The Paul Schweikher House and Studio at 645 S. Meacham Road in

Schaumburg Schaumburg is a district (''Landkreis'') of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is bounded by (clockwise from the north) the districts of Nienburg, Hanover and Hamelin-Pyrmont, and the state of North Rhine-Westphalia (districts of Lippe and Minden-Lübbe ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

is the former home and studio of architect

Paul Schweikher Robert Paul Schweikher (1903–1997) was a mid-century modern architect from Denver, Colorado. Biography Paul Schweikher was born in Denver, Colorado in 1903 to a family of musicians. He originally trained at the University of Colorado for a ...

. The house, which was designed by Schweikher himself, was built in 1937–38. At the time, Schweikher had achieved prominence through an exhibition at the

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, and is often identified as one of ...

; he later chaired both the

Carnegie Mellon School of Architecture The Carnegie Mellon School of Architecture in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is a degree-granting institution, one of five divisions of Carnegie Mellon University's College of Fine Arts. It succeeds the Department of Architecture founded by Henry Ho ...

and the

Yale School of Architecture The Yale School of Architecture (YSOA) is one of the constituent professional schools of Yale University, and is generally considered to be one of the best architecture schools in the United States. The School awards the degrees of Master of Arc ...

and received numerous awards for his work. The house's design blends several of the styles which Schweikher worked in throughout his career, with elements of

Prairie School Prairie School is a late 19th- and early 20th-century architectural style, most common in the Midwestern United States. The style is usually marked by horizontal lines, flat or hipped roofs with broad overhanging eaves, windows grouped in ...

International International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

, and vernacular architecture. The one-story house was built with wood, brick, and glass; the simple materials and low roof helped match the house to its natural environment, a landscape designed by Franz Lipp. The inside of the T-shaped house is divided into sleeping, working, and living areas; the working area, which included Schweikher's studio, is physically separate and connected to the main house by a

breezeway A breezeway is an architectural feature similar to a hallway that allows the passage of a breeze between structures to accommodate high winds, allow aeration, or provide aesthetic design variation. It is a pedestrian walkway because it is intende ...

. The home's design was praised by contemporary architects, including

Ralph Rapson Ralph Rapson (September 13, 1914 – March 29, 2008) was Head of the School of Architecture at the University of Minnesota for 30 years. He was one of the world's oldest practicing architects at his death at age 93, and also one of the most ...

, William Metcalf, and

Bertrand Goldberg Bertrand Goldberg (July 17, 1913 – October 8, 1997) was an American architect and industrial designer, best known for the Marina City complex in Chicago, Illinois, the tallest reinforced concrete building in the world at the time of complet ...

. The house was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

on February 17, 1987. Schweikher House

References

Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Cook County, Illinois Houses completed in 1938 Prairie School architecture in Illinois International style architecture in Illinois Schaumburg, Illinois {{CookCountyIL-NRHP-stub