When I first saw photos of this home, I rushed to read what Storrersaid about it. I’d heard stories about it, but I wanted the facts… andStorrer’s book “A Frank Lloyd Wright Companion” is the definitivefactual work about Mr. Wright’s work.
Exterior view
What I found in my reading was that Mr. Wright had written anarticle for Life Magazine in 1938 that talked about a house “For a Familyof $5000 – $6000 Income”. The house you see in these pictures is thatdesign. It was built for Mr. Bernard Schwarz in the town of Two Rivers,Wisconsin…. near the coast of Lake Michigan, between Milwaukee and GreenBay.
Exterior View from Driveway
In the last year or so, The Schwartz house has changed ownership. I started e-mailing with the new owners a few months ago, and they talked about their intentions to open the house for rentals. They invited my wife and I to spend the night and get to know them and the Schwartz house a little better. The end result was WAYYYYY too many photos on this page. Sorry to make you look at them all.
Private Side Under Construction
Light by front door
Windows under carport
Sunken Garden
Sunken Garden and outside Fireplace
Original cypress wood
Planter at end of terrace
House from end of terrace
Private side of house
Exterior Clerestory Windows
Front Door from back door
Sun Terrace
Clerestory Windows from balcony in maid’s room
Ditto
Ventilation window above kitchen from carport
Carport view of front yard
Looking through the house from sunken garden
Looking through the house from bedroom
Sunken garden from bedroom balcony
Sun terrace in the evening
End of the sun terrace
Private side of the house
Private side of the house
Looking out from sun terrace
Stairs down to water
The home is a “T” plan Usonian home built on thelargest square grid of any that I’ve seen. Referring back to Storrer, Isee that it is actually a 7′ square grid. Most Usonian homes have a wingset aside for service rooms and extra bedrooms. This home is a littledifferent in that it puts those upstairs on the second floor.
Recreation Room
Recreation Room
Recreation room from balcony
Rec room from library
Rec room at night
Rec room
Rec room
Rec room
Fireplace
Rec room in the morning
Library
Library
Another view of the library
More library shots
Ceiling light
Library fireplace and book shelves
The top book shelves were added by Mr. Schwarts
Entryway. The door is to the left. The coat closet is to the right
Another view of the entry
View from coat closet
The coat closet was originally designed to be a powderroom. Its got all the plubing rough-ins
Stairs to second floor
Kitchen
Kitchen Ceiling
Another view of the kitchen. Notice the light affects from the “Dating Game” light
Kitchen view from the ceiling
The dating game light
Another dating game light shot
Dining room with copies of the house plans on the table
Light in dining room hall
Light in the dinging room hall
Looking from the dining room back to recreation room
Eating breakfast in the Schwartz House
Dinging room hallway
Look into the Atrium from dining room hallway
Master Bedroom looking towards stairs
Master Bedroom nightstand table.
This dresser is orginal to the house. There are three of them in the house
Master Bath
Master Bath from the ceiling
Master bath
Second floor you say??? On a Usonian home? It isn’tentirely unusual. The Jacobs II, Boulter and other Usonian homes that I’vevisited have second floors. This one definitely stands out against those in itslook. Rather than having the second floor as a balcony over the first, itgoes along the short axis of the “T” so as not to disturb the low,flat lines of the recreation room on the main axis.
Atrium from rec room. Master Bedroom is on the right
Clerestories from balcony
Ceiling with balcony
Atrium
Atrium with stairs
View of us on the balcony
I’m a geek!
Upstairs Hallway from top of the stairs
Atrium from balcony
Top of stairs
Upstairs Hall looking towards maid’s room
Hallway desk
Clerestory windows
Like many of Wright’s designs of this era, the home is made of brick pillars and cypress board and battenwalls. The clerestory windows make wonderful patterns on the walls andfloors as the sun moves around the home. This is especially true in thearea that leads to the second floor as the ceilings are so high.
Clerestory Windows
Maid’s Room
Our bedroom
Another view of our bedroom. Not much light up here at night
Looking into our bedroom. Reading in bed was NOT an option. :)
Jr’s Bedroom
Upstairs Bathroom
Thefirst I’d heard of this house was in Edgar Tafel’s book “Apprentice toGenius”. This was the house that got him fired. He was theapprentice that was sent to supervise the construction of the Schwartzhouse. When it came time to build the long cantilevers, he decided thatthey lacked sufficient support to hold through the Wisconsin winters, so headded steel supports to the structure. He did not, however, tell Mr.Wright that he had done this. When this design was replicated for anotherclient, Mr. Tafel warned the apprentice in charge to add steel to the cantileverfor strength. When the apprentice ignored these warnings and thecantilevers sagged, Mr. Wright was furious. He pointed to the ones thatMr. Tafel had constructed as an example that they could be successfully built ifthe designs were followed properly. At that point Tafel had to comeclean. He told Mr. Wright that he had added steel to the construction inthe Schwartz house. Mr. Wright felt so betrayed that Tafel was firedon the spot. Later, Mr. Wright (at his wife, Olgivana’s insistence) hiredTafel back.
Many thanks, Michael and Lisa for the invitation. For information on staying in the Schwartz House, visit theirweb site.
