Property of Mr. and Mrs. Richard S. Davis in Wayzata, Minnesota | Architect: Philip C. Johnson

This modern house, like ancient Greek and Roman houses, is built around a center court. The exterior walls are brick, with few windows; the court walls, enclosing an indoor garden room, are all glass. Two circumstances dictated this choice of plan. First, the house is in Wayzata, Minnesota, where summers are very hot and winters very cold. The outer brick walls are a protection against extreme temperatures, wind and sun; conversely, the sliding glass walls of the inner court (it is roofed with screen in summer, translucent glass in winter) admit sunshine, light and cross-ventilation. Second, the owner, Mrs. Richard S. Davis, is the director of the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, and one of the leading collectors in the U. S. Consequently it was desirable to have large unbroken wall areas to display his fine collection of paintings, drawings and sculpture. The house is a handsome personal art gallery, but it is practical too, (travertine floors, for example) for family life with two young children.

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source: House and Garden Magazine | March 1957