Architecture: Walter Adolph Georg Gropius
Project: Gropius House
Years: 1937−1938
Geo: Lincoln, US
Photos: Ron Cohen, William Brokhof
Author: Anastasia Strashnova
Continuing the theme of iconic architecture by Tadao Ando and Le Corbusier, let’s talk today about the home of one of the founders of the Bauhaus, German Walter Gropius.
After the Nazis came to power, the architect fled to the UK with his family, where he worked for four years at the modernist Isocon firm. In 1937, Gropius accepted an invitation from Harvard University and became a professor of architecture.
The place of residence was chosen based on proximity to Harvard and the architect’s daughter’s high school, located in the town of Concord. From Germany, Gropius was allowed to take only furniture and personal items; all money had to be left behind. The construction expenses were paid by the patron Helen Storrow, who owned the lands in the Lincoln area. The Gropius family chose a four-acre plot bordering Storrow’s apple orchards.
The house is made of cladding boards, bricks, wild boulders, acoustic plastic, and chrome railings. The diagonal portico above the entrance was used for table tennis tournaments. The main palette of the building is white, black, and gray.
Specially for his daughter, Ati, Gropius glazed the roof so that one could watch the sky at any time of the day. It’s important to note that Ati had a separate room on the second floor, equipped with a terrace and a spiral staircase. This staircase allowed her to go up and down to her room without disturbing her parents.
The house was always filled with technical novelties, such as an electric towel dryer or a lighting system with reflectors and mirrors. And General Electrics even gifted Walter a refrigerator.
Around the house, the owners created a beautiful landscape with grapevines, elm, white pine, oak, beech, and roses.
Walter Gropius said, "I would never have built such a house in Europe with its different climatic, technical, and psychological background."
@gorkjournal
Project: Gropius House
Years: 1937−1938
Geo: Lincoln, US
Photos: Ron Cohen, William Brokhof
Author: Anastasia Strashnova
Continuing the theme of iconic architecture by Tadao Ando and Le Corbusier, let’s talk today about the home of one of the founders of the Bauhaus, German Walter Gropius.
After the Nazis came to power, the architect fled to the UK with his family, where he worked for four years at the modernist Isocon firm. In 1937, Gropius accepted an invitation from Harvard University and became a professor of architecture.
The place of residence was chosen based on proximity to Harvard and the architect’s daughter’s high school, located in the town of Concord. From Germany, Gropius was allowed to take only furniture and personal items; all money had to be left behind. The construction expenses were paid by the patron Helen Storrow, who owned the lands in the Lincoln area. The Gropius family chose a four-acre plot bordering Storrow’s apple orchards.
The house is made of cladding boards, bricks, wild boulders, acoustic plastic, and chrome railings. The diagonal portico above the entrance was used for table tennis tournaments. The main palette of the building is white, black, and gray.
Specially for his daughter, Ati, Gropius glazed the roof so that one could watch the sky at any time of the day. It’s important to note that Ati had a separate room on the second floor, equipped with a terrace and a spiral staircase. This staircase allowed her to go up and down to her room without disturbing her parents.
The house was always filled with technical novelties, such as an electric towel dryer or a lighting system with reflectors and mirrors. And General Electrics even gifted Walter a refrigerator.
Around the house, the owners created a beautiful landscape with grapevines, elm, white pine, oak, beech, and roses.
Walter Gropius said, "I would never have built such a house in Europe with its different climatic, technical, and psychological background."
@gorkjournal