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THE MODERN HOUSE VI: BREUER HOUSE II

Architect: Marcel Breuer Location: New Canaan, CT Date: 1951-51 Patron: Marcel Breuer

Begun in 1948, Breuer House II was the second private residence designed by Marcel Breuer in New Canaan, CT. In 1951, Breuer assumed ownership of the house, using it as his family’s country house.

The flat roof, extensive glazing, fieldstone veneer and daring cantilevers of Breuer House II influenced the design of countless “modern” suburban houses in the 1950s and ‘60s. The interior of the house today bears little resemblance to Breuer’s original conception, which concentrated the common public rooms of the house at the center of the plan and placed private rooms at the periphery.

Like Palm Springs, New Canaan is a showcase of mid-century modern residential architecture. Many of these houses were designed by the Bauhaus-influenced Harvard Five, a group of architecture professors of which Breuer was a member. Approximately half of the 90 houses built by the Harvard Five in the 1950s and ‘60s have been subsequently torn down. Breuer House II itself was scheduled for demolition in 2005, two architects who not only purchased the house to save it, but removed additions made to the house in the 1970s after the Breuer family sold it. The same owners also commissioned the intrusive expansion wing designed by Toshiko Mori.  

Breuer House II was put up for sale in 2013 with an asking price of $5.8 million.

THE MODERN HOUSE

1. Douglas House, Richard Meier 2. Esherick House, Louis Kahn 3. Vanna Venturi House, Robert Venturi 4. House VI, Peter Eisenmann 5. Spiller Residence, Frank Gehry

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Architects: Bertrand Goldberg

Year: 1964

City : Chicago

Country : United States

Completed in 1964, Marina City, at the time, was the tallest residential projects in the world and still remains one of the densest inhabited developments. Unlike any project before it, Marina City was an experiment of allocating diverse programs into a “city within a city.” 

In 1959 when Bertrand Goldberg was commissioned for the project, he had no prior experience designing at such a large scale; [...]. However, the developer, William McFetridge, president of the Building Service Employees International Union, entrusted Goldberg to design a complex that would slow Chicago’s urban exodus. At the beginning of the 1960s, those that lived in the city were growing tired of the dense, overcrowded conditions and had taken “flight” to the suburbs [...]. Marina City was an attempt at combating and reversing the flow of people back into the city, so close to the Loop. It was a model of efficiency and convenience for modern living in a metropolitan area.

At the time Marina City was completed, it was a programmatic treasure trove consisting of a theatre, gym, swimming pool, ice rink, a bowling alley, stores, restaurants, and a private marina for the residents.  All of these amenities were just a few of the measures taken to emphasize that everything one can find in the suburbs is available in one small urban area.

Goldberg’s design of Marina City is the first of its kind for a mixed-use residential project. The two reinforced concrete towers are designed around a 35’ diameter structural and vertical circulation core that allow for an egalitarian distribution of residential units on each floor. The cylindrical tower design creates 360° views of the “Second City,” while also serving as a structural stabilizer against the strong Chicago winds.

Each tower incorporates a spiral parking garage on the first nineteen floors. The 20th floor of each tower serves as unit storage and laundry services for the residents.The remaining forty stories of each building offer approximately 450 units; offering a total of 900 units categorized by studio, one bedroom, and two bedroom units.

Each unit has a balcony that defines the formal “corn-cob” aesthetic.  Because of the rhythm of the façade and standardization of the units makes the tower seem as a simple design gesture.  However, each floor contains a different type of dwelling unit so that no two similar floors are repeatedly stacked on one another; making for an interesting spatial juxtaposition in regards to the balcony. 

Today, Marina City still features most of the original program from when it was completed in 1964. The entire complex has been transformed for more contemporary uses; the auditorium/theatre has been converted into the House of Blues, adjacent to the residential towers is the Sax Hotel, and above the marina is an upscale restaurant Smith & Wollensky, while the units have been converted into luxury condominiums making it one of the most sought after residences in all of Chicago.

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Rietveld Schröderhuis (1923-24) in Utrecht, the Netherlands, by Gerrit Rietveld

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Gerrit Rietveld Academy (1959-67) in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, by Rietveld Van Dillen & Van Tricht

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The United Church of Rowayton, Connecticut

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Herzog and De Meuron, Plywood House, Bottmingen, Switzerland, 1984-1985.

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Habitat 67 patio

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Hauswirtschaftsschule (1979-81) in Großlobming, Austria, by Karla Kowalski & Michael Szyszkowitz

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Get Inspired, visit: www.myhouseidea.com

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Frei Otto , Christine Otto-Kanstinger, Jürgen Bradatsch, S. Greiner, Planungsgruppe Gestering, Werner Strathmann & Speich+Hinkes, Wilkhahn Produktionspavillons, Bad Münder, 1985-87

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Hábitat 67: Un complejo de viviendas prefabricadas, Expo ‘67, Montreal / Moshe Safdie

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Joseph Maria Olbrich, Wiener Secessionsgebäude, Austria, 1897.

The building features the Beethoven Frieze by Gustav Klimt. The building was financed by Karl Wittgenstein, father of Ludwig Wittgenstein.