About 35 minutes northwest of Boston in the town of Lincoln, Massachusetts stands the eye-catching former home of Bauhaus founder Walter Gropius. The 2,400-square-foot, four-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bath Gropius House, one of Historic New England’s house museums, is open for tours year round.
Gropius House, 68 Baker Bridge Road, Lincoln, Mass.
The bold, modern façade of the house is an unexpected sight on the unassuming residential road that leads to the deCordova Sculpture Park & Museum and Walden Pond. The striking rectangular structure sits on an expansive grassy hill and features a flat roof, a dramatically angled entrance marquee, ribbon windows, a wall of glass blocks, and an exterior spiral staircase.
After Gropius was recruited to teach architecture at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design, he, his wife Ise - a designer, and their 12-year-old daughter Ati, moved to the U.S. in 1937. Philanthropist and art patron Helen Storrow (wife of prominent banker James, after whom Storrow Drive in Boston is named) generously gave Gropius four acres of land she owned in Lincoln plus a $20,000 loan for him to build a family home. According to the knowledgeable tour guide, a $20,000 budget could have built four houses at that time. The Gropius House was completed in 1938.
The Gropius' office and side-by-side desks designed by Marcel Breuer
Ise's desk and Olivetti typewriter
Gropius combined New England architectural details such as wood siding, a stone foundation, and a brick chimney with Bauhaus design elements such as glass blocks, steel columns, and factory-made items. Another characteristic New England feature he included was clapboard, used in an innovative way—installed vertically on interior walls—to display works given to him by his many artist friends, including Joan Mirò, Diego Rivera, and Lazlo Moholy-Nagy. The house is outfitted with furniture designed by Marcel Breuer that the family brought with them from Germany.
The living room and Ise's favorite chair, the Isokon long chair (left), designed by Marcel Breuer
The living room with wood and chrome side tables by Marcel Breuer, a Womb Chair by Eero Saarinen, a pair of butterfly stools by Sori Yanagi, and an artwork by Lazlo Moholy-Nagy above the fireplace
The dining room; the office is on the opposite side of the glass block wall
Featuring a simple color palette of white, grays, and earth tones, with accents of red, the beautiful yet practical home was designed to be as efficient as possible. The open yet compact layout included no “corridors and [no] wasted space,” according to the Gropius House catalogue. Walter and Ise’s office served as their workspace as well as a hallway to the living room. The galley kitchen and bathrooms were equipped with the latest technology and fixtures, including a garbage disposal and dishwasher. The hallway featured acoustical plaster and cork tiles for sound proofing. “Passive solar gain in winter, projecting overhangs to ward off summer heat, and clever management of convection and drafts for good air circulation” also made the home energy efficient—a design concept well ahead of its time.
For Ati, Gropius designed a spacious bedroom with its own private entrance via the exterior spiral staircase which led to a large porch where she could “sleep under the stars,” according to the tour guide.
The pantry with a view of the front entryway and spiral staircase with chrome banisters
The dishwasher in the pantry
The galley kitchen
A gift from Joan Mirò hangs on vertically-installed clapboard in the entryway
After Walter passed away in Boston in 1969, Ise worked to preserve the home in all its '60s glory as part of the Gropius' legacy. She passed away in nearby Lexington, Massachusetts in 1983. The sleek, elegant, livable home has stood the test of time and continues to provide design inspiration for visitors.
The master bedroom. One of Ise's Marimekko dresses lies on the bed.
The master bathroom
The dressing room adjacent to the master bedroom
Ati's room
The guest bathroom
The spiral staircase seen from the second floor with chrome banisters and a custom-made tubular steel rail
Western façade of Gropius House with outdoor shower (on black wall) and view of screened porch
If you are unable to visit Germany to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Bauhaus, a visit to the Gropius House, where the school's founder lived for more than 30 years, makes for a great alternative.
Gropius House, 68 Baker Bridge Road, Lincoln, Massachusetts
Thank you for these great photos.
Posted by: name | 07/08/2022 at 09:24 AM