Carlton D. Wall House
Encyclopedia
The Carlton D. Wall House is a Frank Lloyd Wright
designed home in Plymouth
, Michigan
. It is one of Wright's more elaborate Usonian homes. In 1941, recently married Mr. and Mrs. Carlton David Wall, who were Wright’s youngest clients, approached Wright to design a house for them after Carlton Wall studied Wright’s architecture in college.
Its form is a series of hexagons radiating from a central chimney or service core without any true right angles, with many different wings off it for a nursery, terrace, guest room and carport. The cypress and brick house came to be known as "Snowflake" because of the hexagonal patterns created by the diamond grid design. This was the first use of Wright’s modular diamond structure in Michigan, a technique he used elsewhere when incorporating a house into a hillside.
A massive brick retaining wall supports a dramatic terrace. Floor to ceiling windows, doors without mullion
s, and corner windows are used throughout the house. This brings the "outside in", which is the case in all Wright houses. From 1943-44, Milton Horn
collaborated with Wright on a wood relief mural for the house. In 1947, a 1000 square feet (92.9 m²) bedroom wing was added to accommodate the Walls' growing family. It is located to the west of the original house.
Snowflake was purchased by Tom Monaghan
(founder of Domino's Pizza
) in 1983, and it was used on a rotating basis by executives of his corporation. It was to be part of Mr. Monaghan's Frank Lloyd Wright Study Center. In the late 80s it was sold to the current owners who use it as their personal residence.
Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright was an American architect, interior designer, writer and educator, who designed more than 1,000 structures and completed 500 works. Wright believed in designing structures which were in harmony with humanity and its environment, a philosophy he called organic architecture...
designed home in Plymouth
Plymouth, Michigan
Plymouth is a city in Wayne County of the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 9,132 at the 2010 census. The City of Plymouth is an enclave completely surrounded by Plymouth Charter Township, Michigan.-Geography:...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. It is one of Wright's more elaborate Usonian homes. In 1941, recently married Mr. and Mrs. Carlton David Wall, who were Wright’s youngest clients, approached Wright to design a house for them after Carlton Wall studied Wright’s architecture in college.
Its form is a series of hexagons radiating from a central chimney or service core without any true right angles, with many different wings off it for a nursery, terrace, guest room and carport. The cypress and brick house came to be known as "Snowflake" because of the hexagonal patterns created by the diamond grid design. This was the first use of Wright’s modular diamond structure in Michigan, a technique he used elsewhere when incorporating a house into a hillside.
A massive brick retaining wall supports a dramatic terrace. Floor to ceiling windows, doors without mullion
Mullion
A mullion is a vertical structural element which divides adjacent window units. The primary purpose of the mullion is as a structural support to an arch or lintel above the window opening. Its secondary purpose may be as a rigid support to the glazing of the window...
s, and corner windows are used throughout the house. This brings the "outside in", which is the case in all Wright houses. From 1943-44, Milton Horn
Milton Horn
Milton Horn is a Russian American sculptor and artist known for work that, according to a 1957 citation of honor from the American Institute of Architects, demonstrated "the truth that architecture and sculpture are not two separate arts but, in the hands of sympathetic collaborators, one and the...
collaborated with Wright on a wood relief mural for the house. In 1947, a 1000 square feet (92.9 m²) bedroom wing was added to accommodate the Walls' growing family. It is located to the west of the original house.
Snowflake was purchased by Tom Monaghan
Tom Monaghan
Thomas Stephen "Tom" Monaghan is an entrepreneur and Catholic philanthropist and activist who founded Domino's Pizza in 1960. He owned the Detroit Tigers from 1983-1992....
(founder of Domino's Pizza
Domino's Pizza
Domino's Pizza, Inc. is an international pizza delivery corporation headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America. Founded in 1960, Domino's is the second-largest pizza chain in the United States and has over 9,000 corporate and franchised stores in 60 countries and all 50 U.S....
) in 1983, and it was used on a rotating basis by executives of his corporation. It was to be part of Mr. Monaghan's Frank Lloyd Wright Study Center. In the late 80s it was sold to the current owners who use it as their personal residence.
External links
- Carlton D. Wall House "SnowFlake" - Frank Lloyd Wright Designed Buildings on Waymarking.com
- Frank Lloyd Wright's Snowflake House
- BASEBALL OWNER BUYS WRIGHT HOUSE - New York Times
- Cranbrook Art Museum - Exhibitions - Modest to Mansion: Frank Lloyd Wright’s Houses in Detroit
- MI State Historic Preservation Objects
- Carl Wall House, "Snowflake": Plymouth, Michigan
- Not PC: Carl Wall House - Frank Lloyd Wright
- Wall House on michiganmodern.org