Phoenix, Usonian
As I understand it, Frank Lloyd Wright didn’t actually coin the word “Usonian,” but he sure is responsible for the style. The word takes its root from the United States of North America, and Wright used the word to describe his vision of the uniquely (North) American style — A democratic style of architecture for the American lifestyle. The intent was to provide small and inexpensive, but stylish and functional homes for the middle class, and he designed about fifty of these. A local Usonian home that I know about is in Moon Valley. Though he didn’t design this particular house, it’s clear that he influenced its style.
I stumbled across this beauty during the summer of 2005. We had a client for the house — an architecture aficionado and a Frank Lloyd Wright purist — who almost bought the house…
… except he realized, when he flew in for the inspection, that he would have to put too much into the house to restore it, including tearing down additions that in his opinion destroyed the integrity of the design.
Still, I’m in love with the house. When Wright designed the Jacobs house in 1936, he created the prototype of the Ranch Style. I know, Ranches are so ubiquitous that they hardly inspire a yawn from most people. Yet, from the time of the first Usonian during the depth of the Depression through the Postwar housing boom and into the 1950s, the Ranch Style projected a streamlined, casual, energetic lifestyle. The house expanded — using picture windows in front and glass doors in the back — to bring in the light and energy of the outdoors.
Of course, this, too, was the birth of Mid-Century Modern.
You can go here to see the rest of the visual tour we created for our client to wander the home from his Boston residence.
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