On a trip from Chicago to
Seattle with my daughter, we had a few short minutes to stop and see the Elam
Residence. It is just a few minutes off the interstate in
Austin, Minnesota. Designed in 1950, and completed in 1951,
this Wright residence is truly a work of art. Not much has
been written concerning the S.P. Elam Residence or S.P.
Elam. According to Storrer,
the Elams were touring Taliesin and mentioned that they were
interested in Wright designing a home for them. John Howe
suggested that they see Mr. Wright, who met with them
immediately. They later had a falling out with their
architect and had to finish their kitchen without his
design. According to the currents owners, a few years after
the home was completed, the Elams ran into financial
difficulty due to the devastation of their orchards in
California. They were forced to place the home on the
market. The present owners lived down the street, or were
looking to purchase a home down the street when she saw the
Elam home for sale. They made an unrealistically low offer
and the Elams, due to their situation, sold.
The Elam Residence is one of the largest Usonian
homes Wright designed. Entrance to the home is gained
through the lower level into the Loggia. The stairs lead up
to the main upper level of the home, which is 148 feet long.
There are many classic Wright details. The stonework is
reminiscent of Fallingwater, Taliesin and the Shavin
Residence (1950). The Elam |
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limestone came from a quarry
near Taliesin, where as the Shavin
sandstone was from Tennessee. It is designed on a four foot
grid plan. The home faces the Southeast. As you
approach from the Southeast what you observe are the massive
stone piers that support the dramatic cantilevered balcony
and roof, and a row of vertical doors and windows. The roof
above the Workspace is flat and than soars like a mountain
growing out from the prairie toward the Living Room on the
other end, supported by a massive stone pier. One of the
most sticking elements of this home is the cantilevered
balcony. It is cantilevered out ten feet, and the glass
Living Room wall rests on the balcony, four feet past the
center of the supporting wall below. A Playroom that mirrors
the Living Room. Two massive stone fireplaces. There are
five mitered glass corners. Additional Entrance doors that
open outward to allow air to flow through the upper level.
There are rows of doors and windows that open outward. Built
in planters. The Elams used cypress board and batten siding
and cedar shakes on the roof. All exterior cypress has been
painted.
The University of Minnesota houses photostats of drawings and blueprints for the S.P. Elam
residence in their Frank Lloyd Wright collection, Northwest
Architectural Archives, Manuscripts Division.
November 2008
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