William R. Heath House
Encyclopedia
The William R. Heath House, was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright
, built between 1904 & 1905, and is located at 76 Soldiers Place in Buffalo, New York
. It is built in the Prairie School
architectural style.
William Heath was a lawyer who served as office manager, and eventually vice-president, of the Larkin Soap Company in Buffalo. Heath's wife Mary was a sister of Elbert Hubbard
, a former Larkin executive. Another Hubbard sister was married to company president John D. Larkin. Hubbard had retired in 1893 and established the Roycroft Movement
, an arts and crafts
community in nearby East Aurora
.
Heath was introduced to Wright by fellow Larkin executive Darwin D. Martin
, though Heath was from Chicago
and coincidentally had a brother-in-law from Oak Park
on the building crew of Wright's J.J. Walser House. Wright had arrived in Buffalo in 1903 to build a house for Martin
, and Martin was instrumental in selecting Wright as the architect for the Larkin Administration Building
, in downtown Buffalo
, Wright's first major commercial project. Consequently Wright was commissioned to build a house by Heath, and in turn another Larkin employee Walter V. Davidson
.
Heath's property was a deep and narrow corner lot, facing a large traffic circle
, Soldiers Place, which insured that nothing would be built in front of it, and alongside Bird Avenue. This presented Wright with the problem of situating a substantial Prairie house, with its characteristically open structure, in a confined space with twice the street exposure. The house was placed with its long axis right up against the Bird Ave sidewalk with sections of the traffic circle acting as the grounds that a house of this standing would normally possess.
Although only feet from the sidewalk the house retains a measure of privacy. Wright elevated the house itself on a terrace above the street level. Hence the ground floor and the window levels of the principal living spaces are higher, restricting the view from Bird Ave of inside the house. The front door is concealed adjacent to a broad chimney and is at a right angle
to the street and even with their height the windows are stained glass
, both acting as additionally screening devices.
The exterior features classic Prairie School elements; a low pitched hip roof
s with projecting eaves, a large porch with large square supports, casement window
s with art glass, and second story buttress
piers, for example. A two story garage was added in 1911 replacing a single story stable
.
The Heath house has seven bedrooms on the second floor as well as two bathrooms and a study. The master bedroom, above the porch, has windows on three sides. On the ground floor the dining room and living room open into each other, with the living room continuing out to the front porch. The porch, living room and master bedroom face the traffic circle providing a view over the lawn. There is a service entrance through the kitchen and a servants' quarters
including an additional two bedrooms. In recent years the servants' quarters has been used as a doctor's office. The house also features a half level basement, actually at street level and so lower than the ground floor, used a playroom by the Heath children.
The house is built in dark red brick, possibly the same batch that was used for the Larkin Administration Building. The ground floor is reminiscent of the Isidore H. Heller House
, and the house is also considered similar to the Meyer May House
The Heath House is distinctive due to the house being designed to compensate for the narrow lot. It is considered a precursor to Wright’s renowned Frederick C. Robie House
built in Chicago
in 1909, constructed on a similar sized block of land.
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...
, built between 1904 & 1905, and is located at 76 Soldiers Place in Buffalo, New York
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
. It is built in the Prairie School
Prairie School
Prairie School was a late 19th and early 20th century architectural style, most common to the Midwestern United States.The works of the Prairie School architects are usually marked by horizontal lines, flat or hipped roofs with broad overhanging eaves, windows grouped in horizontal bands,...
architectural style.
William Heath was a lawyer who served as office manager, and eventually vice-president, of the Larkin Soap Company in Buffalo. Heath's wife Mary was a sister of Elbert Hubbard
Elbert Hubbard
Elbert Green Hubbard was an American writer, publisher, artist, and philosopher. Raised in Hudson, Illinois, he met early success as a traveling salesman with the Larkin soap company. Today Hubbard is mostly known as the founder of the Roycroft artisan community in East Aurora, New York, an...
, a former Larkin executive. Another Hubbard sister was married to company president John D. Larkin. Hubbard had retired in 1893 and established the Roycroft Movement
Roycroft
Roycroft was a reformist community of craft workers and artists which formed part of the Arts and Crafts movement in the USA. Elbert Hubbard founded the community in 1895 in the village of East Aurora, Erie County, New York, near Buffalo. Participants were known as Roycrofters...
, an arts and crafts
Arts and Crafts movement
Arts and Crafts was an international design philosophy that originated in England and flourished between 1860 and 1910 , continuing its influence until the 1930s...
community in nearby East Aurora
East Aurora, New York
East Aurora is a village in Erie County, New York, United States, southeast of Buffalo. The Village of East Aurora lies in the eastern half of the Town of Aurora.The population was 6,673 at the 2000 census...
.
Heath was introduced to Wright by fellow Larkin executive Darwin D. Martin
Darwin D. Martin
Darwin D. Martin was an early 20th Century New York State businessman best known for the house he commissioned from Frank Lloyd Wright.-Early life:...
, though Heath was from Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
and coincidentally had a brother-in-law from Oak Park
Oak Park, Illinois
Oak Park, Illinois is a suburb bordering the west side of the city of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is the twenty-fifth largest municipality in Illinois. Oak Park has easy access to downtown Chicago due to public transportation such as the Chicago 'L' Blue and Green lines,...
on the building crew of Wright's J.J. Walser House. Wright had arrived in Buffalo in 1903 to build a house for Martin
Darwin D. Martin House
The Darwin D. Martin House Complex, also known as the Darwin Martin House State Historic Site, was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and built between 1903 and 1905...
, and Martin was instrumental in selecting Wright as the architect for the Larkin Administration Building
Larkin Administration Building
The Larkin Building was designed in 1904 by Frank Lloyd Wright and built in 1906 for the Larkin Soap Company of Buffalo, New York. The five story dark red brick building used pink tinted mortar and utilized steel frame construction. It was noted for many innovations, including air conditioning,...
, in downtown Buffalo
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
, Wright's first major commercial project. Consequently Wright was commissioned to build a house by Heath, and in turn another Larkin employee Walter V. Davidson
Walter V. Davidson House
The Walter V. Davidson House, located at 57 Tillinghast Place in Buffalo, New York, was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and built in 1908. It is an example of Wright's Prairie School architectural style...
.
Heath's property was a deep and narrow corner lot, facing a large traffic circle
Traffic circle
A traffic circle or rotary is a type of circular intersection in which traffic must travel in one direction around a central island. In some countries, traffic entering the circle has the right-of-way and drivers in the circle must yield. In many other countries, traffic entering the circle must...
, Soldiers Place, which insured that nothing would be built in front of it, and alongside Bird Avenue. This presented Wright with the problem of situating a substantial Prairie house, with its characteristically open structure, in a confined space with twice the street exposure. The house was placed with its long axis right up against the Bird Ave sidewalk with sections of the traffic circle acting as the grounds that a house of this standing would normally possess.
Although only feet from the sidewalk the house retains a measure of privacy. Wright elevated the house itself on a terrace above the street level. Hence the ground floor and the window levels of the principal living spaces are higher, restricting the view from Bird Ave of inside the house. The front door is concealed adjacent to a broad chimney and is at a right angle
Right angle
In geometry and trigonometry, a right angle is an angle that bisects the angle formed by two halves of a straight line. More precisely, if a ray is placed so that its endpoint is on a line and the adjacent angles are equal, then they are right angles...
to the street and even with their height the windows are stained glass
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
, both acting as additionally screening devices.
The exterior features classic Prairie School elements; a low pitched 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 with projecting eaves, a large porch with large square supports, casement window
Casement window
A casement window is a window that is attached to its frame by one or more hinges. Casement windows are hinged at the side. A casement window (or casement) is a window that is attached to its frame by one or more hinges. Casement windows are hinged at the side. A casement window (or casement) is a...
s with art glass, and second story buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
piers, for example. A two story garage was added in 1911 replacing a single story stable
Stable
A stable is a building in which livestock, especially horses, are kept. It most commonly means a building that is divided into separate stalls for individual animals...
.
The Heath house has seven bedrooms on the second floor as well as two bathrooms and a study. The master bedroom, above the porch, has windows on three sides. On the ground floor the dining room and living room open into each other, with the living room continuing out to the front porch. The porch, living room and master bedroom face the traffic circle providing a view over the lawn. There is a service entrance through the kitchen and a servants' quarters
Servants' quarters
Servants' quarters are those parts of a building, traditionally in a private house, which contain the domestic offices and staff accommodation. From the late 17th century until the early 20th century they were a common feature in all large houses...
including an additional two bedrooms. In recent years the servants' quarters has been used as a doctor's office. The house also features a half level basement, actually at street level and so lower than the ground floor, used a playroom by the Heath children.
The house is built in dark red brick, possibly the same batch that was used for the Larkin Administration Building. The ground floor is reminiscent of the Isidore H. Heller House
Heller House
The Isidore H. Heller House is a house located at 5132 South Woodlawn Avenue in the Hyde Park community area of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, USA. The house was designed by American architect Frank Lloyd Wright...
, and the house is also considered similar to the Meyer May House
Meyer May House
The Meyer May House is a Frank Lloyd Wright-designed house in the Heritage Hill Historic District of Grand Rapids, Michigan. It was built in 1908-09, and is located at 450 Madison Avenue SE. It is considered a fine example of Wright's Prairie School era, and "Michigan's Prairie...
The Heath House is distinctive due to the house being designed to compensate for the narrow lot. It is considered a precursor to Wright’s renowned Frederick C. Robie House
Robie House
The Frederick C. Robie House is a U.S. National Historic Landmark in the Chicago, Illinois neighborhood of Hyde Park at 5757 S. Woodlawn Avenue on the South Side. It was designed and built between 1908 and 1910 by architect Frank Lloyd Wright and is renowned as the greatest example of his Prairie...
built in Chicago
Hyde Park, Chicago
Hyde Park, located on the South Side of the City of Chicago, in Cook County, Illinois, United States and seven miles south of the Chicago Loop, is a Chicago neighborhood and one of 77 Chicago community areas. It is home to the University of Chicago, the Hyde Park Art Center, the Museum of Science...
in 1909, constructed on a similar sized block of land.
See also
Other buildings by Frank Lloyd Wright in the Buffalo area:- Darwin D. Martin House ComplexDarwin D. Martin HouseThe Darwin D. Martin House Complex, also known as the Darwin Martin House State Historic Site, was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and built between 1903 and 1905...
- George Barton House
- GraycliffGraycliffThe Graycliff estate was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and was built between 1926 and 1931. It is located about 20 minutes south of downtown Buffalo, New York, at 6472 Old Lake Shore Road in Derby, New York...
- Walter V. Davidson HouseWalter V. Davidson HouseThe Walter V. Davidson House, located at 57 Tillinghast Place in Buffalo, New York, was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and built in 1908. It is an example of Wright's Prairie School architectural style...
- Blue Sky MausoleumBlue Sky MausoleumBlue Sky Mausoleum, in Forest Lawn Cemetery in Buffalo, New York, is the recent completion of a 1928 design by Frank Lloyd Wright as a commercial cemetery project...
- Rowing BoathouseRowing BoathouseFrank Lloyd Wright's Rowing Boathouse is located at 1 Rotary Row, Buffalo, New York, along the city's Black Rock Channel.-History:In 1910, at the age of 43, Frank Lloyd Wright traveled to Europe to present what would become his most beloved collection of structure illustrations: the Wasmuth Portfolio...
- Filling StationFilling stationA filling station, also known as a fueling station, garage, gasbar , gas station , petrol bunk , petrol pump , petrol garage, petrol kiosk , petrol station "'servo"' in Australia or service station, is a facility which sells fuel and lubricants...
External links
- Wright Now in Buffalo, Information about Buffalo's architecture
- Podcast of remarks about Buffalo architecture by Dr. Neil Levine, author of The Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright, and Emmet Blakeney Gleason, Professor of History of Art and Architecture at Harvard University