Frank Lloyd Wright's Doghouse

ekb · Post by **ekb** » Mon Dec 12, 2011 12:49 pm

SDR My parent's house was to be built in redwood. Aaron Green of FLW's SF office changed it to mahogany. I doubt Mr. Wright ever knew of that. I used to know the reason ,but have forgot. The choice of mahogany has created a slight issue. We have been fixing up the house and 1x8 V rustic mahogany is not available. Mcbeath Lumber in Berkely had some 4/4 x9"x 8' that I had to mill down to finish a part of the carport . It was $27! Can't imagine what the wood in the house would cost today. Eric

SDR · Post by **SDR** » Mon Dec 12, 2011 1:09 pm

Yesiree. The story is that your mom sold some family china to complete the purchase of that mahogany ?

MacBeath also has a yard in San Francisco. I couldn't tell you where the best place would be to acquire more wood if you needed it. Another source is Handloggers, which moved from Sausalito to Richmond some time back. I too wonder what led Aaron et al to choose mahogany; maybe he had a source at the time ? It's a wonderful choice, of course -- in the abstract, at least !

I moved to San Anselmo in 1980, and had only just heard of John Sergeant's book. A neighbor loaned me his copy, and it was there that I learned I was living in the same town as one of Wright's post-war houses. Imagine my delight ! I soon found my way up the hill; I still recall the familiar thrill when one first catches sight of "the real thing" -- another of Mr Wright's special places. The signature is unmistakable . . .

SDR

flwromanza · Post by **flwromanza** » Fri Feb 03, 2012 3:24 pm

Come and see Eddie's House!
Our first two screenings of "Romanza" have been scheduled. Sunday, March 25th, 12:30 & 2:30 PM at the Illinois State Museum Thorne Deuel Auditorium
502 S. Spring St., Springfield, Ill. 62706. Admission free. Hope to see you locals there
Though specific dates not yet confirmed, I will also be visiting Florida, Iowa, and Colorado in April (Architecture month). Will update schedule.

KevinW · Post by **KevinW** » Fri Feb 03, 2012 6:20 pm

Gloria would get so upset during the Berger house tour at the 2003 conference when people would keep asking her about the dog house. She finally said to me..."Look at this beautiful house that my husband and I built...and all they want to know is about that dog house!". I remember her also not liking being called cute...(she was quite petite in size), but full of life and outgoing in personality!

SDR · Post by **SDR** » Fri Feb 03, 2012 7:42 pm

I found myself following Mrs Berger and companions during an event at the Marin Civic Center, in the late eighties or early nineties. I didn't know her or her friends and wasn't about to intrude. I did overhear her speak of having replaced some of the hardwood in her home.

When I lived in San Anselmo, I wouldn't have dreamed of calling unannounced at the house. But it was a comfort to know that it was there . . .

SDR

ekb · Post by **ekb** » Fri Feb 03, 2012 9:00 pm

My sister took my mother to Taliesen for a visit in the late 90's . My sister commented at that time how upset my mother was because people kept wanting to talk about the "damn doghouse"

jim · Post by **jim** » Sat Feb 04, 2012 7:00 pm

Under the thread "How many original Wright homeowners are left?" ekb states that the Berger house "will be going on the market soon" (1/29/12). Any plans for a benefit public open house to benefit the FLlW Building Conservancy, as was done with Buehler last summer?

SDR · Post by **SDR** » Sat Feb 04, 2012 7:06 pm

If so, I would certainly take the opportunity to benefit the Conservancy, and to (finally) see the Berger house inside and out !

SDR

ekb · Post by **ekb** » Sat Feb 04, 2012 8:31 pm

SDR, Needless to say if you had knocked on the door (as so many people did over the years) when you looked at the house when you lived in San Anselmo my mother would have invited you in. Once I looked at a guide book on FLW houses, in which all the entry's said,basically don't bother the owners, but under Berger House it said "feel free to knock on the door, Mrs. Berger loves visitors"
My sister has talked to Debra Vick who was involved with the Buehler house showing. There are some things that need to be worked out before any descision is made.

flwromanza · Post by **flwromanza** » Thu Feb 09, 2012 1:11 pm

Great article about the doghouse:

http://www.architizer.com/en_us/blog/dy ... -doghouse/

DavidC · Post by **DavidC** » Sun Mar 11, 2012 5:43 pm

Doghouse designed by famed architect Wright in 1950s rebuilt, set to tour

David

SDR · Post by **SDR** » Sun Mar 11, 2012 8:37 pm

This story is hot ! Here's another notice, appearing today in a post at DesignAddict. Here we find a previously unseen photo of the original doghouse, though it's labeled as being Eric's reconstruction.

http://www.architizer.com/en_us/blog/dy ... -doghouse/

SDR

JimM · Post by **JimM** » Mon Mar 12, 2012 10:58 am

This may have been posted, but the contemporaneous photos show about 8 shingle courses, while the re-built and Wright's plans indicate about 4 as well as narrower ridge capping. Shingle courses, even for Wright, would be an unlikely specification. In this case I do think the photo depiction is more appealing visually and proportionately than the model/plan. Then again, if seen in context with the house it may look altogether different.

SDR · Post by **SDR** » Mon Mar 12, 2012 1:38 pm

Right. It has taken me a while to absorb that what the brothers Berger had in mind was to produce an example more true to the architect's original specification than was the one actually built by their father. This may or may not have been a good choice, but it is certainly one of the two valid options, and deserved to be explored, I'd say.

I happen to like the earlier example, for the finer scale of the roofing, at least. The "miniaturizing" of that texture, for this miniature building, seems a good choice, no matter how it may have come to be. I also like the door opening extending to the ground, rather than being "punched" into the wall plane (and not aligning necessarily with the siding module, which itself is composed of narrower boards that perhaps better echo the wood used in the house itself ?). Taken altogether, the twin exercises in realizing a Wright design give us a valuable opportunity to explore what these choices mean, and how they affect the appearance of the structure -- as well as how closely they follow Wright's intentions.

And I'm still unclear: was the first house (eventually) built by the boys, or by Dad ?

SDR

Roderick Grant · Post by **Roderick Grant** » Mon Mar 12, 2012 1:57 pm

It's always better to follow the specifications of the architect if the aim is to understand the design that the architect provided. The only reason to follow a different set of standards would be to construct an 'as-built' structure in situ.

Wright Chat

Frank Lloyd Wright's Doghouse

Wright doghouse