Kenneth Day
Born
1/25/1901, died 2/20/1958 Son of well known architect Frank Miles Day.
B.S. Architecture 1922 U of Pa. Trained in Beaux Arts and shifted
efforts in the 1930's to integration of the International Style
principals with regional design.
Miquon Houses 1937
Charles Woodward House 1939
KENNETH
MACKENZIE DAY (1901-1958), a native of Chestnut Hill, designed
8220 Millman for George Woodward. As the most prominent example of the
International Style in Chestnut Hill, the house embodies many of the
characteristic formal qualities of the movement including an emphasis
on abstraction, a rejection of applied ornamentation and decoration,
and a belief in the potential of machine age technology and materials.
The clearly expressed volumes and finely rendered openings are of brick
construction painted with a white-wash finish to convey a sense of abstraction.
A steel structure provides for expansive interior spaces which, on the
garden side, open gracefully to the exterior. The handsomely proportioned
front door suggests the 2-story entry hall beyond?a space dominated
by a spectacular free standing circular stair. The stair is supported,
in part, by a parapet rail of birch plywood which was a novel material
for the domestic market at the time. The curvilinear wall adjacent to
the entry originally housed a service court (now enclosed) and beyond,
a large, two-car garage (now filled in) signalled the increasing importance
of the automobile in American life.
William
Whitaker
Curator, Architectural Archives
University of Pennsylvania
Kenneth Day 1954-1958 Peter Dechert House
Index to MODERN HOMES PHILADELPHIA History Pages
Overview of Philadelphia Area Mid-Century Modern Residential Architecture (below on this page) Photo overview 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
Architects Who Designed Mid-Century Modern Homes in the Philadelphia Region
photographs of the regional homes designed by each architect are included
