Jump to content

Herbert and Katherine Jacobs First House

Coordinates: 43°3′31″N 89°26′29″W / 43.05861°N 89.44139°W / 43.05861; -89.44139
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by XLinkBot (talk | contribs) at 01:08, 4 October 2018 (BOT--Reverting link addition(s) by Meredith Scheimpflug to revision 862123652 (www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7HiZNeKmuA [\byoutube\.com])). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Herbert and Katherine Jacobs First House
Herbert and Katherine Jacobs First House is located in Wisconsin
Herbert and Katherine Jacobs First House
Herbert and Katherine Jacobs First House is located in the United States
Herbert and Katherine Jacobs First House
Location441 Toepfer Ave., Madison, Wisconsin
Coordinates43°3′31″N 89°26′29″W / 43.05861°N 89.44139°W / 43.05861; -89.44139
Built1937
ArchitectFrank Lloyd Wright
Architectural styleModern Movement, Other
NRHP reference No.74000073
Significant dates
Added to NRHPJuly 24, 1974[1]
Designated NHLJuly 31, 2003[2]

Herbert and Katherine Jacobs First House, commonly referred to as Jacobs I, is a single family home located at 441 Toepfer Avenue 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. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2003.[2]

Description

Living room of the Herbert and Katherine Jacobs First House, commonly referred to as Jacobs I

The Jacobs House is located in a residential area southwest of downtown Madison, on the east side of Toepfer Avenue between Birch and Euclid Avenues. It is a modest single-story structure, its exterior finished in a combination of brick, vertical boarding, and glass doors, the latter opening from the rear of the house. It is covered by a flat roof and rests on a concrete pad foundation. Its interior space is just 1,500 square feet (140 m2), and has two bedrooms. The house's original heating system consisted of steam heating pipes laid in the sand base that underlies the main concrete pad. The furnace that provided the steam heat was located in a small basement space under the kitchen.[3]

History

Exterior of the Herbert and Katherine Jacobs First House, commonly referred to as Jacobs I.

Madison newspaperman Herbert Jacobs, a Wright acquaintance, challenged the architect to design and build a home for $5,000 (equivalent to $105,972 in 2023).[4] Wright designed an L-shaped structure with an open floor plan and two bedrooms. To economize construction costs Wright developed a 2+1⁄4-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.[5]

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 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]

See also

References

  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
  2. ^ a b c "Herbert and Katherine Jacobs First House". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Archived from the original on 2009-04-03. Retrieved 2007-12-31. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ "NHL nomination for Herbert and Katherine Jacobs First House". National Park Service. Retrieved 2017-03-22.
  4. ^ Heinz, Thomas A., The Vision of Frank Lloyd Wright, Regency House Publishing, 2000
  5. ^ Heinz, Thomas A., Frank Lloyd Wright Field Guide, Vol 1., Academy Editions, 1996

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jacobs First House.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Herbert_and_Katherine_Jacobs_First_House&oldid=862382016"