Affleck, Gregor S. and Elizabeth B., House
Also known as: Affleck House
Historic Photo from NRHP Filing
National Register of Historic Places Filing
The AFFLECK HOUSE, although less than fifty years old, achieves special significance as (1) the work of architect Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959): (2) a representative building type ('home for sloping ground') as derived from Wright's Broadacre City: (3) an outstanding example of Wright's pre-World War II Usonian residential designs: (4) a site for another Usonian House designed by Wright: and (5) a property currently being restored and preserved.
Physical Description
The AFFLECK HOUSE incorporates many Usonian characteristics, e.g.: The house features lapped board construction, running horizontally to reflect the line of the house. The wood walls were prefabricated with a plywood core and angled. The concrete floor slab rests over hot water pipes which produce the radiant or gravity heat in the floor and up the walls. The 41 x 41 unit grid inscribed in the concrete floor governs the plan and simplified the construction of the spatially complex house. Typical of Wright's open plan concept, distinct functional areas blend to form a continuously flowing space. The carport replaces the traditional garage. Bookshelves and cabinets are built in; tables, seating units, bed boxes and chairs are designed by the architect for the house. Recessed, fluorescent lighting is used. The house's natural materials, cantilevered living space and balconies extend its relationship with the out-of-doors. It is a particularly fine example of Wright's skill of integrating the building with the site to enhance the best qualities of each.
Architect/Builder
Frank Lloyd Wright
NRHP Ref# 85003005 • Data from National Park Service • Content available under CC BY-SA 4.0
Historical Photos
(33)Public Domain (Michigan filing for National Register of Historic Places)
From Wikipedia
The Gregor S. and Elizabeth B. Affleck House, also known as the Affleck House, is a Frank Lloyd Wright designed Usonian home in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, in Metro Detroit. It is one of only about 25 pre-World War II Usonians to be built. It is owned by Lawrence Technological University. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 3, 1985.
History
Gregor S. Affleck was born in Chicago and became a chemical engineer. Affleck was familiar with Frank Lloyd Wright's architectural style, having spent much of his youth near Spring Green, Wisconsin, and Wright's family home. Gregor's wife Elizabeth was particularly fond of Wright's Fallingwater, so when the couple wanted to build their own house in 1940, they commissioned Wright to design this house. The site was a unique lot, densely wooded, with no level ground, which allowed Wright to explore and refine his design for a home on sloping ground. The construction was finished in 1941.
The Afflecks later commissioned Wright to construct a second house on the adjoining lot, known as the Pergola House. In 1978, the Affleck House was donated by the family to Lawrence Technological University. The university committed to restoring and preserving the house, and it is used as a teaching resource for the university's College of Architecture and Design faculty and students.
Description
The Affleck House is a Usonian house constructed of brick and cypress. It is sited in a natural amphitheater on a sloping lot. The main entrance opens into an entry foyer, which is connected to a main skylit loggia. A light well in the floor of the loggia opens onto a stream below. The loggia extends into the living/dining space, which is cantilevered out over the small stream. The living room revolves around a large fireplace and is adjoined by the dining area. A small kitchen is a two-story space, with a small stairway leading downward to the lower level bedroom. The main bedroom wing is raised half a story above the loggia, with a hallway/gallery on one side and three bedrooms and two bathrooms.
Gallery
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Oakland County, Michigan
- List of Frank Lloyd Wright works
References
- Storrer, William Allin (1993). The Frank Lloyd Wright Companion. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0-226-77624-8. OCLC 28676420. (S.274)
External links
- Media related to Gregor S. Affleck House at Wikimedia Commons
- Affleck house at Lawrence Technological University
- Lawrence Tech students help preserve Frank Lloyd Wright house while living in it
- Affleck house on peterbeers.net
- Living Wright
- Photos on Arcaid
Content available under CC BY-SA 4.0
Building Details
- Architect
- Frank Lloyd Wright
- Year Built
- 1941
- Style
- Usonian
- Building Type
- house
- National Register
- Listed
- Ref# 85003005
