Double Hyperbolic Paraboloid House - Lawrence, Kansas - U.S. National Register of Historic Places on Waymarking.com

The Double Hyperbolic Paraboloid House (named for its unique roof shape) resides on a corner lot in the Centennial Neighborhood south of the University of Kansas. The address is 934 West 21st Street Lawrence, Kansas. It is truly a unique home. The current owner summed it up prior to her purchase; "it's a work of art and we get to live in it." It has been a flash point for discussion since 1956 when Dr. Donald Dean decided to construct the home for his primary residence demonstrating the economic feasibility of such a home. Standing at the northeast corner of the lot looking at the house it appears as a huge ship cutting through the suburban Lawrence landscape.

The south-facing house is located at the northeast corner of 21st Street and Alabama approximately 1 mile south of the University of Kansas in the post World War II-Centennial Neighborhood. The homes that surround the residence are predominately ranch style homes.

The home is a one-story residence 40' x 80' on a concrete slab. The rooflines are dramatic; soaring towards the sky 25 feet and swooping down to 3 feet where three concrete pillars support the curvaceous paraboloid roof. The roof can be described as a rectangle twisted so it has six corners, three resting on supporting piers and three flaring up and out. The home was thought to be one of the first homes in the United States to utilize a wooden lattice hyperbolic paraboloid roof. The wood for the roof is 1' x 8' Douglas fir. The boards form two perpendicular layers. No rafters were used. The entire roof is suspended by box beam timbers supported by the concrete pillars. Originally, rigid foam glass insulation sprayed with a plastic roofing material protected the lattice structure. The original roof covering was replaced with tar and asphalt; subsequently in the late 1980s due to moisture problems the roof was covered with rolled rubber. The same rolled rubber roof is now keeping the house structurally sound with regular maintenance.

The exterior walls are constructed of haydite block (concrete blocks) and were laid after the roof was constructed resting on the 3 concrete pillars. There are large panes of glass on the south, northwest and northeast corners of the house that provide abundant natural sunlight. The northeast corner has a sliding glass door that creates a beautiful transparency between the interior and exterior.