California Arts and Architecture/Pepperell Manufacturing Company House, Competition

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California Arts and Architecture/Pepperell Manufacturing Company House, Competition

Elevations, Section and Plan

Correspondence   5  browse all »

Letter
Letter
Letter

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Plans and Perspective
Elevations, Section and Plan

In 1943, Breuer entered a competition sponsored by "California Arts and Architecture" to design post-war housing that cost between $5,000 and $6,000. His entry was an H-shaped binuclear house with a butterfly roof in which one wing was devoted to "dynamic living" - entertaining, cooking, and games - and the other was devoted to quiet activities such as sleeping or working. The bedroom wing was two-stories, with the upper story slightly elevated above ground level and the lower story mostly submerged but with a window to the greenery of the patio nestled between the two wings. Breuer's entry did not win the competition but was published in the December 1943 issue of the journal. A year later he sent the design to the Pepperell Manufacturing Company, which wanted to build housing for its employees. Pepperell liked the designs but felt that their employees would not be "sufficiently advanced to appreciate such an unusual style."