of the symmetrically placed piece of sculpture. I recently saw a video of a lecture by the author of the Wright/Johnson book that just came out. He relayed that story, setting it up by saying that Wright called ahead to Johnson saying he'd be in the neighborhood and wondered if he could drop by to see the glass house. I remember wondering why Wright would be in that area, but I assumed it was probably Guggenheim/NYC related. Now I'm guessing he might've been around the corner seeing about his Rayward house.

[SDR]

Storrer is a reliable source of chronology in Wright's work. He tells us (S.383 T.5523 John L. Rayward (Rayward-Shepherd) Residence, Tiranna (1955), S.383A T.5802 Additions (1958)) that the house was designed as a main unit uncluding master bedroom, "but like the McCartney house (S.299), it was built in stages, the bedroom wing following the main unit . . . A Wright-designed second wing provided a new master bedroom with separate dressing roms for Mr and Mrs Rayward; Mr Rayward's is surmounted by an observatory."

Following that original construction, in 1964 Herman R Shepherd purchased the property and "brought the project to completion, repairing shoddy construction that resulted from Rayward's constant pursuit of the lowest bid." TAA's "chief architect, William Wesley Peters provided a major extension beyond the work room [sic]; a curved esplanade leads to a greenhouse with servant and guest quarters, shop and extra carport; greenhouse window details are from the Guggenheim Museum."

"Additional work by Taliesin Associated Architects brought about enclosure of the space between the original bedroom and added master bedroom wing, gaining an atrium and informal living room. With this the workspace was also enlarged. Even later, a circular deck was added above the main pool."

"In 1980 Ranko and Susan Santric became the third owners. Finding the building in somewhat rundown condition, they set to cleaning and resurfacing all exposed wood, restoring its original beauty, and replacing fabrics and floor coverings."




Plan © 1993 William Allin Storrer

[JChoate]

Also of interest, there are 2 other significant houses in New Canaan (a smidge & a half north of Johnson & Rayward) that Marcel Breuer built for himself over the years. They, too, find themselves now surrounded by ritzy neighbors, calling their future viability into question given its more modest scale.
Breuer 1 seems to be surrounded by a gang of chateaux, circling the smaller house like Custer at Little Big Horn.






In contrast, while still nestled among latter-day mansions, Breuer II has a recent addition by Toshiko Mori, which goes for the 'cutting edge' juxtaposed addition look.
For better or worse, it represents a significant reinvestment rather than a tear down to make way for a grander neo-palazzo.



(images from Mori's website)

[SDR]

There is some confusion on the Web about the two Breuer houses; many are calling the first house "Breuer II." There is no sign of the raised ceiling, in the house identified as Breuer/Bratti in "Architecture Without Rules," the 1993 (!) book subtitled "The houses of Marcel Breuer and Herbert Beckhard," though an extensive history of the house is presented.

http://www.realtor.com/news/breuer-hous ... ew-canaan/

SDR

[Unbrook]

I did not know that Mr. Wright did not design the treehouse at Tirranna. I would have seen it mid 60's, not too long after Wright's death.

I will recommend a book on modern architecture in Connecticut, "The Harvard 5 in New Canaan". Quite a hotbed of Modern Architecture. I've also been reading "Glass/Wood Erieta Attali on Kengo Kuma" about a house originally designed by John Black Lee.

[peterm]

There seems to be confusion around Tirranna. (My books are in Iows and I'm in Chicago now). Did Wright do rough preliminary designs for additions that were fleshed out by TAA later? Or were the additions done completely by TAA?

[Roderick Grant]

Peter, the plan in Storrer was conceived by FLW. The enlarged kitchen and huge family room, which extends from the kitchen to the master bedroom and creates the court, was done by TAA, as was the esplanade, greenhouse and additional carport, all under WWP's supervision. The playhouse (not treehouse) was also designed by FLW.

[Roderick Grant]

Breuer II was not improved by the addition. The only good thing is that it saved the house from being demolished, although it morphed into a faux chateau.

I like the term "gang of chateaux," like a phalanx of McMansions scouring the earth in search of great architecture to eat.

[JChoate]

Roderick,
I applaud your term "a phalanx of McMansions", however, I associate a phalanx with the Imperial Roman Army. "McMansion" seems decidedly Scottish, and since the Scots were intentionally located on the other side of Hadrian's Wall they were something else altogether. Since the Scots sorted themselves into clans, perhaps, we'd be dealing with a Clan of McMansions. Since you yourself are of hearty Scottish stock I would defer to you regarding any further qualifications.

Either way, I think Mori's addition to Breuer II renders it less of a Faux Chateau ("Foe Shattoe"), and more of a Battlestar Gallactica space port.

[SDR]

I'm still on about the earlier additions to Breuer II, which were accomplished by Breuer's partner Herbert Beckhard following a) the latter's house-sitting of the residence during Breuer's absence -- an informative experience, according to Beckhard -- and b) the acquisition in 1976 of the property by Gerald Bratti, head of a stone business, and wife Nancy, who engaged Beckhard as the only architect "capable of producing a sensitive, creative, and yet contextual redesign" (Masello, p 33). The low stone wing to the right, in a photo below, is Beckhard's. He also modified the entrance to the house and built a Breuer-style detached garage, linked to the house by a low stone wall.

The story told by Masello mentions no addition of a raised living-room roof with continuous clerestory glass; rather, this: "To accommodate Mrs Bratti's avocation as a gardener, two large skylights were cut into the roof approximately over the midpointof the living/dining area" p 35).


Photos of Breuer/Bratti in Masello's book; compare to exterior photo posted above. The Mori addition apparently replaces/subsumes Beckhard's . . .