Usonia Homes
Encyclopedia
Usonia Homes is a planned community in the Town of Mount Pleasant
, adjacent to the village of Pleasantville
, New York
. In 1945, a 100 acre (0.404686 km²) rural tract was purchased by a cooperative of young couples from New York City, who were able to enlist Frank Lloyd Wright
to build his Broadacre City
concept. Wright decided where each house should be placed. Wright designed three homes himself and approved architectural plan
s of the other 44, which were designed by such architects as Paul Schweikher, Theodore Dixon Bower, Ulrich Franzen, Kaneji Domoto
, Aaron Resnick and David Henken - an engineer and Wright apprentice.
The layout of the neighborhood was planned by Wright in a circular manner, preserving most of the original trees and "encouraging the flow of the land". The balance of the homes were decreed to be in the modern "organic" style ordained by Wright. The community was named "Usonia
" in homage to Wright, whose ideas on the way Americans should live together guided their plan.
The narrow roads twist and curve, finch
es perch on windowsills, deer
roam and maple
trees outnumber people. Sixty percent of the land is forest and meadow. Each house nestles into the landscape, as naturally as the trees and grasses that preceded it, and none are visible from nearby Route 120
.
Frank Lloyd Wright designed Usonian homes in Pleasantville:
Mount Pleasant, New York
Mount Pleasant is a town in Westchester County, New York, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 43,724.-Geography:...
, adjacent to the village of Pleasantville
Pleasantville, New York
Pleasantville is a village in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 7,019 at the 2010 census. It is located in the town of Mount Pleasant. Pleasantville is home to a campus of Pace University and to the Jacob Burns Film Center...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. In 1945, a 100 acre (0.404686 km²) rural tract was purchased by a cooperative of young couples from New York City, who were able to enlist 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...
to build his Broadacre City
Broadacre City
Broadacre City was an urban or suburban development concept proposed by Frank Lloyd Wright throughout most of his lifetime. He presented the idea in his book The Disappearing City in 1932. A few years later he unveiled a very detailed twelve by twelve foot scale model representing a hypothetical...
concept. Wright decided where each house should be placed. Wright designed three homes himself and approved architectural plan
Architectural plan
An architectural plan is a plan for architecture, and the documentation of written and graphic descriptions of the architectural elements of a building project including sketches, drawings and details.- Overview :...
s of the other 44, which were designed by such architects as Paul Schweikher, Theodore Dixon Bower, Ulrich Franzen, Kaneji Domoto
Kaneji Domoto
Kaneji Domoto , known as "Kan", was an architect and landscape architect. He attended Stanford University and UC Berkeley, and was interned at the Granada War Relocation Center during World War II. He studied with Frank Lloyd Wright in Taliesin and had a 50+ year career...
, Aaron Resnick and David Henken - an engineer and Wright apprentice.
The layout of the neighborhood was planned by Wright in a circular manner, preserving most of the original trees and "encouraging the flow of the land". The balance of the homes were decreed to be in the modern "organic" style ordained by Wright. The community was named "Usonia
Usonia
Usonia was a word used by American architect Frank Lloyd Wright to refer to his vision for the landscape of the United States, including the planning of cities and the architecture of buildings...
" in homage to Wright, whose ideas on the way Americans should live together guided their plan.
The narrow roads twist and curve, finch
Finch
The true finches are passerine birds in the family Fringillidae. They are predominantly seed-eating songbirds. Most are native to the Northern Hemisphere, but one subfamily is endemic to the Neotropics, one to the Hawaiian Islands, and one subfamily – monotypic at genus level – is found...
es perch on windowsills, deer
Deer
Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...
roam and maple
Maple
Acer is a genus of trees or shrubs commonly known as maple.Maples are variously classified in a family of their own, the Aceraceae, or together with the Hippocastanaceae included in the family Sapindaceae. Modern classifications, including the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group system, favour inclusion in...
trees outnumber people. Sixty percent of the land is forest and meadow. Each house nestles into the landscape, as naturally as the trees and grasses that preceded it, and none are visible from nearby Route 120
New York State Route 120
New York State Route 120 is a state highway in southern Westchester County, New York, United States. It begins in the city of Rye at an intersection with U.S. Route 1 and runs for about north to the hamlet of Millwood, where it ends at a junction with NY 100...
.
Frank Lloyd Wright designed Usonian homes in Pleasantville:
- Sol Friedman HouseSol Friedman HouseSol Friedman House Toyhill, was built in Pleasantville, New York in 1948. This was the first of the three Frank Lloyd Wright homes built in the "Usonia Homes" development north of New York City....
- Edward Serlin HouseEdward Serlin HouseEdward Serlin House was built in Pleasantville, New York in 1949.This is the second of the "Usonia Homes", and its design includes a shed roof.-References:...
- Roland Reisley HouseRoland Reisley HouseRoland Reisley House was built in Pleasantville, New York in 1951. The third of the "Usonia Homes", this is a building on a hillside with a masonry "core" and wood siding. Roland Reisley was 26 when he built his home...
External links
- Usonia Community Remembers Its Past, The New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
- Wright Find Recalls His Influence On A Community, The New York Times
- Green Before It Had a Name, The New York Times
- Pleasantville has the Wright Stuff, Retro Info!
- Photos on Flickr