The Crimson Beech
Encyclopedia
The Crimson Beech is a house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright
located in the Lighthouse Hill
neighborhood of the New York City
borough of Staten Island
. Its original owners, Catherine and William Cass, had it manufactured by Marshall Erdman
in kit form in Madison, Wisconsin
and shipped to Staten Island where it was erected in 1959. It is the only residence designed by Wright in New York City and one of eleven Marshall Erdman Prefab Houses
that were built. The particular model is known as the Prefab #1.
The house features a combined kitchen and family room, a sunken living room with a cathedral ceiling, and a gallery that leads to four bedrooms. All interior walls are paneled in Philippine mahogany
, with raised horizontal bands set about a foot apart.
The house is a long and low L shape, with wide hip roof
s. The exterior, red brick and largely clad in cream-colored
Masonite
, is similarly striped with redwood batten
s that emphasize the low-slung lines. The front of the house has one story, while the rear, because of the sloping site, has two. The roof is made of terne
.
At the time of construction, the components of the house cost $20,000 and assembly cost a further $35,000. The house was declared a landmark in August 1990 and the original owners resided there until 1999 when it was sold. It remains in private hands.
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...
located in the Lighthouse Hill
Lighthouse Hill, Staten Island
Lighthouse Hill is the name of a hill, and the neighborhood situated thereon, in the New York City borough of Staten Island.Formerly known as Richmond Hill , Lighthouse Hill acquired its present name when the Staten Island Range Light, towering 141 feet above the Lower New York Bay, was built...
neighborhood of the New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
borough of Staten Island
Staten Island
Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...
. Its original owners, Catherine and William Cass, had it manufactured by Marshall Erdman
Marshall Erdman
Marshall Erdman was a Lithuanian-American builder and colleague of Frank Lloyd Wright.-Early life:Erdman was born Mausas Erdmanas on September 29, 1922, in Tverai, Lithuania...
in kit form in Madison, Wisconsin
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....
and shipped to Staten Island where it was erected in 1959. It is the only residence designed by Wright in New York City and one of eleven Marshall Erdman Prefab Houses
Marshall Erdman Prefab Houses
Throughout his career, Frank Lloyd Wright was interested in mass production of housing. In 1954, he discovered that Marshall Erdman, who contracted the First Unitarian Society of Madison, was selling modest prefabricated homes...
that were built. The particular model is known as the Prefab #1.
The house features a combined kitchen and family room, a sunken living room with a cathedral ceiling, and a gallery that leads to four bedrooms. All interior walls are paneled in Philippine mahogany
Philippine mahogany
Philippine mahogany is a common name for several different species of trees and their wood.*Botanically, the name refers to the species Toona calantas in the mahogany family Meliaceae....
, with raised horizontal bands set about a foot apart.
The house is a long and low L shape, with wide hip roof
Hip roof
A hip roof, or hipped roof, is a type of roof where all sides slope downwards to the walls, usually with a fairly gentle slope. Thus it is a house with no gables or other vertical sides to the roof. A square hip roof is shaped like a pyramid. Hip roofs on the houses could have two triangular side...
s. The exterior, red brick and largely clad in cream-colored
Cream (colour)
Cream is the colour of the cream produced by cattle grazing on natural pasture with plants rich in yellow carotenoid pigments, some of which are incorporated into the cream, to give a yellow tone to white. Cream is the pastel colour of yellow, much like as pink is to red. Cream is used as a skin...
Masonite
Masonite
Masonite is a type of hardboard invented by William H. Mason.-History:Masonite was invented in 1924 in Laurel, Mississippi, by William H. Mason. Mass production started in 1929. In the 1930s and 1940s Masonite was used for many applications including doors, roofing, walls, desktops, and canoes...
, is similarly striped with redwood batten
Batten
A batten is a thin strip of solid material, typically made from wood, plastic or metal. Battens are used in building construction and various other fields as both structural and purely cosmetic elements...
s that emphasize the low-slung lines. The front of the house has one story, while the rear, because of the sloping site, has two. The roof is made of terne
Terne
Terne is an alloy coating that was historically made of lead and tin used to cover steel, in the ratio of 20% tin and 80% lead. Currently, lead has been replaced with the metal zinc and is used in the ratio of 50% tin and 50% zinc..-Usage:...
.
At the time of construction, the components of the house cost $20,000 and assembly cost a further $35,000. The house was declared a landmark in August 1990 and the original owners resided there until 1999 when it was sold. It remains in private hands.
