Nomination for Tonkens, Gerald B. and Beverley, House

From the form

The catalogue entry the section above was filed under.

RECEIVED MAY 3 O 1991 National Park Service AUG 19 1991 National Park other names/site number street & number city, town NA vicinity Number of Resources within Property 4 building(s) _ sites public-Federal structure 1 Total Name of related multiple property listing: listed in tha National Register - In my opinion, the property Signature of certitying official determined eligible for the National other, (explain:) 061 none Cincinnati REGISTER public-local 8-15-91 National Register. Registration Form entered in the National Register. Amberley Village Number ot contributing resources previously Noncontributing public-State See continuation sheet. Ownership ct Property determined not eligible for tho Date Date of Action NA not for publication removed from the National Register. Category of Proporty (Form 10-c0ca). Type all entries.

object Location 6980 Knoll Road Qhie code OH 1, hereby, certify that this property is: X nomination _request for determination of eligibility mests the documentation standards for registering properties in the 45237 historic name Residence of Gerald B. and Beverley Tonkens district State or Federal agency and burasu coda state DOMESTIC/ single dwelling 7.

Description (enter categories from instructions) MODERN MOVEMENT roof _Rubber/Built up rubber membrane is df a built up rubber membrane, and the concrete blocks form an overhang mahagony is used for all the built-in cabinets, furniture, doors and for * See continuation sheal There are three main visible elements to the house; concrete, glass and concrete The Architectural Classification Wriqhtian/Usonian windows that pierce the concrete as a clerestory on the north and end sides The low one story Usonian Automatic L-shaped house is at the crest of the colorization is the soft weathered grey of the of the unique formed concrete Materials (enter categories from instructions) simple, solid Philippine mahagony door.The center core of the house rises is at the corner of Section Road and Knoll Road with distinctive painted heating and cooling units and the other utilities.

The main driveway from Knoll Road approaches the north or rear of the house Historic Functions (enter categories from instructions) Describe present and historic physical appearance. of the north side, with the Frank Lloyd Wright signature tile beside the several full length doors and square windows that open for ventilation. block that the entire house is constructed of, with a filigree of 492 foundation _ The gates, mailboxes, lanterns and Frank Lloyd Wright. The main and more and swings west to the extending two car carport.The driveway connects to The Gerald and Beverly Tonkens house is located on a six acre parcel in This central core contains the impressive entrance is off Knoll Road. single dwelling house to form a two-car carport with a small utility room for storage.

and full length on thesouthern side of the house.The south side also has An earlier, non-contributing, small one story house sits to the west of the The Philippine a half story and is also filigreed with windows to admit light.The roof of windows admit light and add a delicate look to the design. Amberley Village, a residential suburb, just north of Cincinnati. The lot walls NPS Form 10-000d Residence of Gerald B. and Beverley Tonkens, Amberley Village, Ohio, Hamiliton County Section number _7 Page Philippine mahogany.

Continuation Sheet National Register of Historic Places Foundation's assistance, Cornelia Brierly and John Dekoven Hill providing National Park Service The house is furnised entirely with the original furniture designed center core clerestory for the feeling of space.A bookshelf lined hallway designed all fabrics and furniture, using only Taliesen-designed gilded with 24k gold as suggested by Mr.Wright when the house was con- United States Department of the Interior into two spaces, one with sink and commode and the other with a bathtub unifies all the rooms with the main living space of the living room. The original fabrics, designed by Mr. Wright, were replaced in 1987 up to the full height of the central core, with a lightec balcony for This area is openec as the main focal point of the room. An alcove to the east was planned than they actually are. with mirrdred wall and a study.

and has doors that open out onto a small private patio. especially for the house. John Dekovan Hill, along with Mr. Wright, The coffee table, end tables, chairs, furniture, manufactured by Heritage and Henredon. All of the furniture house. The furniture and past 37 years with close collaboration with the Taliesen Foundation. The master bedroom suite is separated from the The entrance opens into an entrance foyer that uses the height of the Landscaping has been continually beautified with the Frank Lloyd Wright drawers. The exterior and interior of the house have been maintained over the desks and other built-in furniture are all finished with a Greek Key design along the edges. altered, changed or revised since the original completion in 1955. the north side. The ceiling blocks in this area of the house have been all landscape drawings from the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation.

This, along with the same warm color scheme, rest with a doorway. and sink. The next two rooms are bedrooms, with built-in beds, cesks and storage are built-in in this area of the house also, and are of the same The study is at the west end of the house are along the south side of the hallway. is made of Philippine mahogany. with alow ceiling leads to the large main living area. side of the room. The first one is a bath divided (8-86) Period of Significance Architect/Builder 1954 "Usonian Automatic" system of house construction. facture, and geometric precision of design.

his family on a steep hill site in the Cincinnati suburb of Amberley privacy at suburban densities and was an integration of social ideas, optimal because it is a virtually unaltered example of Frank Lloyd Wright's for which he stood were clarity of materials and structure, machine manu- Architecture began in the late 19th century, when he worked with Louis Sullivan in an extending wing of the house. of parts, varied and expanded for individual families.The different use Mr. Tonkens replied that if Mr.Wright would design a home for his family Areas of Significance (enter catogories from instructions) Significant Person See continuation sheet nationalty - statswide Applicable National Register Criteria Mr. Tonkens. architecture, treating buildings like living organisms that must"grow" Village.

He used low lines and rough materials which room and adjoining kitichen, with small bedrooms, bathrooms, and storage in Wright, His work in building that he had been developing since the 1930's. Usonian houses Wright developedorganic After World War II Wright began to call all his houses Usonian, a concept was based on the site, the size of the family and the proposed budget of In 1954 Gerald B. Tonkens commissioned Mr. Wright to design a house for The construction of the house took l7 months and was built Criteria Considerations (Excoptions) In meeting with Mr. Wright Cincinnati, Ohio Storrer, William Allin MIT Press, Seventh Printing 1989 X See continuation sheet Primary location of additional data: Survey # Record # 10. Geographical Data 11. Form Prepared By organization .

city or town - - state - zip code 45237 172-175 Easting 67-69 Local government Northing previousty listed in the National Register Boundary Justification recorded by Historic American Buildings Other State agency Verbal Boundary Description recorded by Historic American Engineering Federal agency University The Frank Lloyd Wright Archives designated a National Historic Landmark State historic preservation office of Amberley, Hamilton County, Ohio and more particularly described as follows: Specity repository: Previous documentation on file (NPS): UTM References Beginning at apoint on the south line of said Section 19, and the center line of preliminary determination of individual listing (36 CFR 67) has been requested other Taliesin West, Scottsdale, Arizona 85261 street & number 1434114,30 Zone 9.

Major Bibllographical References Amberley Village Its History and Its People Frank Lloyd Wright's Usonian Houses , The Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright. Acreage of property - Situated in Section 19, Town 4, Entire Range 1, Miami Purchase, in the Village name/title - date - 1976 1989 Greenspan, Stuart The boundary includes the entire acreage that has historically been previously determined eligible by the National Register Village of Amberley 1990 Parcel No.l Sergent, John Ohio six acres Sarajena King 7000 Knoll Road NPS Form 10-900e United States Department of the Interior Residence of Gerald B. Beverley Tonkens, Amberley Village, Ohio, Hamilton County Section number _ The following statement of significance

Statement of significance

was written by Bruce Brooks Pfieffer the Arizona Biltmore Hotel, Phoenix, in 1952. Continuation Sheet the ceiling which was made of concrete block and reinforced steel. supervised and provided all engineering drawings while on the site in The Usonian Automatic carried the system much further by adding a ceiling of National Park Service labor could easily perform; a great savings in labor costs. National Register of Historic Places altered, changed or revised since the construction was completed in 1955, have sought out the house as one of the finest examples of Wright's Usonian one next to the other, steel rods were inserted into the grooves, running Director of the Frank Lloyd Wright Archives, Taliesin West, Scottsdale, Arizona for this National Register nomination, October 8, 1990.

first client to build.with it was Benjamin Adelman who built a house near Tonkens died in February of 1990. OMB Approwel No. 1024-0018 Page - Mendel Glickman, Professor of Mathematics at The other two called for specially made concrete blocks, with cast houses, the Boulter house in the Clifton area and the other house in the Bodil Pieper, apprentices to Frank Lloyd Wright, built a small house for By stacking the blocks and then inserting steel and concrete, the customary Automatic architecture. Cincinnati and Tom Casey also assisted in the construction supervision. patterns and perforations. collaboration with the Taliesen Foundation. headquarters in Arizona. Oklahoma University, along with Wesley Peters and Mr. Wright, engineered The exterior Mr.

Tonkens wanted to have a great, architect-designed house which he could mortar joint was circumvented, and the process became one that non-skilled The edges of the thin blocks were half-circular three in the Cincinnati-Hamilton County area; the Tonkens residence is the and interior have been maintained over the past 37 years in close residences in the state of by Frank Lloyd Wright.There are grooves, on all four sides.As the were stacked, one upon the other, up the original plans. live in the rest of his life; and that was exactly what he received. had progressed to the point where a prototype could be built:Arthur and with the exception of the replacement of fabrics in 1987. The house is one of only nine NPS Form 10-900d United States Department of the Interior National Park Service Residence of Gerald B.

Beverley Tonkens, Amberley Village, Ohio, Hamilton County time does come, historians, architects, builders and home owners will The property meets the requirements for Criteria Consideration G, properties less than significance of Frank Lylod Wright's work and demonstrate: how Usonian architecture Continuation Sheet National Register of Historic Places variations on the seminal work established in the Tonkens house. The Tonkens house is of great significance in the annals of architectural By 1954, with the design for the Gerald Tonkens house, the system was could make cost housing available on a large scale. houses had wooden ceilings.) Section number 8 There were others that followed: in NewHampshire, in could be varied as desired, the home-owners could participate in the 1ook to the Gerald Tonkens house for confirmation and inspiration. 0 years old.

Sutticient scholarly research has been done to support the exceptional represents an important aspect of his work. fully perfected.T blocks adhered to a reinforced concrete early California and sold in lumber yards or home-improvement for the houses Michigan, in Missouri, in California, in Washington, but these were Page - 2 (8-86) NPS Form 10-000 of said Section 19; thence south 86° 57' east along the south line of said Section 19, a distance of 630 ft; thence north 52° 54' east, along the Subject to legal highways, EXCEPTING THEREFROM THE FOLLOWING DESCRIBED Deed Book 3228, page 220, Hamilton County, Ohio Records. Situated in Section 19, Town 4, Entire Range 1, Miami Purchase, in the Continuation Sheet National Park Service Verbal Boundary Description National Register of Historic Places ft. to the place of beginning.

Being the same premises conveyed to the grantor herein by deed recorded in Village of Amberley, Hamilton County, Ohio, and more particularly described Parcel No.2 to the center lines of Knoll Road and Section Road and the point of beginning United States Department of the Interlor as follows: Being one complete parcel on the Auditor's Plat. Hamilton County, Ohio records. Subject to water main use as set forth in Miscellaneous Book 16, page 559, line of Knoll Road;thence southwesterly along the center line of Knoll Road Subject to easement as set forth in Deed Book 1861,page 49,Hami1ton to a point in the north line of said Section Rd., a 60 ft. street and the westerly line of Registered Land Certificate 5485, a distance of 173.00 ft. north 550 51' west, a distaßce of 510.75 ft; thence north 490 44' west PROPERTY SOLD TO SHIRLEY K. PINALES: Section 19: thence S.86° 57' E.

along the south line of said Section, which N.52° 54' E. 126.47 ft; thence N.550 51' W. 223.3 ft; thence S. 490 07'30" of 1241.70 ft. (measured along the south line of said Section 19) and N.520 Section Road at its intersection with the center line of Knoll Road, said beginning point being south 86° 75' east, a distance of 611.70 feet W. 134 ft; thence S. 33° 17'30" W.120.32 ft. to a point in the north line of particularly desribed as follows: Beginning at the southwest corner of said istered Land Certificate 5485) from the southwest corner of said Section 19; Ohio Records.

Subject to restrictions as set forth in Deed Book 1947,page 94 Lying and being in Section l9,Township 4,Entire Range l, Sycamore Township, 54' E.,a distance of 173 ft.(measured along the westerly line of said Reg- in the Village of Amberley, County of Hamilton, State of ohio, and being more Section number 10 Page 1 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service Residence of Gerald B. and Beverley Tonkens, Amberley Village, Ohio, Hamilton County Verbal Boundary Description thence N. 52° 54' E. along the westerly line of said Registered Land the southerly line of Registered Land Certificate 9857 N. 48° 09' W. a radius of 275 ft., a distance of 109.43 ft. (chord of said curve bears distance of 387.65 ft. to the place of beginning.

Continuation Sheet National Register of Historic Places This property is the same property as conveyed to grantor by Deed recorded Certificate 5485,a distance of 111.02 ft.,thence northwestardly along S.140 10' W., a distance of 108.71 ft.); thence N. 770 10' E., a distance Section number10 Page _ 2 a distance of 126.94 ft. to a point in the east line of Knoll Road; thence thence continuing along the east line of Knoll Road on a curved line of 58.55 ft.;thence S. 49° 44' E.,a distance of 59.50 ft., thence S. 55° 51' in Deed Book recoras. United States Department of the Interior National Park Service Residence of Gerald B. and Beverley Tonkens, Amberley Village, Ohio, Hamilton County Gerald B.

and Beverly Tonkens Residence 6980 Knoll Road Cincinnati, Ohio 45237 The location of the original negatives for the following twenty-six photographs is: 7000 Knoll Road Sarajane King. photographer The gate and driveway of the Tonkens residence from Knoll Road. Photo *2 The main approach to the Tonkens residence, photographer facing southeast. A close-up of the Frank Lloyd Wright signature tile by the by the main entrance of Photo *4 Photo #5 View of the carport Tonkens residence, photographer facing east. graphs. residence. Sarajane King the Tonkens residence. Photographic information: Continuation Sheet photographer facing east. August 1990 National Register of Historic Places (PS Form 10.000a OMB Approvel No. 1024-0018 Photo *1 Photo * 3 The above name and address are the same for all twenty-six of the following photo- NPS Form 10-900d OMB Approval No.

1024-0018 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service Photo # 6 Sarajane King . photographer View of the carport Tonkens residence, photographer facing west. Photo #7 View of west end of the Tonkens residence (bedrooms and small lanai), photographer Photo #8 Front view of the Tonkens residence, photographer facing northeast. Photo *9 Photo *10 Close-up view of the front windows Tonkens residence. Photo * 11 The full length doors that open on to the lanai from the living room Tonkens residence. photographer facing north. Photo #12 Front lanai, off the living room Tonkens residence, photographer facing northwest. Photo # 13 Outside storage building Tonkens residence, photographer facing north. Photo # 14 November 1990 Entrance hall Tonkens residence, looking towards the living room, with central core on right. photographer facing east. facing northeast.

National Register of Historic Places August 1990 Continuation sheet Residence of Gerald B. and Beverley Tonkens, Amberely Village, Ohio, Hamilton Count) Full front view Tonkens residence. photographer facing north. United States Department of the Interior National Park Service Residence of Gerald B. and Beverley Tonkens, Amberely Village, Ohio, Hamilton County Photo # 15 Sarajane King. photographer Photo # 16 plantings. photograher facing northwest. Photo * 17 Photo # 18 facing east. Photo * 19 Close-up of Wright designed coffee table Tonkens residence (note Greek Key design). Photo *20 Living room Tonkens residence, photographer facing south. Photo #21 Photo # 22 right. photographer facing west. Continuation Sheet Section number Photos Page 3 facing northeast. facing south.

November 1990 Living room Tonkens residence with Wright designed furniture.photographer Living room National Register of Historic Places Formed cement block ceiling.clerestory windows.built in storage Tonkens residence. NPS Form 10-900-e OMB Approvel Mo. 1024-0018 photographer facing northeast. Tonkens residence with Wright designed furniture. photographer Dining area Tonkens residence (Wright designed furniture)with central core on Living room Tonkens residence.central core on left.overhang with original (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service Residence of Gerald B. and Beverley Tonkens, Amberely Village, Ohio, Hamilton County Photo *23 Sarajane King. photographer Photo # 24 Kitchen of the Tonkens residence, photographer facing east. Photo * 25 Photo * 26 Bedroom in Tonkens residence with built in desk and shelves. northwest.

Continuation Sheet National Register of Historic Places November 1990 NPS Form 10-900e CMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Bedroom with built-in furniture Tonkens residence, photographer facing southwest. (8-86) 6980 Knoll Road UTM Reference: 16/723240/4341430 Ohio SKETCH MAP Amberley Village, Hamilton County Gerald & Beverly Tonkens Residence 6980 Knoll Road 16/723240/4341430 UTM Reference: Hamilton County, Ohio Amberley village, PHOTO VIEW MAP LAN Residence 6980 Knoll Road Hamilton County, Ohio 16/723240/4341430 CARPORT UTM Reference: Gerald & Beverly Tonkens Amberley Village, PHOTO VIEW MAP ANA NATIONAL PARK SERVICE EVALUATION/RETURN SHEET Tonkens, Gerald B.

and Beverley, House DATE OF WEEKLY LIST: NOMINATOR: STATE N PDIL: N PERIOD: PROGRAM UNAPPROVED: COMMENT WAIVER: N ABSTRACT/SUMMARY COMMENTS : DOCUMENTATION see attached comments Y/N see attached SIR ./ 91001414 10/03/91 9/20/91 PROPERTY DATE MULTIPLE 8/19/91 RETURN REVIEWER OTHER: NAME: NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES RECOM./CRITERIA DATE RECEIVED: REFERENCE NUMBER: REASONS FOR REVIEW: DATE OF 45TH DAY: N SLR DRAFT: N REJECT ACCEPT DISCIPLINE NATIONAL: UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR _count STATE/FEDERAL AGENCY CERTIFICATION _historic _current _architectural classification _summary paragraph _completeness _clarity _applicable criteria _justification of areas checked _context _other

The rest of the file

Bibliography, boundary description, and the people who prepared and reviewed the nomination.

GEOGRAPHICAL DATA -acreage _verbal boundary description _boundary justification ACCOMPANYING DOCUMENTATION/PRESENTATION -photographs materials presentation FUNCTION DESCRIPTION BIBLIOGRAPHY Period CLASSIFICATION Builder/Architect SIGNIFICANCE Signed Date Phone Specific dates relationship of integrity to significance justification of exception Questions concerning this nomination may be directed to OTHER COMMENTS Areas of Significance--Check and justify below Statement of Significance one paragraph) relating significance to the resource _resource type USGS maps _sketch maps UTMS descriptive text INTERAGENCY RESOURCES DIVISION Evaluation of Potential National Significance Property Name: Gerald B. and Beverly Tonkens House Subtheme S (Wrightian) - of house construction, and represents a significant aspect of the Wright in the State of Ohio.

period, extending to World War I, was characterized by his Prairie based on geometric shapes; and his third period, 1937-1959, focused Administration Building, and the Usonian concept of construction, his response to the need for small, affordable individual housing. building by Wright and his Taliesen studio. Reviewer: Patrick Andrus, Historian Date: 11/26/91 Applicable NHL Criteria and Exception: Criterion 4, Exception 8. Explanation of Potential National Significance important phase of Wright's career.

National Register of Historic Places UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE Style houses; the second period, which lasted until the mid-1930s, The Tonkens House was designed by Wright based upon his client's The Tonkens in an exceptionally State and county: Hamilton County,ohio Theme XVI (Architecture), Wright's career can be divided into three periods: the first was characterized by his experiments with new architectural forms in 1937 - the Tonkens House is one of the finest examples of this Wright built dozens of variations of the Usonian house, beginning Homiltau Co.

OA OHIO-HAMIL.TON CO 39084-B4-TF-024 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 7.5 MINUTE SERIES (TOPOGRAPHIC) UNITED STATES CINCINNATI EAST QUADRANGLE CINCINNATI EAST, OHIO Ohio Historic Preservation Office Ohio Historical Center 1982 Velma Avenue Columbus, Ohio 43211-2497 SINCE 1885 August 13, 1991 Ms. Carol Shull, Chief National Register of Historic Places National Park Service Department of the Interior P.O. Box 37127 Washington, D.C. 20013-7127 Residence of Gerald B. and Beverly Tonkens nomination is being submitted for have been followed for these new submissions. Residence of Gerald B. and Beverly Tonkens Robinson, Byron, W. Residence Please contact me if you have any questions.

WRL/ jw: dh SOCIETY Cuyahoga 614/297-2470 HISTORICAL nrohp/trans.rev NATIONAL County Enclosures Sincerely, REGISTER Fax:297-2411 Cleveland Discount Building Summit New Submission Dear Carol: Estoric Preservation officer Enclosed are (3) new National Register nominations. Please note that the - United States Department of the Interior NATIONAL PARK SERVICE P.O. Box 37127 Washington, D.C. 20013-7127 MAR 6 1992 Chief of Registration, National Register of Historic Tonkens House, Cincinnati, ohio Thank you for the National Register file on the Gerald Tonkens significance as one of F.L. Wright's Usonian Houses and decided scholars to establish a workable schedule for proceeding with an Memorandum orderly study.

Attachment From: IN REPLY REFER TO Subject: H3815(418) We are currently discussing this problem with F.L.Wright we need to set up a context for judging Usonian types to determine those of national significance. (See memo attached). Places House in have reviewed the property for its Senior Historian Levy. Historian Charleton. Architectural Historian Pitts Frank Lloyd Wright's Usonian Houses Rosenbaum House, Alabama This problem has been with us for some time. The answer given in Pat Tiller's May 1988 from ah Alabama relative to the Rosenbaum House (1939). Until we can employ or contract an expert on Frank Lloyd Wright, sorting out the problems with Unsonian houses alone will take some time. As we have been doing, we could cite the restored).

The 25 or so others will have to be sorted out - some have been drastically altered, The "sub-set" of Unsonians (see Tiller memo page 3) of hexagonal or Snowflake plan houses is now represented on the Landmark rolls by the Hanna Honeycomb house at Stanford. Both Auld Brass in South Carolina and Rosenbaum House in Alabama are in Other Sites Rosenbaum House, Florence, Alabama 1939 This may be one of the better Usonians but we don't know and won't know until a comparative evaluation is made. We have correspondence with Mrs. Rosenbaum. Auldbrass (Old Brass) Yemassee, S.C. 1940, 1951 Letter attached* H30(418) Considered. From: Subject: Memorandum etc. The C. Leigh Stevens Residence was designed to be a working plantation with two cottages, a barn, chicken runs and managers quarters.

The barn and chicken run was destroyed by Jacobs House (1936) in Madison, Wisconsin which was the first built and prototype Usonian Tonkens House, Ohio (currently being restored).This one should be the obvious landmark if it is not over- fire.Deteriorated until recently when a film producer acquired it and is if restoring it.See Auld Brass, South Carolina memo to you on this same subject is still valid. That memo was a response to a inquiry We have another inquiry from Ohio SHPO concerning the Tonkens House in Cincinatti. It can also be discussed with the "Pierced Block" houses of the 1920's in Los Angeles. To carefully. It is one of his best known structures and in a class by itself. The other four "Pierced Black" houses, all in Los Angles, are: Millard, 1923 Freeman, 1923 The four should be studied at the same time, at least three are in excellent condition.

Storer Brass in South Carolina. The Millard House was the first built and most delicate. The Resolving the above problems is only a small part of the Frank Lloyd Wright question. There a very large number of buildings to classify and evaluate. For the moment we have acquired some of his best known works: Johnson Wax, Coonley House, Dana House, Temple, the home and Studio in Oak Park, Wingspread and Marin County Court House. 418 Pitts 418 % Monette's c drive usonian.mmo Ennis, 1923 Storer, 1923 Hollyhock House (Aline Barnstall) 1917-1920 date there are none on the National Landmarks roles.For the record they are.

Cpitts:mg:2/7/92 Fallingwater, Darwin Martin House, Robie House, Taliesin East and Taliesin West, Unity Although not built until 1954,it has been classified as "Usonian Automatic."It looks like a has recently been beautifully restored by a movie producer, the same person restoring Auld beautiful "Usonian" but where do we put it in context? This is a major Wright building. The problem is integrity but it should studied Ennis House is the largest and most monumental. The Freeman House is smaller but has To be done, pending your decision: Auld Brass, South Carolina cannot judge out of context Rosenbaum, Alabama no letter to answer at this time but A beautiful house also Usonian Four pierced block houses in Los Angeles all built in 1923. No current Tonkens, Ohio Barn and chicken run destroyed.

Being rebuilt [letter needs to be answered pressure but a noticeable gap in our current NHL listings. the subject comesup fgfm time to time Other Sites Considered. but late(1954).Apparently in excellent condition[letter needs tobe answered The question on the table is whether or not the Rosenbaum House by Frank Lloyd Wright in Florence, AL merits designation as an A bit of Background: is not plan, flat roofed, brick, wood, stone, and concrete and decidedly NHL. From: MBMORANDUM that never were.It gets even more unclear than this, however. Jacobs House (l936) in Madison Wisconsin. Subject: Frank Lloyd House in Florence, Alabama examples also include the Rosenbaum House (l939 and the subject Pat Tiller probably all of the above and then some other factors.

Of the Wright listings as NHL's, there are no Usonians (l940) in Bernardsville, New Jersey (although this one is these and the one viewed as the prototype for the form is the Ed Bearss and Ben Levy issue. These have been fairly hectic several weeks. the Sturges House (1939) Los Angeles, the Winkler-Goetsch House In general architecturally aware circles (whatever that may Rosenbaum House in Florence.However the more famous one of surviving examples?Last of a type or kind?The answer is the heart of how and why we designate architectural NHL's.

Do we represented.Clearly then, this is a gap that probably should be mean),the archtypical Usonian House is of the form of the probably too big and expensive to be classified as a Wright designed 26 Usonians that were built and an additional 31 agreement on the universe;which houses are Usonian and which are filled.E in question), the Rebhuhn House (l938) in Great Neck Long Island, Typically, these houses were small,"L","T",or rectangular in designate them as best of a type?Sample of a type?Sole is the core. Now, there is another subset of Usonians that do not fit the "T", If I were to nominate only one, it would probably be the Jacobs Usonian Houses classifies the house under 5 typologies. They tend to be modular-polygonal sometimes called question, however. it more significant than the other surviving There is no doubt that the Rosenbaum House is significant.

-we do not have any Usonian Houses designated as NHL's.We not believe that much of the interior is in tact and that much of Jacobs House on that one. Of course the Pope House has been moved and is about to be moved (1939) in Lansing, Michigan, and the Baird House (l940) in Amherst, Massachussetts. There are others, but I think that this "L", or rectangular plan format. Whatever the case, I think that there is a natural break in typology here between the modest, small scaled, typically Usonian John Sergeant in his book, Frank Lloyd Wright's I think that this needs answering before we go to the next Which Usonians do we want to nominate? Like HH Richardson, do we few years back and had to go through extensive restoration. How do we define Usonian? There are several ways to go on House. disagree. same period and many have referred to them as Usonian Houses Many don't.

This is my step which is: These were constructed in the Usonian as they are bigger, more expensive, and more personalized There is much to However, my sources tell me that it fell on hard times a opinion only and some scholars more studied than I would What all this points to is this: that much of the interior is still in tact. the furniture has been sold off.Maybe Rosenbaum noses out the develop criteria to sift through all of the thirty some that were On the other ones, I can't give you any up to the minute information. think? reservation about this issue. around the country to some of the Wright experts to get an Architectural Historians might want to take this project on as hand-whether or not we should nominate the Rosenbaum House. probably merit NHL designation. What this all comes to is that I can't really say on the issue at recommend defer until we have a better overall picture.

I know that you folks are way overtaxed and understaffed in the I'm sorry that I could not be as clear as on this question as I opinion. recommend what I recommend to you. This ultimately wasn't very helpful. Most, we have developed a broad context in which we can evaluate all of That put this off until on the suggested that maybe the Society of