Six Moon Hill
Encyclopedia
Six Moon Hill is a residential community dwelling that was designed by The Architects' Collaborative
(TAC) and is located in Lexington
, Massachusetts
.
Originally conceived in 1947 to house the young architects of TAC, Six Moon Hill has now grown to 29 housing lots, the most recent of which was completed in 2004. To build the community, TAC established a nonprofit corporation and bought 20 acres (80,937.2 m²) on which to build. It took the name from the six antique Moon Motor Car
automobiles the previous owner had stored on the property.
The first houses were designed and built in a modernistic
way. The method of design was rectangular, flat-roofed, timber-sided homes, which was typical for residences designed by TAC. The houses are situated on a sloping hill lining a small road that forms a cul-de-sac.
Six Moon Hill runs as a consensus-based, collective community in which each member family pays dues and is concerned with community issues. Among the original architects (and residents) were Benjamin C. Thompson
, Norman C. Fletcher, Jean B. Fletcher
, John C. Harkness
, Sarah P. Harkness
, Robert S. McMillan
, Louis A. McMillen
and Richard S. Morehouse. Other notable residents include Nobel chemist Konrad Bloch, Nobel physicist Samuel C.C. Ting, Dr. Thomas C. Chalmers
(past president of the Mount Sinai Medical Center), Wallace E. Howell (New York City's first official rainmaker), Robert Newman
(co-founder of Bolt Beranek and Newman) and John C. Sheehan
, the first chemist to synthesize penicillin.
Art historian Simon Schama
lived on Moon Hill between 1981 and 1993 and described it as "a great place for kids and historians" in a 2010 interview with the Times of London.
The most recent house is dubbed the "big dig house" as it is built from remnant construction material used in the Big Dig, Boston's
recent central artery and tunnel project. Owner Paul Pedini, a vice president at the Big Dig's biggest contractor, Modern Continental envisioned the house as a conglomerate of such material as concrete
roadway decking and spare rebar
. Designed by Boston firm, Single Speed Design, the house is noted for being environmentally friendly and energy-efficient, and won a Metropolis award for innovative design.
The Architects' Collaborative
The Architects' Collaborative was an American architectural firm formed by Walter Gropius and seven younger architects in 1945 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The other partners were Norman C. Fletcher , Jean B. Fletcher , John C. Harkness , Sarah P. Harkness , Robert S...
(TAC) and is located in Lexington
Lexington, Massachusetts
Lexington is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 31,399 at the 2010 census. This town is famous for being the site of the first shot of the American Revolution, in the Battle of Lexington on April 19, 1775.- History :...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
.
Originally conceived in 1947 to house the young architects of TAC, Six Moon Hill has now grown to 29 housing lots, the most recent of which was completed in 2004. To build the community, TAC established a nonprofit corporation and bought 20 acres (80,937.2 m²) on which to build. It took the name from the six antique Moon Motor Car
Moon Motor Car
Moon Motor Car was a United States automobile company that was based in St. Louis, Missouri. The company had a venerable reputation among the buying public, as it was known for fully assembled, easily affordable mid-level cars using high-quality parts...
automobiles the previous owner had stored on the property.
The first houses were designed and built in a modernistic
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...
way. The method of design was rectangular, flat-roofed, timber-sided homes, which was typical for residences designed by TAC. The houses are situated on a sloping hill lining a small road that forms a cul-de-sac.
Six Moon Hill runs as a consensus-based, collective community in which each member family pays dues and is concerned with community issues. Among the original architects (and residents) were Benjamin C. Thompson
Benjamin C. Thompson
Benjamin C. Thompson was an American architect.Thompson was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, graduated from Yale University in 1941, then spent four years in the United States Navy fighting in World War II...
, Norman C. Fletcher, Jean B. Fletcher
Jean B. Fletcher
Jean Bodman Fletcher was an American architect who was a founding member of the Architects' Collaborative. She graduated from Smith College in 1937, and finished her architectural training at the Cambridge School in 1941, an architecture school for women affilitated with Harvard University and...
, John C. Harkness
John C. Harkness
John Cheesman Harkness is an American architect who was a founder and partner of The Architects Collaborative in Cambridge, Massachusetts with Walter Gropius and six other architects...
, Sarah P. Harkness
Sarah P. Harkness
Sarah Pillsbury Harkness is an American architect. She was born in Swampscott, Massachusetts.She attended the Smith College Graduate School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture in 1940. She was a founder, in 1945, and now Principal Emeritus of the Architects' Collaborative...
, Robert S. McMillan
Robert S. McMillan
Robert S. McMillan is an astronomer at the University of Arizona, and heads the Spacewatch project, which studies minor planets. He has made various discoveries, including notably 20000 Varuna....
, Louis A. McMillen
Louis A. McMillen
Louis Albert McMillen was an American architect who was one of the original founding partners of The Architects Collaborative with Walter Gropius and six other architects. McMillen was part of TAC from its founding in 1945 until its demise in 1995.-Career:McMillen attended Yale University School...
and Richard S. Morehouse. Other notable residents include Nobel chemist Konrad Bloch, Nobel physicist Samuel C.C. Ting, Dr. Thomas C. Chalmers
Thomas C. Chalmers
Thomas Clark Chalmers, MD, FACP was famous for his role in the development of the randomized controlled trial and meta-analysis in medical research....
(past president of the Mount Sinai Medical Center), Wallace E. Howell (New York City's first official rainmaker), Robert Newman
Robert Newman
Robert Newman is a British stand-up comedian, author and political activist. In 1993 Newman and his then comedy partner David Baddiel became the first comedians to play and sell out the 12,000-seat Wembley Arena in London...
(co-founder of Bolt Beranek and Newman) and John C. Sheehan
John C. Sheehan
John Clark Sheehan was an American organic chemist whose work on synthetic penicillin led to tailor-made forms of the drug. After nine years of hard work at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology , he became the first to discover a practical method for synthesizing penicillin V...
, the first chemist to synthesize penicillin.
Art historian Simon Schama
Simon Schama
Simon Michael Schama, CBE is a British historian and art historian. He is a University Professor of History and Art History at Columbia University. He is best known for writing and hosting the 15-part BBC documentary series A History of Britain...
lived on Moon Hill between 1981 and 1993 and described it as "a great place for kids and historians" in a 2010 interview with the Times of London.
The most recent house is dubbed the "big dig house" as it is built from remnant construction material used in the Big Dig, Boston's
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
recent central artery and tunnel project. Owner Paul Pedini, a vice president at the Big Dig's biggest contractor, Modern Continental envisioned the house as a conglomerate of such material as concrete
Concrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
roadway decking and spare rebar
Rebar
A rebar , also known as reinforcing steel, reinforcement steel, rerod, or a deformed bar, is a common steel bar, and is commonly used as a tensioning device in reinforced concrete and reinforced masonry structures holding the concrete in compression...
. Designed by Boston firm, Single Speed Design, the house is noted for being environmentally friendly and energy-efficient, and won a Metropolis award for innovative design.
External links
- Six Moon Hill at Google Maps
- Historic Survey of Six Moon Hill at lexingtonma.gov
- ModernMass.com - A brief history of modernist neighborhoods and houses in Lexington and Boston's western suburbs from a realtor's perspective