Mid Century Modern Home

Birmingham, Michigan

LOCATION:
 Birmingham, Michigan

 ARCHITECT:
 Edward Elliott 

 OWNER:
  Mrs. D. K. Roosevelt
 
COST FACTS:
$19,500 in 1951. 1490 square feet (counting carport, etc. as one-third) at $13.10 per square foot, including storage cabinet, desk and radio units.

MATERIALS:
Post and beam construction; plank roof; block core; concrete slab floor. Part radiant heat system around perimeter of slab, and baseboard heat under glass area. Interior and exterior walls of natural cedar. Double insulating glass panels set between simple post and beam construction. Central core containing the fireplace and heater room is white-painted concrete block.

PLAN FACTS:
The owner of this house in Michigan is a concert pianist who lives by herself. The problem was to design a studio which would accommodate her simple living requirements and at the same time provide perfect acoustical conditions for two concert-grand pianos and recorded music.

The space not only had to give the intimacy of character required for a person living alone for the greater part of the time, but also had to allow for 75 guests at informal music concerts.

From these controlling factors the design was developed, with the studio basically conceived as one large room to which as much space as possible was allotted (to giv.e as much volume as possible).

This was supplemented by an adjoining and compact unit containing kitchen, laundry, utilities and bathroom. The shape of the space was developed mainly through acoustical requirements - the roof and the two side walls being V-shaped to minimize the number of parallel surfaces, yet provide the correct resonance to the room.

Location of solid walls and glass panels was also influenced by the lot, which is on a normal type of city street, narrow with adjoining houses. The back of the lot overlooks a wooded ravine, and to take advantage of this and at the same time gain complete privacy from neighbors, the side walls are solid, spreading out at an angle to the view.

ECONOMIES:
One large space, subdivided by screens; simplified construction system; simplified plumbing, heating, electrical system.

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