Lots of glass makes the Rudin house quite beautiful
The Rudin house was the first of the Erdman Prefab buildings in Wisconsin. Built in 1957, it is an example of the second type of one-room square houses that Wright did with Erdman. Storrer describes the house as a large, square living room on the first floor with the kitchen seperated by the entryway. The upstairs has one bedroom and one bath and a balcony that overlooks the 2-story living room.
Rudin and the surrounding trees.
The Rudin Home is absolutely beautiful. It reminds me in many ways of the Penfield house in Willoughby Heights, Ohio. There is a lot of glass and one corner of the living room is obvously not supported by anything but the cantilever. This home is small, but like the Penfield house, it would feel very large.
Another look from across the street
The only problem I can see with this home is privacy. The owner was sitting in his living room listening to music when I walked by and snapped photos. He smiled and nodded his head at me and I smiled and waved back. Pretty much anyone can see right into your living room and entry way in this house. There isn’t much of a chance to put curtains up over the 2-story windows at that end of the house. In the Penfield house you’ve got a lot of land behind you so that you’re not sharing your life with everyone on the street. This home has the glass facing the street. That would be a bit much for most people.
Looking through the trees
One of the amazing things about this home is the band of windows. Wright makes the rather chunky, flat roof appear to be floating over the house –as the old bra commercial said, “With no visible means of support.”
