Berger house
N 37° 58.537 W 122° 34.537
10S E 537272 N 4203194
Build it yourself Usosian complete with FLlW-designed doghouse on a hilly, wooded site in Marin County.
Waymark Code: WMQAN
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 09/12/2006
Views: 178
Wright designed this dream home for a young ambitious engineer and his wife in 1950 and construction began in 1953. The Bergers then built it themselves, a wheelbarrow-full at a time. By 1957 the core living area was complete and the couple and their four children were able to move in. The young family camped in sleeping bags until the bedrooms could be completed. Two years later, the bedroom wing was finished. Throughout this period, Berger did most of the work himself. The final details took much longer, particularly after Mr. Berger fell ill in 1969. When he died in 1973, Gloria Berger hired a professional carpenter to finish the job, including the construction of the Wright-designed furniture.
The house was constructed of form-cast walls of "desert rubblestone" using concrete and native rock. The windows frame views of the surrounding San Anselmo and Fairfax hills and a triangular deck juts off the main living area.
According to Storrer, the Berger's son Jim thought his dog Eddie ought to have a house and wrote to Mr. Wright. Wright gladly provided full working drawings.
There are excellent, unobstructed views of the front of the house from the road. There is a pull-out for parking on the narrow road just below the house. The house photographs best in the afternoon.
Year Completed: 1973
Commissioned By: Robert and Gloria Berger
Nearest City or Town: San Anselmo, CA
Public/Private: Public
Tours Available?: no
Website: [Web Link]
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Visit Instructions:
There are no specific visit requirements, however telling about your visit is strongly encouraged. Additional photos of the building or house to add to the gallery are also nice, but not required. Pictures with a GPS or you in them is highly discouraged.