Building 51 | Building 51 | largely intact c. 1923 exterior samuel freeman house cast concrete patterned textile block with a strongly geometric design – frank lloyd wright, architect
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largely intact c. 1923 exterior samuel freeman house cast concrete patterned textile block with a strongly geometric design – frank lloyd wright, architect

51-14242-12

Category

Frank Lloyd Wright

About This Item

remarkable c. 1923 samuel freeman patterned cast concrete exterior residential textile block designed by architect frank lloyd wright. the strongly geometric textile block contains a unique combination of design elements used at the imperial hotel and midway gardens. the pattern consists of recessed planes, dynamic diagonality and rendering to indicate planar depth and angle. the block exhibits surface wear from prolonged exposure to the elements. rust deposits along the edges of the panel were caused by the web of steel rods used to bolster the structural integrity of the panel assembly. the samuel freeman house is one of the four textile-block houses designed by architect frank lloyd wright for the hollywood hills in 1920’s. the freeman house has been described as the clearest expression of the design rationale which underlies wright’s development of the textile block construction system: a new technology and architectural vocabulary for the southwest. the project was supervised by lloyd wright, who also did wokring on the drawings and landscaping. student r.m. schindler designed the furniture. the freeman house is among wright’s most interesting and small residences; the living room has been called by several writers one of his best rooms. placing the house in context, it marks a major transition in wright’s work and plays a clear role in the development of modern architecture in southern california. the freemans celebrated their house as one of the centers of avant-garde artistic and political activity in los angeles from the 1920’s virtually until the 1980’s. harriet freeman arranged the gift of the house to the school of architecture at the university of southern california so as to protect and preserve a national landmark. the freeman house came into the possession of the school of architecture in 1986. the house was badly damaged by the northridge earthquake in 1994. the home is undergoing a major restoration.