The Louis Penfield House,1955

The Louis Penfield House

Frank Lloyd Wright architect
1955
Ohio (US)

2020 Architecture de Collection catalog

One of the nine United States houses built by the famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the house has been the subject of numerous publications. It was entirely restored in a traditional way by Paul Penfield, the son of Louis Penfield.

Since the house’s owner was exceptionally large, the architect was forced to modify the typical proportions of his three-bedroom Usonian houses. He draws a long and narrow construction, illuminated by window walls and glass ribbons that stretch to the ceilings, unusually high.

The Delcourt house takes up all the architectural principles of Richard Neutra’s Californian villas. It has a post-beam structure, an open plan and a slender silhouette with marked horizontality, accentuated by the extension of the floors and ceilings beyond the facades as well as by the transparency of the glass walls. Its volumes are however more collected in order to limit energy loss, in response to the local climate.

In addition to glass and concrete, the architect also uses local materials such as bricks from the nearby town of Hem or sandstone floors of Artois and thus creates a work integrated into the local context.

A Usonian house

Each usonian design is site-specific to enjoy the view and make the most of the topography. The typical usonian plan includes small entrances, narrow passages, large living spaces, large central fireplaces and floor-to-ceiling windows. Each house has been adapted to its patron, making these designs unique works.