Boomer House
N 33° 31.367 W 112° 01.016
12S E 405564 N 3709708
A beach bungalow in the desert, originally part of the Biltmore Estate and next door neighbor to the Adelman House.
Waymark Code: WM2H28
Location: Arizona, United States
Date Posted: 11/03/2007
Views: 269
The house was commissioned by Norwegian-born Jorgine Boomer, widow of Lucius Boomer, who developed/owned/managed the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City (
visit link) . The Boomers had originally contacted Wright in 1945 about re-building the burned out rubblestone remains of the nearby Pauson House, but Jorgine scaled back the project following the untimely death of her husband in a plane crash. The Boomer House is actually the recycled design for a California-beach view bungalow converted to an desert cottage. Wright accomplished this by orienting the house away from the western sun and toward the northeastern views of the desert landscape.
The two-story house is laid out on a diamond grid with few right angles. The lower level consists of a compact sitting room, kitchen, bath and servant's room. A narrow winding staircase leads to the second floor which consists of two bedrooms, the master suite and the other for a maid.
Jorgine lived in the house for only a few years before she donated it to the Phoenix Art Museum. Unable to maintain it or use it for museum functions, partly because of zoning restrictions and partly because it was in the middle of nowhere (at the time), the museum sold it to the current owner in 1963.