Jacobs, Herbert and Katherine, Second House - Madison WI
Posted by: nomadwillie
N 43° 04.433 W 089° 32.082
16T E 293644 N 4772137
The Jacobs commissioned Wright on 2 houses, with this being the second after they outgrew the first one. This house was built in 1946-48.
Waymark Code: WMM557
Location: Wisconsin, United States
Date Posted: 07/23/2014
Views: 1
This house while similar to the Usonian Jacobs house, is also quite different. The first house was built as a modular grid, this was a solar house and was unlike any other house Wright designed and built. Called the Solar Hemicycle it was an attempt to develop a "low energy" by maximizing solar heat and protection from the northern winds. The house included circular rooms arranged around a covered terrace. The north walls of the house were protected with a berm, while the southern exposure was a large expanse of glass. It was also a open floor plan, like the first one built for the Jacobs. The Jacobs dug the foundation themselves because there was insufficient space to use machinery. During construction, the Jacobs and Wright had a falling out over a trivial remark. Wright did not appear for a 8 month period as the house was finished and Jacob acted as his own general contractor. Wright did reappear during the finishing stage, had a walk thru and never said a word about some of the minor changes the Jacobes had done. The final cost of the house was estimated was around 20,000 in 1948 dollars (about $195,000 in 2014 dollars), with that "Jacobs got what he paid for, an artistic stone and glass solar house by America's foremost architect".
Street address: 3995 Shawn Trail Madison, WI
County / Borough / Parish: Dane
Year listed: 1974
Historic (Areas of) Significance: Architecture/Engineering
Periods of significance: 1925-1949
Historic function: Domestic
Current function: Domestic
Privately owned?: yes
Primary Web Site: [Web Link]
Secondary Website 1: [Web Link]
National Historic Landmark Link: [Web Link]
Season start / Season finish: Not listed
Hours of operation: Not listed
Secondary Website 2: Not listed
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