Projects by Name

The commission for the James Smith House came through Breuer's friend, Herbert Bayer, who lived in Aspen, CO. and was employed as a design consultant for Walter Paepcke's Container Corporation of America. The upper-story in which the public spaces of the house were sandwiched between bedrooms consisted of wood-frame and concrete-slab construction. It was raised on two smaller stone-clad blocks, one containing the garage while the other contained the entrance hall and maid's quarters. The southern façade of the upper story featured floor-to-ceiling windows and a balcony reached by one of Breuer's signature exterior staircases. This project was one of Breuer's most contentious. The client wrote numerous letters of complaint regarding delays in the delivery of building materials and problems with the heating system and sunshade. Smith eventually invoked the arbitration clause in his contract over a dispute regarding the glass order from the Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company. The arbitrator found in Breuer's favor.