Herbert and Katherine Jacobs First House
Encyclopedia
Herbert and Katherine Jacobs First House, commonly referred to as Jacobs I, is a single family home located in Madison, Wisconsin
. Designed by noted American architect Frank Lloyd Wright
, it was constructed in 1937 and is considered by most to be the first Usonian home.
, a Wright acquaintance, challenged the architect to design and build a home for $5,000. Wright designed an L-shaped structure with an open floor plan and two bedrooms. To economize construction costs Wright developed a 2+1/4 in plywood sandwich wall for use on this house. Rumor maintains that redirected bricks from the Johnson Wax Building ultimately helped keep final construction costs at $5,500.
The Jacobs family moved into the house after construction but quickly outgrew the two-bedroom ranch. Herbert Jacobs commissioned Wright to build a second home, Jacobs II
. The family moved there in the late 1940s.
Over the following decades the house passed ownership and was exposed to modifications and maintenance techniques of variable historical value. A multi-year restoration project began in 1983, restoring the house to its 1937 appearance and updating worn and inefficient building systems.
The current owner has the home available for monthly rent and opens the house for tours through the Frank Lloyd Wright Wisconsin Heritage Tourism Program, Inc.
The house was declared a National Historic Landmark
in 2003.
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
. Designed by noted American architect Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright was an American architect, interior designer, writer and educator, who designed more than 1,000 structures and completed 500 works. Wright believed in designing structures which were in harmony with humanity and its environment, a philosophy he called organic architecture...
, it was constructed in 1937 and is considered by most to be the first Usonian home.
History
Madison newspaperman Herbert JacobsHerbert Jacobs
Herbert A. Jacobs was a journalist for the Milwaukee Journal and later a professor of journalism at the University of California, Berkeley.-Houses:...
, a Wright acquaintance, challenged the architect to design and build a home for $5,000. Wright designed an L-shaped structure with an open floor plan and two bedrooms. To economize construction costs Wright developed a 2+1/4 in plywood sandwich wall for use on this house. Rumor maintains that redirected bricks from the Johnson Wax Building ultimately helped keep final construction costs at $5,500.
The Jacobs family moved into the house after construction but quickly outgrew the two-bedroom ranch. Herbert Jacobs commissioned Wright to build a second home, Jacobs II
Herbert and Katherine Jacobs Second House
Herbert and Katherine Jacobs Second House is the first home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright that used passive solar feature of hemi-cycles. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 2003....
. The family moved there in the late 1940s.
Over the following decades the house passed ownership and was exposed to modifications and maintenance techniques of variable historical value. A multi-year restoration project began in 1983, restoring the house to its 1937 appearance and updating worn and inefficient building systems.
The current owner has the home available for monthly rent and opens the house for tours through the Frank Lloyd Wright Wisconsin Heritage Tourism Program, Inc.
The house was declared a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
in 2003.
External links
- Official site
- YouTube: 1992 video tour featuring Katherine Jacobs
- Jacobs I at Great Buildings Online
- Wright in Wisconsin