I can't recall if this house has been posted previously, if so please forgive:
https://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sale/1 ... -91750_rb/
There was an open house yesterday. It's a sprawling house with enormous proportions. Parts were quite reminiscent of Taliesin West while other parts where strictly one-off. Needs a complete going over but would make a great small hotel or home for a true eccentric.
Foster Rhodes Jackson, Taliesin Apprentice
Odd how the interior simply falls flat as opposed to what the exterior would appear to promise, but deserving of a sympathetic renovation. My guess is the architect might have been a reluctant "collaborator" and would have done just fine on his own. The guy writing the checks obviously had other ideas.
I call it “Hippie Organic�, a wing of design, mainly found in California, that only a few were able to pull off successfully.
In this case, there is a disconnect between the psychedelic craft and the rectilinear Wrightian forms and spaces, the main problem being “applied ornament� as opposed to integral ornament. Goff, on the other hand, succeeds because his spaces are as otherworldly as the details.
This house also illustrates the potential downside of collaborations between architects and artisans.
Way too many materials! As complex as Wright’s designs could be, he always limited the palette.
In this case, there is a disconnect between the psychedelic craft and the rectilinear Wrightian forms and spaces, the main problem being “applied ornament� as opposed to integral ornament. Goff, on the other hand, succeeds because his spaces are as otherworldly as the details.
This house also illustrates the potential downside of collaborations between architects and artisans.
Way too many materials! As complex as Wright’s designs could be, he always limited the palette.
Wright's ornament spans the gamut from integral (trellis) to redundant (if delightful), i.e. Heritage Henredon molding. There, it is a signature serving to distinguish his work from similar furnishings. Perf panels fall into the
latter category, it seems to me; they are "integral" because Wright said so -- but is Goetsch-Winckler (for instance) incomplete because its perf design was not realized ?
Of course, everything Wright intended for a particular project should be seen as necessary parts of the design -- because he drew it so. But "organic ornament" is ornament, nevertheless. Is a decorative copper fascia
really essential to Samara, when most similar Usonians do perfectly well with a band of dentils -- or nothing at all but the (still unique) profile ?
Isn't it clear that Mr Wright was indulging himself, in gilding his own lilies ? If the client had the money and the will, the ornament was built; if not, no real loss ?
What is the difference between applied and "integral" -- other than the architect's assertion -- for the majority of Wright's decoration ? We wouldn't rip it off and discard it, certainly -- but, still . . .
S
latter category, it seems to me; they are "integral" because Wright said so -- but is Goetsch-Winckler (for instance) incomplete because its perf design was not realized ?
Of course, everything Wright intended for a particular project should be seen as necessary parts of the design -- because he drew it so. But "organic ornament" is ornament, nevertheless. Is a decorative copper fascia
really essential to Samara, when most similar Usonians do perfectly well with a band of dentils -- or nothing at all but the (still unique) profile ?
Isn't it clear that Mr Wright was indulging himself, in gilding his own lilies ? If the client had the money and the will, the ornament was built; if not, no real loss ?
What is the difference between applied and "integral" -- other than the architect's assertion -- for the majority of Wright's decoration ? We wouldn't rip it off and discard it, certainly -- but, still . . .
S
There’s nothing inherently criminal about ornament (my sincerest apologies to Adolf Loos), but when the ornament doesn’t relate, or is speaking another language than the overall composition, the result will become chaotic and clumsy, as in this house.
I think of Wright’s use of Usonian ornamentation much the same as in other American products from the the 30s through the 50s, lets say automobiles, for example. One could purchase the Standard, Deluxe, or Luxury model. More chrome, gadgets and doodads were to be had on the high priced models. In hindsight, the Standard is often more beautiful than the Luxury, and the chassis is the same.
I think of Wright’s use of Usonian ornamentation much the same as in other American products from the the 30s through the 50s, lets say automobiles, for example. One could purchase the Standard, Deluxe, or Luxury model. More chrome, gadgets and doodads were to be had on the high priced models. In hindsight, the Standard is often more beautiful than the Luxury, and the chassis is the same.
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Paul Ringstrom
- Posts: 4777
- Joined: Sat Sep 17, 2005 4:53 pm
- Location: Mason City, IA
Many portions of this house have a timeless appeal: the Taliesin stone walls, the horizontal roof overhangs; and many portions do not.
When the details place the house into a certain time period, the 50s, 60s, etc.,
they devalue it and must be removed to restore the essence of its design.
This house would require extensive remodeling to become timeless.
When the details place the house into a certain time period, the 50s, 60s, etc.,
they devalue it and must be removed to restore the essence of its design.
This house would require extensive remodeling to become timeless.
Former owner of the G. Curtis Yelland House (1910), by Wm. Drummond
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Roderick Grant
- Posts: 11815
- Joined: Wed Mar 29, 2006 7:48 am
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Roderick Grant
- Posts: 11815
- Joined: Wed Mar 29, 2006 7:48 am
Yes, the staircase is amazing. It's much larger in scale than it appears in the photographs. It leads up to the master suite but then oddly, it terminates one more flight upward at a rather nothing rooftop terrace, such a let down for such a grand passage.
There are so many discordant elements in the house, all of which vie for your attention. After spending an hour there and then reviewing the realtor photos, I realized I missed several of the bedroom suites. Since there is no central hallway but rather rooms branching off at various levels/locations it was easy to walk by a door or miss a turn which led to an entirely new area of the house. You really need a map to negotiate this multi-level, multi-area house.
There are so many discordant elements in the house, all of which vie for your attention. After spending an hour there and then reviewing the realtor photos, I realized I missed several of the bedroom suites. Since there is no central hallway but rather rooms branching off at various levels/locations it was easy to walk by a door or miss a turn which led to an entirely new area of the house. You really need a map to negotiate this multi-level, multi-area house.
ch