Booth House (Bedford, New York)
Encyclopedia
The Booth House is a single-story modernist
house
in Bedford, New York
. Built in 1946, the house was American architect Philip Johnson
's first residential commission, and is a stylistic precursor to Johnson's better-known 1949 Glass House
in New Canaan, Connecticut
.
The house's concrete block and plate glass exterior is supported by steel beams and columns, and its interior features a large masonry
fireplace. Its design was influenced by Johnson's mentors. Landis Gores
described the house as a "cross-breed in concrete block between [Johnson's] Lincoln project for [Professor] Bogner and[ Le Corbusier
's] De Mandrot house from which it had taken its origin: a raised podium."
Johnson designed the house for Richard and Olga Booth, a young couple who wanted a weekend house near Manhattan. Architectural photographer
Robert Damora and architect Sirkka Damora purchased the house in 1955 for $23,500 and lived there for 55 years. In 2010, the widowed Sirkka Damora put the 1440 square feet (133.8 m²) house, an 800 square feet (74.3 m²) studio building, and their 1.92 acre (0.77699712 ha) lot up for sale, with an asking price of $2 million.
Modern architecture
Modern architecture is generally characterized by simplification of form and creation of ornament from the structure and theme of the building. It is a term applied to an overarching movement, with its exact definition and scope varying widely...
house
House
A house is a building or structure that has the ability to be occupied for dwelling by human beings or other creatures. The term house includes many kinds of different dwellings ranging from rudimentary huts of nomadic tribes to free standing individual structures...
in Bedford, New York
Bedford (CDP), New York
Bedford, commonly known as Bedford Village, is a hamlet located in the town of Bedford in Westchester County, New York...
. Built in 1946, the house was American architect Philip Johnson
Philip Johnson
Philip Cortelyou Johnson was an influential American architect.In 1930, he founded the Department of Architecture and Design at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, and later , as a trustee, he was awarded an American Institute of Architects Gold Medal and the first Pritzker Architecture...
's first residential commission, and is a stylistic precursor to Johnson's better-known 1949 Glass House
Glass House
The Glass House or Johnson house, built in 1949 in New Canaan, Connecticut, was designed by Philip Johnson as his own residence and is a masterpiece in the use of glass. It was an important and influential project for Johnson and for modern architecture. The building is an essay in minimal...
in New Canaan, Connecticut
New Canaan, Connecticut
New Canaan is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, northeast of Stamford, on the Fivemile River. The population was 19,738 according to the 2010 census.The town is one of the most affluent communities in the United States...
.
The house's concrete block and plate glass exterior is supported by steel beams and columns, and its interior features a large masonry
Masonry
Masonry is the building of structures from individual units laid in and bound together by mortar; the term masonry can also refer to the units themselves. The common materials of masonry construction are brick, stone, marble, granite, travertine, limestone; concrete block, glass block, stucco, and...
fireplace. Its design was influenced by Johnson's mentors. Landis Gores
Landis Gores
Landis Gores was an American architect, native to Cincinnati, Ohio. Landis was known for his modernist Gores Pavilion, the Gores Family House, and the House for All Seasons.-Early life:...
described the house as a "cross-breed in concrete block between [Johnson's] Lincoln project for [Professor] Bogner and
Le Corbusier
Charles-Édouard Jeanneret, better known as Le Corbusier , was a Swiss-born French architect, designer, urbanist, writer and painter, famous for being one of the pioneers of what now is called modern architecture. He was born in Switzerland and became a French citizen in 1930...
's] De Mandrot house from which it had taken its origin: a raised podium."
Johnson designed the house for Richard and Olga Booth, a young couple who wanted a weekend house near Manhattan. Architectural photographer
Architectural photography
Architectural photography is the practice of photographing buildings and similar structures, both inside and out. Architectural photographs are usually produced by Architectural photographers, who are skilled in the use of specialized techniques and equipment...
Robert Damora and architect Sirkka Damora purchased the house in 1955 for $23,500 and lived there for 55 years. In 2010, the widowed Sirkka Damora put the 1440 square feet (133.8 m²) house, an 800 square feet (74.3 m²) studio building, and their 1.92 acre (0.77699712 ha) lot up for sale, with an asking price of $2 million.