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Page 10  Homes Grouped by Architect   Weise, Stein, Bernstein, Wright, Carroll

Index and Outline of History pages at bottom of this page

Frank Weise
Born: 8/10/1918, Died: 1/31/2003
Brooklyn, NY native Frank Weise (born Frank Weiss) moved with his family to Philadelphia at a young age. After graduating from Simon Gratz High School in the city, Weise studied architecture at the University of Pennsylvania. He distinguished himself as a student, completing a B. Arch. with honors in 1942, and winning awards in freehand drawing and a first medal from the Beaux Arts Institute of Design his final year. After completing his degree, he worked briefly in the office of George Howe and Louis I. Kahn, where he contributed to several of the war housing projects in the office. Weise went on to Harvard studying under Marcel Breuer and Walter Gropius, completing an M. Arch. in 1945. That same year, he studied design at the progressive and experimental Black Mountain College, in Black Mountain, NC.After World War II, Weise was based in Chicago, IL, working on the planning of Michael Reese Hospital under Reginald Reginald Isaacs followed by architectural work at the office of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill.

In 1949, while in the office of Loebl, Schlossman & Bennett, he worked on the design of Park Forest, IL, a residential and commercial development intended for returning GI's and their families.
Weise returned to Philadelphia around 1949 and established his own office. In the early 1960s he led a group of the city's architects in an effort to redesign the proposed path of Interstate 95 through one of the oldest parts of Philadelphia along the Delaware River. Weise's group succeeded in having a portion of the highway depressed below street level, retaining some access from the city to the riverfront.

Weise was involved in a number of other important architectural and cultural projects in the city. In the 1970s, Weise's projects included the restoration and renovation of Head House Square in the Society Hill neighborhood. In the 1980s, he worked on the question of adapting John Haviland's landmark Eastern State Penitentiary. Weise was among the founders of the city's Wilma Theater and the Theater of the Living Arts.
Weise taught at a variety of institutions, including the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, and the Moore School of Art and the Philadelphia Museum College of Art.
Biography from the American Architects and Buildings database Written by Emily T. Cooperman.


Frank Weise's personal residence

The first home is Frank's personal studio/home that was a work in progress for him over many decades.  The home has recently been beautifully restored by the architects's daughter and her husband.

   

Additional homes by Frank Weise

The Carner Residence 1951

    


 

 


The Sheppard House by Frank Weise

 


The Bernard Weise Residence (1950-51) for Frank's brother

This stunning home has been fully restored with all new systems, and is currently for sale. Please contact me if you are interested in seeing this home.  The steel support gives this home the appearance of a floating 2nd floor and a glorious open feel on the lower floor.  This is one of my favorite homes in the Philadelphia area. 

for information regarding purchase please go to www.1709Meadowbrook.com


   

      

              kitchen by St Charles Kitchens of NYC, also used by Philip Johnson in the Glass House  


  

Frank Weise in Collingswood N.J.                                                      


Frank Weise, 1952, Swarthmore Pa, Eisenbud Residence


Photos below are of the Klein Residence 1952-1955 Frank Weise

The first two photos show the home as it appeared in c1960 when the second owners purchased the two story house, built into a hillside, with only the upper level visible from the street. The original interior of the house had an open floor plan with rooms separated for the most part by movable shoji screens and partial height walls.  The glazed end walls featured Mondrian-like mullion patterns.  The original roof was designed to always hold water for insulation purposes, but the weight proved excessive and a rubber roof was installed instead. The second owners built a narrow roof extension on the street side of the house.  They also removed an original cantilevered deck in the 1960's when a new house was built on an adjacent lot.  In 2005, the current owners, architect Ted Agoos and artist Elizabeth Wilson made extensive interior and exterior renovations as well as a rooftop addition seen below.    photo credits back view summer:Erik Johnson, front view evening photo: Robert Snow

  

lower 2 photos 2005

 

after rooftop 2005 addition by Ted Agoos

  
photo by Erik Johnson

 

evening photo by Robert Snow


 

Charles Oller Residence 1953-1954
3800 sq ft. house, contractor P Bernheimer the J.L. Dicktee




 

Frank Wei se on Valley Forge Mountain 1967

This home is built around a stone courtyard.  The stonework was designed by Weise and it has the look of old farm buildings of Chester County found near this home.  After entering through the courtyard past the artist studio, the walls of windows extend around the exterior of the living spaces.  Floor to ceiling glass in the living room is divided by the grand walk through fireplace leading to an rear deck.

stone courtyard entrance

 

rear side view. living room on right, family room closer
 

   

walk through fireplace in living room

 
 

   

more classic mid-century entrance and side patio

 

the Modern home below was designed by Frank in the 1970s in Bucks County


 

greatly altered 


 Homes by Irwin Stein

Stein, Irwin J. (b 1930), architect.  Born in WestPhiladelphia/ educated at the University of Penn (1953) where he studied with Paul Rudolph/ worked in the offices of Oscar Stonorov, Frank Weise and Howell Lewis Shay/ independent practice from ca. 1956 on/ Stein has designed over 150 structures, mostly residences, in greater Philadelphia and Florida.

Irwin Stein in October 2008 in front of 1960 Hyman Residence

The homes designed by Irwin Stein vary greatly in style.  But they have some similar characteristics such as steps with shallow risers with wide treads, cove lighting providing indirect perimeter illumination.  Many have built in furniture and 3 sided fireplaces.

one of three homes Stein designed with with diamond shape roof pattern
The O'Hara residence 1959

   


Ray and Libby Hyman House 1960

     

      

                                           evening photo by Betsy Manning


The Golden Residence  ca. 1976 by Irwin Stein

    



This is the 2nd and 3rd home built with the diamond shape roof pattern ca. 1960


the Wachs residence 1960 top photo by Betsy Manning

The following is from an article in the New York Times from 2/15/2010

"The house was built in 1961 by Irwin Stein, an architect responsible for several modern houses in the eastern Pennsylvania area. The lower-level living room has 22-foot ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows. Between the living and dining room (on a slightly lower level) is a double-sided fireplace. The family room has several closets set into a paneled wall.

The lower level has recessed fluorescent lighting set along the perimeter of the area, a technique that creates a diffuse, glow-like light. The bedrooms are upstairs. Two of them, the master and one currently used as an office, have Plexiglas shutters that open over the living room.

Running throughout the house are cinder-block columns with steel beams inside that support the roof, allowing the space to be open.

The attached office, formerly used by one of the owners, a dentist, consists of a waiting room and reception desk, a work room, an office, a powder room and storage space."










This home was lived in by Irwin after being built in the mid 1950's for his brother
  



This was one of Irwin Stein's first homes to be built circa 1955 the Eisenmann Residence




circa 1962 Allen and Joan Shore House
   
   




This home was designed while Stein was working at Kling firm along with Skell Ingeburtsen
 
 

Weiss House 1977 (photographs by Betsy Manning)



Edward Bernstein

 A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania?s Department of Architecture, Edward Harrison Bernstein designed a number of residences in the Penn Valley and Gladwyne areas during the1950s and 1960s. Each project responds to the rational planning practices espoused by Bauhaus founder Walter Gropius and his protégé Marcel Breuer whose influence came to dominate American architecture in the decade following the end of World War II. A particular development, the Bi- Nuclear Plan, was a hallmark of the period, characterized by the separa-
Perlmutter House 1957 Separation of living and sleeping areas into distinct pavilions typically connected by a glass enclosed breezeway. 

Bernstein's Perlmutter House (completed in 1957) reflects this planning strategy, adapting the layout to the sloped terrain of the site. Large glass expanses are directed towards the wooded site allowing



 

   


 
Berstein Personal Residince 1953
 
 


Frank Lloyd  Wright   

click here for Wikipedia bio of Frank Lloyd Wright

This series of photos is of one of the homes in the quad know as the Suntop Homes in Ardmore  by Frank Lloyd Wright.  They were built in 1939. The home photographed in this series is the front right of the quad as you look from the street. Note diagram of the 4 homes.  At Suntop, Wright applied principals from his "Broadacre City" plan, a garden-based alternative to suburban and urban expansion, to rethink the notion of group housing. By way of a pinwheel plan, each of the four units that constitute Suntop, affords the inhabitants with a private garden and sun terrace, with interior living spaces divided into four separate levels. There is an overall horizontality of the forms, including the suppression of the verticality of the stair. 


pinwheel floorplan

        

the next more recent group of photos are of a second home of the suntop quad

   


This home by Frank Lloyd Wright is close to Philadelphia in New Jersey

  

1954 Wilson Bachman  Usonian Wright Home near Princeton NJ
 







This home was featured in an article in New Jersey Monthly in Jan 2009 titled Labor of Love and written by Lauren Payne.

When Sharon and Lawrence Tarantino discovered an original Frank Lloyd Wright house in Millstone, it was love at first sight.
Love was complicated, though, by the home?s decrepit state?buckets were scattered to collect leaking water and thick layers of paint covered the original Philippine mahogany. Clearly, years of neglect had taken their toll.

In the two decades since they bought the home?one of four original Frank Lloyd Wright homes in the state?the couple has meticulously restored it to its original brilliance: a compact home made seemingly large by the open floor plan, soaring window walls, and seamless extension of the interior space to the outdoors. ?Living here is a gift,? says Sharon. ?It?s like we?re living in nature.?  The Tarantinos? efforts were acknowledged late last year with an award from the New Jersey chapter of the American Institute of Architects?the first-ever AIA Preservation Merit Award.

?It?s high time we recognize this type of work,? says Michael Califati, principal of Historic Building Architects in Trenton and chairman of the AIA-NJ Historic Resources Committee. Acknowledging that the Tarantinos carefully researched Wright?s original plans for the house, built in 1954, Califati adds, ?They came up with a very sensitive approach to the restoration. They made sure they did everything right.?

The Long Journey

The Tarantinos twenty-year odyssey to restore the home?commonly referred to as the Bachman-Wilson house after its original owners?began when they persuaded the previous owner to sell. They are only the fourth owners of the house, designed and built while Wright was based in the East, working on the Guggenheim Museum. (Much of Wright?s work is in his native Midwest.)

The design focuses on the continuity between the indoors and outdoors and shows an awareness of sustainable elements, a novel idea for the mid-1950s. Inspired by the flat Midwestern plains, coupled with distinct touches of Japanese architecture, the small house (under 2,000 square feet) has dramatic cantilevered roofs and balconies, and large expanses of glass windows and doors that let light and views of nature flow into the living space.

It?s the feeling of communing with nature that first attracted the Tarantinos. ?The scenery is constantly changing,? says Sharon, noting the south-facing window walls provide total privacy, but also views of the Millstone River just a stone?s throw away, along with a steady parade of wildlife roaming the dense woods.
Restoring the house brought special challenges to the architect-design team.  The couple lived in the house throughout the restoration process. In fact, they maintained their architectural studio there while restoring a 250-year-old timber-framed barn from Vermont. The barn was relocated just a few feet away from the Wright house on the original foundation of the Millstone House Inn and barn. Despite the disparate design styles, the two structures coexist quite naturally on the property. (The barn was also recognized by the AIA as part of the couple?s preservation undertaking.)

Preserving a Frank Lloyd Wright house is a never-ending project, but the Tarantinos don?t mind.  ?It is so enriching to us because we?re in the profession. It?s not a big glamour house, but it has a lot of design elements that architects use today,? says Sharon. For instance, the original concrete floors (restored to a deep brick red) are heated from below with radiant heat. The 10-foot-high French doors of the living room face south, admitting maximum light. There are no nails and virtually no wasted scraps (much of the
furniture is made from the leftover plywood).

?The home is all about organic architecture, which Wright taught us, and many are just starting to understand today with green building,? Lawrence says.

?This award redirects us back to what architecture should achieve,? says Califati. ?This is a compact house for sure, but it is compacted with environmental sensitivity.? Today?s design edict calls for treading lightly, adds Califati. ?Don?t build anything bigger than you need; take full advantage of the natural light.? That?s what Wright did, so many years ago.


Armand de Corrtieux Carroll

Born: 6/15/1898, Died: 5/2/1976

Biography from the American Architects and Buildings database PAB
Armand Carroll attended San Jose High School in San Jose, CA before he trained at the University of Pennsylvania, earning a certificate of proficiency in 1922. He began his career in the office of William H. Lee, eventually (according to his obituary in the Philadelphia Bulletin) becoming chief designer in that office. Carroll later opened his own firm in Philadelphia, probably around 1943 when he joined the national AIA. He was a member of the Philadelphia Chapter. Written by Emily T. Cooperman.


1960 The Ralph and Suzanne Roberts Residence  Sural Lodge

Armand Carroll designed this home in 1960 for Ralph and Suzanne Roberts.  The large clearstory windows running down the main axis of the residence, the long overhangs at the entrance, and the combination of scuptural wood and massive stone fireplace all show the the influence of Carroll's time at Taliesin. The Roberts first hired Louis Kahn to design a home on Apalogen Rd in East Falls  which remained unbuilt, they then turned their attention to this very private 3 acre lot with architect Armand de Cortieux Carroll. The result is a unique and special home with original details in excellent condition. The home is constructed with solid Cypress beams. Suzanne and Ralph Roberts gave the home the name Sural Lodge formed with the first letters of their first names.






 

     
 
 


Index to History Pages

Overview   of Philadelphia Area Mid-Century Modern Residential Architecture                  Photo overview   of mid-century modern homes in the region followed by brief written overview of Philadelphia mid-century architects  

 Time Line  of area modern homes from 1930's to today  

Mid-Century Modern Homes Grouped by Location / County  Bucks County,   Chester County Delaware County Montgomery County (Abington, Jenkintown and Cheltenham Township)Western Montgomery County( Main Line Area) Philadelphia County (East Falls, Roxborough),  Philadelphia County (West Mt Airy, Chestnut Hill),  Center City Philadelphia Mid-Century Modern Homes New Jersey Near Philadelphia.

Modern  Philadelphia Residential Architecture 
Philadelphia LEED for Homes projects,   Recent Center City Philadelphia Modern Residential ArchitectureEarly pre-fab Techbuilt homes.

Mid-Century Modern Architects who worked in the Philadelphia Region      
    Allan Berkowitz                    Louis Kahn                           George Nakashima
   Edward Bernstein                Vincent Kling                        Richard Neutra 
   Robert Bishop                      Thaddeus Longstreth           Norman Rice  
    Frank Boyer                  William Lescaze                    Paul Rudolph  
   
Marcel Breuer                       Joel Levinson 
                  
   Galen Schlosser    
    Armand Carroll                    Thomas Mangan                Harry Sternfeld
    Albert Clauss                     Irving Maitin                          Irwin Stein  
    Nathan Cronheim                 George Mebus                      Oscar Stonorov   
     George Daub                        Ehrman Mitchell                   Frank Weise   
    Kenneth Day                  Newcomb Montgomery       Frank Lloyd Wright


  
  
 
1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  11  12
 Outline of History Pages
  
 page  1  photo overview of mid-century modern homes in the region; brief overview of Philadelphia mid-century architects

 page  2  mid-century modern homes grouped by location/county: Montgomery County, Chester County, Delaware County, Philadelphia County

 page  3  Philadelphia LEED for Homes projects; Center City Philadelphia Modern and Mid-Century Modern homes; Philadelphia early pre-fab Techbuilt homes 

 page  4  mid-century modern homes grouped by location/county; continuation of Philadelphia County from page 2; western Montgomery County (Main Line area)
 
 page  5  photos grouped by architect: Thomas Mangan, Oscar Stonorov, Kenneth Day, William Lescaze, Marcel Breuer, George Daub

 page  6  photos of mid-century modern homes in New Jersey near Philadelphia
 
page  7  photos grouped by architect: Montgomery & Bishop, Jules Gregory, Vincent Kling, Frank Boyer, Harry Sternfeld
 
page  8  photos grouped by architect: Richard Neutra,Thaddeus Longstreth, Nathan Cronheim, Alfred Clauss
 
page  9  photos grouped by architect: George Nakashima, Joel Levinson, Galen Schlosser
 
page 10  photos grouped by architect: Frank Weise, Irwin Stein, Edward Bernstein, Frank Lloyd Wright, Armand Carroll
 
page 11  photos grouped by architect: Louis Kahn, Allan Berkowitz, Norman Rice, Iving Maitin, George Mebus 

page 12  time line of area modern homes from 1930's to the present 
1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  11 12
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