An outstanding mid-century modern gem by architect Edward Durell Stone

12/01/2025 06:32:00 PM

Airily encased in lacy grillework and crowned by twelve pyramid skylights, this unique house designed by the architect of the United States Pavilion at the Brussels World's Fair embodies ideas as exhilarating as they are unexpected. It was sponsored by the Celanese Corporation who sent designers John and Earline Brice on a country-wide trek seeking inspiration from native American design sources for the furnishings of the house.

Though it may seem avantgarde, the house faces up to problems that are with us now and will grow in the future. As desirable land for home building becomes scarcer and more costly, lots shrink and new houses are placed closer and closer. But the lattice that surrounds this house creates a private world. Here, windows can be large and wide because they look out on the landscaped courts, not upon the neighbors' windows or lot. The interiors open wide to the courts but only the front entrance and windows in living and family rooms open to the outer world.

All the rooms in the house have pyramids in the ceiling, capped by skylights which distribute light evenly through the house. These overhead domes make the sky a part of the house and bring sparkling patterns of light into every room as the seasons change. And below the skylights, lighting concealed in inverted pyramid fixtures achieves a similar play of light and shadow at night. The fixtures also hold pots of trailing plants which create a hanging garden effect throughout the house. Without these pyramids the plan of the house with its central living room would not be feasible.

The plan is exceptionally flexible. Sliding windows can join or separate the rooms and courts. Sliding panels can turn the major rooms into one large area 51' wide. This elasticity gives the interior space constant interest and variety. The house can expand or contract, it can extend outdoors, it can be alive with light. And there are delightful garden vistas on almost every side.

As befits the light-oriented architecture, the interior color scheme is neutral, a muted landscape dappled with light and shadow and punctuated by superb paintings and statuary. The decoration includes a number of new devices such as the series of sliding, fabric-paneled screens at the windows, which can be alternated for different effects. The hanging gardens—a nostalgic echo of New England's traditional hanging baskets—and the variety of fabrics with designs derived from Indian baskets and pottery, Sandwich glass, old barns and doorways are all American ideas with validity for houses anywhere in the United States.