Probably the least documented of all Wright rooms, the bathroom was mostly a functional space without the trappings of the "spa experience" which has become the norm in contemporary bathrooms.
I was wondering if anyone has any great pics of original usonian bathrooms. The aluminum "board and batten" bathroom at Taliesin West comes to mind as a stellar example, but I doubt if this idea was used in other usonians. Our main bathroom has been a bit remuddled and there are no detailed sections in the plans, so I am starting to research unaltered rooms from the usonian era homes.
Here is a slide show of midcentury bathrooms which got me thinking about this:
http://www.5280mod.com/
Usonian bathrooms
Actually, the metal bathroom as Taliesin West was not typical of Usonian bathrooms. Typically, Usonian bathrooms were finished like any other space in the house, same walls, floor, ceiling. If there were cabinets or shelves, they were like others in the house. The plumbing fixtures were simple white porcelain of the era. Nothing dramatic here at all. They were tiny in size, but this was surprisingly offset by high ceilings, large windows, or skylights.
Doug Kottum, Battle Lake, MN
Doug Kottum, Battle Lake, MN
Other than your first item, the materials and details can all be found elsewhere in the house, according to Doug ? This accords with photos of
Usonian bathrooms I've seen. Indeed, the preponderance of (unfinished) wood surfaces, in the presence of copious soap and water, sometimes
makes me a bit nervous. Aren't there baths and showers surrounded by the Usonian wood "fabric."
It's true that such photos are a little thin, in Futagawa and elsewhere, isn't it ?
SDR
Usonian bathrooms I've seen. Indeed, the preponderance of (unfinished) wood surfaces, in the presence of copious soap and water, sometimes
makes me a bit nervous. Aren't there baths and showers surrounded by the Usonian wood "fabric."
It's true that such photos are a little thin, in Futagawa and elsewhere, isn't it ?
SDR
If a shower would have been against a brick wall would you suppose that the brick would be left exposed? Previous owners installed a prefab tub-shower unit which has to go. I am not sure what is (or was) under the unit...
Thoughts?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cavalier92/300080773/
(Taliesin West bathroom)
Thoughts?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cavalier92/300080773/
(Taliesin West bathroom)
Peter, to keep your wonderful FLLW house as genuine as possible, it would be best to research the original details for that bathroom. Contact the archives at Taliesin West again to be sure you have all the sheets to the original plan, and ask if there was a specification book for the house which would indicate the materials to be used throughout the house. Check all the sheets of your plan. Sometimes a bath or kitchen detail was on an unrelated sheet, such as furniture or window details, or the same detail may be indicated for bedroom and bath shelves. If there are no specific bath details, it may be assumed that bath details were no different from the bedrooms next to it.
Doug K
Doug K
Yes, generally that would be FLlW's preference.SDR wrote:. . . the materials and details can all be found elsewhere in the house, according to Doug ? This accords with photos of Usonian bathrooms I've seen. Indeed, the preponderance of (unfinished) wood surfaces, in the presence of copious soap and water, sometimes makes me a bit nervous. Aren't there baths and showers surrounded by the Usonian wood "fabric." SDR
I visited the Laurent House in the mid 1960's, and the most emphatic point Mr. Laurent had to make about his thorough satisfaction and enjoyment living in his house was the reasonableness of FLlW's insistence that his over-the-tub shower should have typical cypress board and batten wall construction alongside it. He explained that he simply wiped the wood "surround" dry with a towel after each use as a preventive measure. It appeared to be in perfect condition, indistinguishable from other wall surfaces.
Results may vary. Adhering to this construction practice no doubt explains why the Sturges house once held a reputation amongst a few informed aficionados as being the only Frank Lloyd Wright house to leak from the inside out!
WJS
The Dobkins house has original bathrooms. The shower walls are board & batten Mahogany, along with the tub surround in the Master bathroom, except for the exterior wall, which is brick. The finish is Spar varnish built up to 10 to 12 coats ( like an onion skin ) and of course sanding between the coats. I refinished both about 11 years ago, for the varnish was failing when i acquired it. And yes after every use we wipe it down with a towel.
I can safely say that I've spent more time drying the wood in the showers than drying my body. And that is the truth. But, I must say when you shower in them it is as close as one can get to experience showering in a cabinet.
It is wonderful!
dtc
I can safely say that I've spent more time drying the wood in the showers than drying my body. And that is the truth. But, I must say when you shower in them it is as close as one can get to experience showering in a cabinet.
It is wonderful!
dtc
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Wrightgeek
- Posts: 1548
- Joined: Fri Jan 07, 2005 5:21 pm
- Location: Westerville, Ohio
To follow up on dtc's remarks, I remember that when I stayed in the Penfield House several years ago, the tub/shower had wood board and batten finish on the walls around it, and the wood had been treated with a very glossy varnish. There was also a large window in the the shower, and since the bathroom was on the second floor and there are trees on that side of the house, it was like taking a shower in a tree house. Quite memorable really.
In the Haynes House and the Miurhead House, the tub/showers that I used had brick finishes on the surround walls. In all cases I have to admit a bit of trepidation about causing harm to the walls with soap and/or shampoo, but all of the showers I've mentioned appeared to be in very good condition and seemed to hold up well to their intended use.
BTW peterm, the Walters House in Iowa, which is probably one of the most original FLW homes I have ever seen, has the pullman-style combination shower/tub/sink prefabricated units in several of its baths. I cannot recall the name of the manufacturer, but these units have been discussed before here on the chat board. Don't have my Storrer guide handy, but weren't the Walters, Alsop and Lamberson Houses all designed and built at about the same time? Hopefully your plan did not have the pullman units, as I would think they might be quite difficult to replace. Probably not likely though, as I think the pullman units were quite SOTA at the time, and therefore probably quite expensive. The Walters House was a very high-end Usonian for a very wealthy client, and I believe you have mentioned that your Usonian is more modest in terms of size, materials and original cost, correct? Wasn't the original client the owner of the local Ford dealership?
In the Haynes House and the Miurhead House, the tub/showers that I used had brick finishes on the surround walls. In all cases I have to admit a bit of trepidation about causing harm to the walls with soap and/or shampoo, but all of the showers I've mentioned appeared to be in very good condition and seemed to hold up well to their intended use.
BTW peterm, the Walters House in Iowa, which is probably one of the most original FLW homes I have ever seen, has the pullman-style combination shower/tub/sink prefabricated units in several of its baths. I cannot recall the name of the manufacturer, but these units have been discussed before here on the chat board. Don't have my Storrer guide handy, but weren't the Walters, Alsop and Lamberson Houses all designed and built at about the same time? Hopefully your plan did not have the pullman units, as I would think they might be quite difficult to replace. Probably not likely though, as I think the pullman units were quite SOTA at the time, and therefore probably quite expensive. The Walters House was a very high-end Usonian for a very wealthy client, and I believe you have mentioned that your Usonian is more modest in terms of size, materials and original cost, correct? Wasn't the original client the owner of the local Ford dealership?
In contrast to the present day bathing fetish, the Lamberson house had one shower, no tub, for a family of five! The master bathroom is only a sink and toilet. There was an addition designed by Wright in 1951 which includes a fourth bedroom and bath, but this was never realized.
The plan (no elevation) shows a single shower, one wall probably being the brick from the central core of the house, and the two other walls being wood storage units. One of the problems which I foresee is that, unlike most other usonian houses, our house has plywood walls as opposed to the typical board and batten. Veneer would be especially susceptible to water damage, but maybe the ten coats of spar varnish would do the trick.
The other problem is the sealing of the connection between a brick wall and a flat plywood wall, all pointing in the direction of a shower unit with a glass door.
Any examples of this?
The plan (no elevation) shows a single shower, one wall probably being the brick from the central core of the house, and the two other walls being wood storage units. One of the problems which I foresee is that, unlike most other usonian houses, our house has plywood walls as opposed to the typical board and batten. Veneer would be especially susceptible to water damage, but maybe the ten coats of spar varnish would do the trick.
The other problem is the sealing of the connection between a brick wall and a flat plywood wall, all pointing in the direction of a shower unit with a glass door.
Any examples of this?
Usonian bathrooms
While I have not read all the replies here, I'm at work, and gotta get some things out) I hope I'm not adding something that someone else has...but
A great place to look at usonia bathrooms are the old House Beautiful mags, for some reason...probably because they were well done....Aarons bathrooms were usually featured. Ill cite some examples tonite, gotta run.
A great place to look at usonia bathrooms are the old House Beautiful mags, for some reason...probably because they were well done....Aarons bathrooms were usually featured. Ill cite some examples tonite, gotta run.
KevinW
As much as it is my goal to keep the Sweeton house as original as possible, I will need to stray a bit when it comes to the bathroom.
The FLLW Sweeton drawings were very vague about the bathroom other than the compartmentalized floor plan and a notation specifying common vertical fluorescent lights on either side of a surface mounted common steel medicine cabinet. Neither the lights nor the med cabinet specified were installed. Instead a site built mahogany med cabinet was recessed into the adjacent closet plywood wall and a common wall mount horizontal fluorescent light fixture was installed above. When I moved in, the light fixture was rusted, the diffuser yellow and cracked, and its ballast was shot, so I replaced it with a Lightolier Shoji series light that was similar in size and visually appropriate to the horizontal lines of the battens.
The bath as designed has redwood veneer plywood walls at the tap end and back end of the tub/shower, with painted CMU along the long side of the tub. It would have worked with a no-shower tub, but the moisture/ spatter from the shower cracked and delaminated the face veneers above the tub and apparently was a mildew/soap scum nightmare on the rough texture of the block. The previous owner covered the surfaces immediately above the tub to a height of 72" above the floor with a white fiberglass surround panels in about 1985. The moisture has gotten behind the surrounds and they are separating from the walls in places now. We are considering our options at this point, but intend to keep as much of the original character/fabric as possible.
My first choice is to remove the fiberglass and replace with 1x1 tile in an autumnal color adhered to a thin moisture resistant backer board applied to the already marred plywood and the CMU. I recall seeing a b/w pic of a '50's era Aaron Green bath in House Beautiful and thought that his use of 1x1 tile may be an appropriate solution at our house...heavy coatings of varnish and meticulous wiping may work with solid wood, but already damaged plywood is a different story.
The FLLW Sweeton drawings were very vague about the bathroom other than the compartmentalized floor plan and a notation specifying common vertical fluorescent lights on either side of a surface mounted common steel medicine cabinet. Neither the lights nor the med cabinet specified were installed. Instead a site built mahogany med cabinet was recessed into the adjacent closet plywood wall and a common wall mount horizontal fluorescent light fixture was installed above. When I moved in, the light fixture was rusted, the diffuser yellow and cracked, and its ballast was shot, so I replaced it with a Lightolier Shoji series light that was similar in size and visually appropriate to the horizontal lines of the battens.
The bath as designed has redwood veneer plywood walls at the tap end and back end of the tub/shower, with painted CMU along the long side of the tub. It would have worked with a no-shower tub, but the moisture/ spatter from the shower cracked and delaminated the face veneers above the tub and apparently was a mildew/soap scum nightmare on the rough texture of the block. The previous owner covered the surfaces immediately above the tub to a height of 72" above the floor with a white fiberglass surround panels in about 1985. The moisture has gotten behind the surrounds and they are separating from the walls in places now. We are considering our options at this point, but intend to keep as much of the original character/fabric as possible.
My first choice is to remove the fiberglass and replace with 1x1 tile in an autumnal color adhered to a thin moisture resistant backer board applied to the already marred plywood and the CMU. I recall seeing a b/w pic of a '50's era Aaron Green bath in House Beautiful and thought that his use of 1x1 tile may be an appropriate solution at our house...heavy coatings of varnish and meticulous wiping may work with solid wood, but already damaged plywood is a different story.
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Oak Park Jogger
- Posts: 78
- Joined: Mon Jan 22, 2007 2:21 pm
This past weekend I toured the Kraus house in St. Louis (Kirkwood), aka The Frank Lloyd Wright House in Ebsworth Park. First of all, what a gem!!! And, more to the point, the bathrooms are original, as the Mr. and Mrs. Kraus were careful preservers of their home. The bathroom off the master bedroom had both brick and wood--board and batten--walls. The shower (no tub, by choice of the clients, apparently) has wood walls that made the Mr. and Mrs. Kraus a little nervous, I guess, as they elected to cover it with glass. They seem to have fit commercially available shower doors/enclosures to cover the wood, and this shower has a door. You can see the wood, but would not have to go through the elaborate wiping-down-the-wood ritual described in earlier posts. The rest of the bathroom, which is "as completed", has wonderful built in cabinetry, and red formica counters. And 50's bathroom fixtures that I recognized from other, non-Wright houses, i.e. mine, which were inflicted on our house in The Great 1955 Remodelling. (It's almost all been undone now!)
Our very knowledgeable guides reported that the Pappas house has mahogany wood walls in its bathroom(s?) and that they look perfect, showing that this exposed wood thing actually worked.
The second bathroom, off the guest room of the Kraus house, had all brick walls and a shower with a raised edge around the base and no provision for a shower curtain, door, or anything else. This is a small bathroom, so it's easy to imagine water splattered all over the place after a shower, but it is all brick. It has a sink and toilet, and built in cabinets up over the door for storing things, though you'd have to be rather tall to use the cupboard up there.
The third bath is off the studio and, as I recall, is also all brick. I think it's a half bath, with a built in vanity and cupboards. The drawers are unusual as they are made to accomodate the 60 and 120 degree angles in the house, as are the drawers and cupboards in the master bath. And the red formica reappears in this bath as well.
Each bath has standard issue from the 50's sinks and toilets. Each was clearly a Frank Lloyd Wright bathroom, and yet each had standard fixtures that were readily available at the time of construction.
If you haven't seen The Frank Lloyd Wright House in Ebsworth Park, it is a surprising and wonderful home. The joinery as sections of the ceiling come together is breathtaking; Krauses were lucky to find a cabinet maket to act as their contractor, and St. Louis is lucky that a bunch of people got together to preserve this wonderful house.
Our very knowledgeable guides reported that the Pappas house has mahogany wood walls in its bathroom(s?) and that they look perfect, showing that this exposed wood thing actually worked.
The second bathroom, off the guest room of the Kraus house, had all brick walls and a shower with a raised edge around the base and no provision for a shower curtain, door, or anything else. This is a small bathroom, so it's easy to imagine water splattered all over the place after a shower, but it is all brick. It has a sink and toilet, and built in cabinets up over the door for storing things, though you'd have to be rather tall to use the cupboard up there.
The third bath is off the studio and, as I recall, is also all brick. I think it's a half bath, with a built in vanity and cupboards. The drawers are unusual as they are made to accomodate the 60 and 120 degree angles in the house, as are the drawers and cupboards in the master bath. And the red formica reappears in this bath as well.
Each bath has standard issue from the 50's sinks and toilets. Each was clearly a Frank Lloyd Wright bathroom, and yet each had standard fixtures that were readily available at the time of construction.
If you haven't seen The Frank Lloyd Wright House in Ebsworth Park, it is a surprising and wonderful home. The joinery as sections of the ceiling come together is breathtaking; Krauses were lucky to find a cabinet maket to act as their contractor, and St. Louis is lucky that a bunch of people got together to preserve this wonderful house.