Indian Hill House
Encyclopedia
Indian Hill House is a private residence designed in 1962-63 by Maurice K. Smith
and built by Ralph S. Osmond & Sons. The influence of Mid-Century modern
architecture is readily discernible here although Smith moves beyond this with an elaboration of his own "Form Language" - an approach to design that he developed throughout his teaching at the MIT School of Architecture and Planning
. As such, it is very hard to align Smith's work with any stylistic movement per se, a fact that makes his designs all the more interesting. The house is set on 7 acres (28,328 m²) at the end of Skyfields Drive in the Indian Hills of Groton, Massachusetts
. The property complements a nearly 500 acres (2 km²) preserve of surrounding woodland under care of the Groton Conservation Trust, Massachusetts Audubon Society, and Groton Conservation Commission.
An extensive photographic study of the house, then only a few years old, was taken for the Winter 1967 issue of Harvard Art Review
. In it, architect Smith put forth his position that the nature of a building's form follows from its use. Since that use will change over time, buildings can also evolve. In his 1989 work, Architecture and Urbanism, Henry Plummer concluded of this house that it contained "innumerable locales, of fragmentary rooms loosely interlocked, of zones both intimate and grand, created for an almost endless array of eyes, and heads and bodies and voices, an abundance which no longer bears upon the needs of a single person." Not only does the building form evolve but it is never perceived by two persons in quite the same way. In his 1967 work, World Architecture 4, John Donat described this house as "a place that prescribes nothing, an architecture that is intense without imposing itself on you." He goes on to write that this family house is "a place of real options and opportunities [that] can be richly interpreted by whoever is living in it." Indian Hill House was also and formerly known in print as 'Blackman House, Groton, Massachusetts', or 'House, Groton, Mass.', or 'A House by Maurice Smith'. It was formerly accessed from Indian Hill Road but the approach was changed from the southern to its northern side when the original, larger property was subdivided in March 2000.
Maurice K. Smith
Maurice Smith is a New Zealand born architect and architectural educator. Smith's work and teaching builds upon the idea of creating "habitable three-dimensional fields" as a working method for his projects...
and built by Ralph S. Osmond & Sons. The influence of Mid-Century modern
Mid-century modern
Mid-Century modern is an architectural, interior and product design form that generally describes mid-20th century developments in modern design, architecture, and urban development from roughly 1933 to 1965...
architecture is readily discernible here although Smith moves beyond this with an elaboration of his own "Form Language" - an approach to design that he developed throughout his teaching at the MIT School of Architecture and Planning
MIT School of Architecture and Planning
The MIT School of Architecture and Planning is one of the five schools of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA...
. As such, it is very hard to align Smith's work with any stylistic movement per se, a fact that makes his designs all the more interesting. The house is set on 7 acres (28,328 m²) at the end of Skyfields Drive in the Indian Hills of Groton, Massachusetts
Groton, Massachusetts
Groton is a town located in northwestern Middlesex County, Massachusetts. The population was 10,646 at the 2010 census. It is home to two noted prep schools: Groton School, founded in 1884, and Lawrence Academy at Groton, founded in 1793. The historic town hosts the National Shepley Hill Horse...
. The property complements a nearly 500 acres (2 km²) preserve of surrounding woodland under care of the Groton Conservation Trust, Massachusetts Audubon Society, and Groton Conservation Commission.
An extensive photographic study of the house, then only a few years old, was taken for the Winter 1967 issue of Harvard Art Review
Harvard Art Review
The Harvard Art Review is a student-run publication at Harvard University that highlights and critiques the Harvard artistic community. HAR is a web and print-based publication founded by Morgan Mallory and Jack Turban , and launched in the spring of 2010.- The Harvard Art Review :The original...
. In it, architect Smith put forth his position that the nature of a building's form follows from its use. Since that use will change over time, buildings can also evolve. In his 1989 work, Architecture and Urbanism, Henry Plummer concluded of this house that it contained "innumerable locales, of fragmentary rooms loosely interlocked, of zones both intimate and grand, created for an almost endless array of eyes, and heads and bodies and voices, an abundance which no longer bears upon the needs of a single person." Not only does the building form evolve but it is never perceived by two persons in quite the same way. In his 1967 work, World Architecture 4, John Donat described this house as "a place that prescribes nothing, an architecture that is intense without imposing itself on you." He goes on to write that this family house is "a place of real options and opportunities [that] can be richly interpreted by whoever is living in it." Indian Hill House was also and formerly known in print as 'Blackman House, Groton, Massachusetts', or 'House, Groton, Mass.', or 'A House by Maurice Smith'. It was formerly accessed from Indian Hill Road but the approach was changed from the southern to its northern side when the original, larger property was subdivided in March 2000.