Walter Rudin House
Encyclopedia
The Walter Rudin House is a Frank Lloyd Wright
-designed Marshall Erdman
prefab building located at 110 Marinette Trail, Madison
, Wisconsin
. Designed in 1957, it is the first of the only two examples of the second type (known as Prefab #2) of the Marshall Erdman Prefab Houses
. This house and the James McBean Residence
have the same floor plan and vary only in minor details such as paint color and siting. Construction was completed in June, 1959 and the house was sold to UW-Madison mathematicians Walter
and Mary Ellen Rudin
.
The house has a large, square 2-story living room which is lit by a wall of windows. Also on the first floor are the dining area, kitchen, entry hall, utility room, and the master bedroom. A large concrete block fireplace separates the kitchen and living room. A stairway leads to a balcony and three second-story bedrooms. Unusual for a Wright-designed house, it has a full basement.
The house is constructed from concrete block with horizontal board and batten
siding. A row of windows just below the soffit
make the chunky flat cantilevered
roof appear to float above the house. A carport attached to one corner of the house completes the design.
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 Marshall Erdman
Marshall Erdman
Marshall Erdman was a Lithuanian-American builder and colleague of Frank Lloyd Wright.-Early life:Erdman was born Mausas Erdmanas on September 29, 1922, in Tverai, Lithuania...
prefab building located at 110 Marinette Trail, Madison
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
, Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
. Designed in 1957, it is the first of the only two examples of the second type (known as Prefab #2) of the Marshall Erdman Prefab Houses
Marshall Erdman Prefab Houses
Throughout his career, Frank Lloyd Wright was interested in mass production of housing. In 1954, he discovered that Marshall Erdman, who contracted the First Unitarian Society of Madison, was selling modest prefabricated homes...
. This house and the James McBean Residence
James McBean Residence
The James McBean Residence is a house in Rochester, Minnesota designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. This Usonian house is an example of the second type of the Marshall Erdman Prefab Houses. This house and the Walter Rudin House have the same floor plan and vary only in minor details such as paint color...
have the same floor plan and vary only in minor details such as paint color and siting. Construction was completed in June, 1959 and the house was sold to UW-Madison mathematicians Walter
Walter Rudin
Walter Rudin was an American mathematician, for most of his career a Professor of Mathematics at the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
and Mary Ellen Rudin
Mary Ellen Rudin
Mary Ellen Rudin is an American mathematician.Born Mary Ellen Estill, she attended the University of Texas, completing her B.A. in 1944 and her Ph.D. in 1949, under Robert Lee Moore. In 1953, she married the mathematician Walter Rudin. Following her mentor Moore, her research centers on point-set...
.
The house has a large, square 2-story living room which is lit by a wall of windows. Also on the first floor are the dining area, kitchen, entry hall, utility room, and the master bedroom. A large concrete block fireplace separates the kitchen and living room. A stairway leads to a balcony and three second-story bedrooms. Unusual for a Wright-designed house, it has a full basement.
The house is constructed from concrete block with horizontal board and batten
Batten
A batten is a thin strip of solid material, typically made from wood, plastic or metal. Battens are used in building construction and various other fields as both structural and purely cosmetic elements...
siding. A row of windows just below the soffit
Soffit
Soffit , in architecture, describes the underside of any construction element...
make the chunky flat cantilevered
Cantilever
A cantilever is a beam anchored at only one end. The beam carries the load to the support where it is resisted by moment and shear stress. Cantilever construction allows for overhanging structures without external bracing. Cantilevers can also be constructed with trusses or slabs.This is in...
roof appear to float above the house. A carport attached to one corner of the house completes the design.