Wright Chat

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1241 ... /?mmlb=g,4

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Hillmer

The Dr Poor residence. http://konsumerismrunamok.com/blog/2014 ... ten-modern

https://www.eichlernetwork.com/article/ ... y-surfaces

His last house.

S

Stunning. Thanks for sharing.

By California standards it seems affordable, is that a correct impression?

Is it in a bad neighborhood or off a highway?

What I have never seen mentioned is that Jack was engaged by his friend Dr. Poor to design this project in the aftermath of the 1991 Oakland Hills firestorm in which his existing house was burned. The location is close to another of Jack's houses that also burned down–Dominic Cagliostro's, which Jack had rebuilt earlier. For Dr. Poor, Jack agreed to adhere quite strictly to the envelope of the original house, and the chimney and other masonry elements one now sees survived the fire and were retained and in some instances refaced in the reconstruction designed by and credited to Jack. The original house was by no means undistinguished, but I do not know who was its architect. Jack, being Jack, did a wonderful job, introduced many marvelous new effects and made the most of the somewhat constrained opportunity that was given to him. Dr. Poor was delighted with the result.

WJS

The location is great if you love living in the Berkeley Hills...and lots of people do. Berkeley doesn't command the top prices many other communities do; still, under $1000/sq ft sounds like they are trying for a bidding war.

The architect (and that of the prior house ?) must have calculated that the full wall of glass (on both levels) facing c. due west would prove advantageous and not uncomfortable---at any season. The roof overhang would be sufficient in summer to prevent too much solar gain, and in winter the deep penetration of sunlight would be (more or less) welcome. Or were drapes or blinds of any sort contemplated or actually installed ? Are those black bands above the glass rectractible shades ?

The choice of very broad openings and correspondingly sturdy posts and beams is unusual and striking. A maximization of opening and corresponding minimized number of supports seems to have been the choice, carried off with aplomb and without awkwardness or crudity of any kind. The board-formed concrete surfaces seem all of a piece, despite perhaps some of them being as found and others improved ?

The steel railings inside are shown as black in an earlier photo. They appear to satisfy the current requirement for a maximum opening of 4"; perhaps Hillmer equipped the house with something of his own design, orginally . . .

S

Great house.
Thank you for posting this.