Herbert and Katherine Jacobs First House
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Herbert and Katherine Jacobs First House
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| Location: | 441 Toepfer Ave., Madison, Wisconsin |
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| Coordinates: | 43°3′31″N 89°26′29″W / 43.05861°N 89.44139°WCoordinates: 43°3′31″N 89°26′29″W / 43.05861°N 89.44139°W |
| Built: | 1937 |
| Architect: | Frank Lloyd Wright |
| Architectural style: | Modern Movement, Other |
| Governing body: | Private |
| NRHP Reference#: | 74000073 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP: | July 24, 1974[1] |
| Designated NHL: | July 31, 2003[2] |
Herbert and Katherine Jacobs First House, commonly referred to as Jacobs I, is a single family home located in Madison, Wisconsin. Designed by noted American architect Frank Lloyd Wright, it was constructed in 1937 and is considered by most to be the first Usonian home.
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[edit] History
Madison newspaperman Herbert Jacobs, a Wright acquaintance, challenged the architect to design and build a home for $5,000.[3] Wright designed an L-shaped structure with an open floor plan and two bedrooms. To economize construction costs Wright developed a 21⁄4-inch-thick (57 mm) plywood sandwich wall for use on this house. Rumor maintains that redirected bricks from the Johnson Wax Building ultimately helped keep final construction costs at $5,500.[4]
The Jacobs family moved into the house after construction but quickly outgrew the two-bedroom ranch. Herbert Jacobs commissioned Wright to build a second home, Jacobs II. The family moved there in the late 1940s.
Over the following decades the house passed ownership and was exposed to modifications and maintenance techniques of variable historical value. A multi-year restoration project began in 1983, restoring the house to its 1937 appearance and updating worn and inefficient building systems.
The current owner has the home available for monthly rent and opens the house for tours through the Frank Lloyd Wright Wisconsin Heritage Tourism Program, Inc.
The house was declared a National Historic Landmark in 2003.[2]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2007-01-23. http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natreg/docs/All_Data.html.
- ^ a b "Herbert and Katherine Jacobs First House". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=-2084254169&ResourceType=Building. Retrieved 2007-12-31.
- ^ Heinz, Thomas A., The Vision of Frank Lloyd Wright, Regency House Publishing, 2000
- ^ Heinz, Thomas A., Frank Lloyd Wright Field Guide, Vol 1., Academy Editions, 1996
[edit] External links
- Official site
- YouTube: 1992 video tour featuring Katherine Jacobs
- Jacobs I at Great Buildings Online
- Wright in Wisconsin
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| This article about a property in Wisconsin on the National Register of Historic Places is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
- Frank Lloyd Wright buildings
- Houses in Wisconsin
- National Historic Landmarks in Wisconsin
- Buildings and structures in Madison, Wisconsin
- Houses completed in 1937
- Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Wisconsin
- Visitor attractions in Madison, Wisconsin
- Wisconsin Registered Historic Place stubs
