Gregor S. and Elizabeth B. Affleck House

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.

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.