Herman T. Mossberg Residence: Difference between revisions

Herman T. Mossberg Residence
Herman T. Mossberg Residence
General information
Type	House
Architectural style	Usonian
Location	South Bend, Indiana
Coordinates	41°38′37″N 86°13′38″W / 41.6435°N 86.2272°W
Construction started	1948
Design and construction
Architect(s)	Frank Lloyd Wright

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Herman T. Mossberg Residence is a house designed by the American architect Frank Lloyd Wright. It was built for Herman T. Mossberg and his wife Gertrude in 1948 in South Bend, Indiana, and remains in private hands today. It is one of two Wright residences in South Bend, the other being the K. C. DeRhodes House.

Background

Mossberg grew up in Chicago and it was his youthful appreciation of Wright's Robie House that instilled an idea that, if possible, he would like to have a house like that one day. The Mossbergs settled in South Bend, where Herman Mossberg became a successful lithography press printer, Mossberg & Company Inc. remains in business today, operated by second and third generations of the family. When Wright's career had its resurgence in the late 1930s, with broad press coverage of such works as Fallingwater and the Johnson Wax Building, the Mossbergs wrote to Wright asking if he would recommend one of his former students to design a house for them in the manner of Wright. Wright responded, "Why have an imitation when you can have the original?" and invited them to visit him at Taliesin in Spring Green, Wisconsin.

Initial visit to Taliesin

This, they did, on a cold day when Wright and Wes Peters had been to Kalamazoo, Michigan, to see the site of the Parkwyn Village homes Wright would be designing there. Wright was so cold and tired from the trip that Peters had to carry him into the house from the car. After dinner, as was the custom at Taliesin, there was a musical performance. The Wrights and the Mossbergs were seated together as one of the apprentices played Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata. When the music concluded, Wright turned to Gertrude Mossberg and said, "Ah, that man Beethoven! The greatest genius the world has known! Save my own!" Gertrude Mossberg whispered to her husband, "What have we gotten ourselves in for?" Nonetheless, the Mossbergs gave Wright the commission to design their home.

Designing the home

At the time, Wright's Usonian style had matured, and the Mossberg Residence is one of the finest examples of it. Even so, it also displays concepts that harken back to his mature Prairie style. The living room's design and proportions are inspired by the living room at Taliesin. The stairway to the balcony gallery and daughter's bedroom is suspended from above, like the stairway from the living room to Bear Run at Fallingwater. Belden brick and tidewater cypress, as well as radiant-heat poured Cherokee red concrete floors, are all elements typical of the best Usonian homes.

Wright and Gertrude Mossberg had a great appreciation for one another which resulted in Wright breaking some of his famous rules in the design of this house. One of the hallmarks of a Usonian house was that the smallish, windowless kitchens that Wright called the "workspace" were normally placed at the center of the house, with a ceiling higher than the rest, to allow cooking odors to rise, rather than to drift into the rest of the house. Wright's first design for the Mossbergs had such a kitchen. When she saw it, Gertrude Mossberg expressed her dismay that the kitchen had no windows. This was a common aspect in the Usonian house designs. For example, a window was added in the Robert Levin House despite Wright's wishes, and he never signed the house. A similar expression of dismay from one of the Kalamazoo clients at about this same time had resulted in Wright imperiously rolling up his drawings and saying, "Madam, you are not worthy of a Frank Lloyd Wright home." That couple was left with the problem of finding a new architect. But in Gertrude Mossberg's case, things went differently. "Why do you need a window in your kitchen?" asked Wright. "Why, Mr. Wright, to see my birds," she replied. "Well then, you shall have your window," Wright responded. And in fact, the Mossberg house as built has a large bank of French doors in the kitchen, looking directly into the back yard. Wright was also famous for having eliminated basements from his residential designs. The Mossberg house has a basement, again, at Gertrude Mossberg's request.

Gertrude Mossberg bore a striking resemblance to Frank Lloyd Wright's beloved Aunt Susan, wife of the Rev. Jenkin Lloyd Jones, which may have been among the reasons he worked so sympathetically with the Mossbergs.

Building the house

The house was constructed by the well-known South Bend builder, William A. Reinke Contractors who built over 100 homes in the South Bend area.

Living with Wright

Wright-trained architect John H. "Jack" Howe, who was then a Taliesin apprentice, was assigned to live with the Mossbergs and oversee the building of the house. The Mossbergs developed a great fondness for Jack Howe which proved to be lifelong. Following Wright's death, whenever repairs or slight renovations were needed, the Mossbergs would consult Howe to be certain that all they did was in keeping with Wright's design principles. As a result, this remains among Wright's best-maintained and preserved residences, now owned by one of the grandsons of the original clients. In later years, Gertrude Mossberg would say that the best education she ever had was to live in a home designed by Wright.^[1]

References

^ Private conversations with Gertrude Mossberg in the 1980s

Storrer, William Allin. The Frank Lloyd Wright Companion. University Of Chicago Press, 2006, ISBN 0-226-77621-2 (S.302)

External links

[1] Private conversations with Gertrude Mossberg in the 1980s

[1]

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 }}
-'''Herman T. Mossberg Residence''' is a house designed by the [[United States|American]] architect [[Frank Lloyd Wright]]. It was built for [[Herman T. Mossberg]] and his wife Gertrude in 1948 in [[South Bend]], [[Indiana]], and remains in private hands today. It is one of two Wright residences in South Bend, the other being the [[K. C. DeRhodes House]].
+'''Herman T. Mossberg Residence''' is a house designed by the American architect [[Frank Lloyd Wright]]. It was built for Herman T. Mossberg and his wife Gertrude in 1948 in [[South Bend]], Indiana, and remains in private hands today. It is one of two Wright residences in South Bend, the other being the [[K. C. DeRhodes House]].
 == Background ==
-Mr. Mossberg grew up in Chicago and it was his youthful appreciation of Wright's [[Robie House]] that instilled an idea that, if possible, he would like to have a house like that one day. The Mossbergs settled in South Bend, where Mr. Mossberg became a successful lithography press printer, Mossberg & Company Inc. remains in business today, operated by second and third generations of the family. When Wright's career had its resurgence in the late 1930s, with broad press coverage of such works as [[Fallingwater]] and the [[Johnson Wax Building]], the Mossbergs wrote to Mr. Wright asking if he would recommend one of his former students to design a house for them in the manner of Mr. Wright. Wright responded, "Why have an imitation when you can have the original?" and invited them to visit him at [[Taliesin (studio)]] in [[Spring Green, Wisconsin]].
+Mossberg grew up in Chicago and it was his youthful appreciation of Wright's [[Robie House]] that instilled an idea that, if possible, he would like to have a house like that one day. The Mossbergs settled in South Bend, where Herman Mossberg became a successful lithography press printer, Mossberg & Company Inc. remains in business today, operated by second and third generations of the family. When Wright's career had its resurgence in the late 1930s, with broad press coverage of such works as [[Fallingwater]] and the [[Johnson Wax Building]], the Mossbergs wrote to Wright asking if he would recommend one of his former students to design a house for them in the manner of Wright. Wright responded, "Why have an imitation when you can have the original?" and invited them to visit him at [[Taliesin (studio)|Taliesin]] in [[Spring Green, Wisconsin]].
 == Initial visit to Taliesin ==
-This, they did, on a cold day when Wright and Wes Peters had been to [[Kalamazoo]], to see the site of the Parkwyn Village homes Wright would be designing there. Wright was so cold and tired from the trip that Peters had to carry him into the house from the car. After dinner, as was the custom at Taliesin, there was a musical performance. The Wrights and the Mossbergs were seated together as one of the apprentices played [[Beethoven]]'s [[Moonlight Sonata]]. When the music concluded, Wright turned to Gertrude Mossberg and said, "Ah, that man Beethoven! The greatest genius the world has known! Save my own!" Mrs. Mossberg whispered to her husband, "What have we gotten ourselves in for?" Nonetheless, the Mossbergs gave Wright the commission to design their home.
+This, they did, on a cold day when Wright and Wes Peters had been to [[Kalamazoo|Kalamazoo, Michigan]], to see the site of the Parkwyn Village homes Wright would be designing there. Wright was so cold and tired from the trip that Peters had to carry him into the house from the car. After dinner, as was the custom at Taliesin, there was a musical performance. The Wrights and the Mossbergs were seated together as one of the apprentices played [[Beethoven]]'s [[Moonlight Sonata]]. When the music concluded, Wright turned to Gertrude Mossberg and said, "Ah, that man Beethoven! The greatest genius the world has known! Save my own!" Gertrude Mossberg whispered to her husband, "What have we gotten ourselves in for?" Nonetheless, the Mossbergs gave Wright the commission to design their home.
 == Designing the home ==
-Originally the home was designed all on one floor but the zoning for the Mossberg's new neighborhood required two-story dwellings. Wright told the Mossbergs that would not be a problem, "We will give you a one-story home that looks like a two-story home." The first plans also used a grid that was larger than the completed residence.
 At the time, Wright's [[Usonian]] style had matured, and the Mossberg Residence is one of the finest examples of it. Even so, it also displays concepts that harken back to his mature [[Prairie style]]. The living room's design and proportions are inspired by the living room at Taliesin. The stairway to the balcony gallery and daughter's bedroom is suspended from above, like the stairway from the living room to Bear Run at [[Fallingwater]]. Belden brick and tidewater cypress, as well as radiant-heat poured Cherokee red concrete floors, are all elements typical of the best Usonian homes.
-Wright and Mrs. Mossberg had a great appreciation for one another which resulted in Wright breaking some of his famous rules in the design of this house. One of the hallmarks of an Usonian house was that the smallish, windowless kitchens that Wright called the "workspace" were normally placed at the center of the house, with a ceiling higher than the rest, to allow cooking odors to rise, rather than to drift into the rest of the house. Wright's first design for the Mossbergs had such a kitchen. When she saw it, Mrs. Mossberg expressed her dismay that the kitchen had no windows. This was a common aspect in the Usonian house designs. For example, a window was added in the [[Robert Levin House]] despite Wright's wishes, and he never signed the house. A similar expression of dismay from one of the Kalamazoo clients at about this same time had resulted in Wright imperiously rolling up his drawings and saying, "Madam, you are not worthy of a Frank Lloyd Wright home." That couple was left with the problem of finding a new architect. But in Mrs. Mossberg's case, things went differently. "Why do you need a window in your kitchen?" asked Wright. "Why, Mr. Wright, to see my birds," Mrs. Mossberg replied. "Well then, you shall have your window," Wright responded. And in fact, the Mossberg house as built has a large bank of French doors in the kitchen, looking directly into the back yard. Wright was also famous for having eliminated basements from his residential designs. The Mossberg house has a basement, again, at Mrs. Mossberg's request.
+Wright and Gertrude Mossberg had a great appreciation for one another which resulted in Wright breaking some of his famous rules in the design of this house. One of the hallmarks of a Usonian house was that the smallish, windowless kitchens that Wright called the "workspace" were normally placed at the center of the house, with a ceiling higher than the rest, to allow cooking odors to rise, rather than to drift into the rest of the house. Wright's first design for the Mossbergs had such a kitchen. When she saw it, Gertrude Mossberg expressed her dismay that the kitchen had no windows. This was a common aspect in the Usonian house designs. For example, a window was added in the [[Robert Levin House]] despite Wright's wishes, and he never signed the house. A similar expression of dismay from one of the Kalamazoo clients at about this same time had resulted in Wright imperiously rolling up his drawings and saying, "Madam, you are not worthy of a Frank Lloyd Wright home." That couple was left with the problem of finding a new architect. But in Gertrude Mossberg's case, things went differently. "Why do you need a window in your kitchen?" asked Wright. "Why, Mr. Wright, to see my birds," she replied. "Well then, you shall have your window," Wright responded. And in fact, the Mossberg house as built has a large bank of French doors in the kitchen, looking directly into the back yard. Wright was also famous for having eliminated basements from his residential designs. The Mossberg house has a basement, again, at Gertrude Mossberg's request.
 Gertrude Mossberg bore a striking resemblance to Frank Lloyd Wright's beloved Aunt Susan, wife of the Rev. [[Jenkin Lloyd Jones]], which may have been among the reasons he worked so sympathetically with the Mossbergs.
-Building the house
+== Building the house ==
-The house was constructed by the well-known South Bend builder, William A. Reinke Contractors who built over 100 homes in the South Bend area.
+The house was constructed by the well-known South Bend builder, William A. Reinke Contractors who built over 100 homes in the South Bend area.
 == Living with Wright ==
-Wright-trained architect John H. Howe, who was then a Taliesin apprentice, was assigned to live with the Mossbergs and oversee the building of the house. The Mossbergs developed a great fondness for Jack Howe which proved to be lifelong. Following Mr. Wright's death, whenever repairs or slight renovations were needed, the Mossbergs would consult Howe to be certain that all they did was in keeping with Wright's design principles. As a result, this remains among Wright's best-maintained and preserved residences, now owned by one of the grandsons of the original clients. In later years, Mrs. Mossberg would say that the best education she ever had was to live in a home designed by Mr. Wright.<ref>Private conversations with Gertrude Mossberg in the 1980s</ref>
+Wright-trained architect [[John H. "Jack" Howe]], who was then a Taliesin apprentice, was assigned to live with the Mossbergs and oversee the building of the house. The Mossbergs developed a great fondness for Jack Howe which proved to be lifelong. Following Wright's death, whenever repairs or slight renovations were needed, the Mossbergs would consult Howe to be certain that all they did was in keeping with Wright's design principles. As a result, this remains among Wright's best-maintained and preserved residences, now owned by one of the grandsons of the original clients. In later years, Gertrude Mossberg would say that the best education she ever had was to live in a home designed by Wright.<ref>Private conversations with Gertrude Mossberg in the 1980s</ref>
+==See also==
+* [[List of Frank Lloyd Wright works]]
 ==References==
@@ Line 55: / Line 57: @@
 * [http://www.peterbeers.net/interests/flw_rt/Indiana/Mossberg_House/mossberg_house.htm Herman T. Mossberg House including history and photos]
 * [http://www.arcaid.co.uk/search.php?inc=quickSearch&search=10300- Photos on Arcaid]
+* [http://www.flwright.us/FLW302.htm Photographs from 2014.]
 {{Frank Lloyd Wright}}

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Private houses	Adams, M. Adams, W. and J. Adelman Affleck Allen–Lambe Alsop Arnold Bach Bachman–Wilson Baird Baker Balch Baldwin Barton Bazett Beachy Becker Blair Blossom Bogk Boulter Boynton Bradley Brandes Broad Margin Brown Buehler Bulbulian Charnley Cheney Christie Cooke Coonley Copeland Crimson Beech Dana–Thomas Davidson Davis DeRhodes Dobkins Ennis Fabyan Fallingwater Fawcett Forest Foster Fountainhead Freeman Fredrick Fricke Friedman Fukuhara G. Furbeck R. Furbeck Gale, L. Gale, T. Gale, W. Gerts Gilmore Gillin Glasner Goetsch–Winckler Gordon Grant Graycliff Gridley Hanna–Honeycomb Hardy Haynes Heath Heller Henderson Heurtley Hickox Hills Hoffman Hollyhock Jacobs I Jacobs II Johnson Jones Kalil Keland Kentuck Knob Keys Kinney Kraus Lamberson Lamp Laurent Levin Lewis Lewis, L. Manson Marden D. D. Martin W. E. Martin May McBean McCarthy Millard Miller Millard, G. Moore Mosher Mossberg Murphy Neils Olfelt Palmer Pappas Parker Pauson Penfield Peterson Cottage Pew Pope–Leighey Rayward Rebhuhn Reisley Richardson Roberts Robie Roloson Rosenbaum Rudin Samara Sander Schaberg Schwartz Serlin Shavin Smith, G. W. Smith, M. Smith, R. Sondem Spencer Staley Stockman Storer Stromquist Sturges Sullivan Sunday Sutton Sweeton Tan-Y-Deri Thaxton Thomas Tomek Tonkens Tracy Trier Turkel Wall Walker Walser Walter Westcott Westhope Weltzheimer Willey Williams Willits Wingspread Winslow Woolley Wright, D. and G. Wright, D. and J. Wright, R. Wynant Yamamura Young Zeigler Zimmerman
Housing systems	American System-Built Homes Erdman Prefab Houses Fireproof House for $5000 Galesburg Country Homes Ravine Bluffs Development Suntop Homes Usonia Homes Textile block house
Other	Anderton Court Shops Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church Arizona Biltmore Hotel Auldbrass Plantation Banff National Park Pavilion Beth Sholom Synagogue Child of the Sun at Florida Southern College Community Christian Church Como Orchard Summer Colony Coonley School Playhouse E-Z Polish Factory Eddie's House Fasbender Medical Clinic German Warehouse Guggenheim Museum Hillside Home School I Hillside Home School II Hoffman Auto Showroom Horse Show Fountain Humphreys Theater Imperial Hotel Jiyu Gakuen Girls' School Johnson Wax Headquarters Kundert Medical Clinic Lake Mendota Boathouse Lamp Cottage Larkin Administration Building Lawrence Memorial Library (Springfield, Illinois) Lindholm Service Station Lockridge Medical Clinic Marin County Civic Center Midway Barn Midway Gardens Riverview Terrace Restaurant Roberts Stable Rookery Building Romeo and Juliet Windmill Park Inn Hotel Pettit Chapel Pilgrim Congregational Church Price Tower Frank L. Smith Bank Teater Studio Unitarian Society Meeting House Unity Chapel Unity Temple V. C. Morris Gift Shop Waller Apartments Wyoming Valley School
Posthumous	Blue Sky Mausoleum Gammage Memorial Auditorium King Kamehameha Golf Course Clubhouse Massaro House Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center Sharp Family Tourism and Education Center
Unbuilt	Broadacre City Crystal Heights Gordon Strong Automobile Objective The Illinois Plan for Greater Baghdad Point Park Civic Center
Personal homes	Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio Taliesin Taliesin West
Related	Taliesin Associated Architects Wasmuth Portfolio Prairie School Wright Building Conservancy Wright–Prairie School of Architecture Historic District UNESCO World Heritage Site Usonia
People	Olgivanna Lloyd Wright (3rd wife) Lloyd Wright (son) John Lloyd Wright (son) Anne Baxter (granddaughter) Eric Lloyd Wright (grandson) Maginel Wright Enright (sister) Richard Bock (associate) Mamah Borthwick (client and lover) Marion Griffin (associate) Walter Burley Griffin (associate) George Mann Niedecken Jaroslav Josef Polívka (associate)
Popular culture	The Last Wright: Frank Lloyd Wright and the Park Inn Hotel Shining Brow Loving Frank "So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright" Work Song: Three Views of Frank Lloyd Wright The Women The Wright 3
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