Samara, also known as the John E. Christian House, is a house designed by
Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright (June 8, 1867 – April 9, 1959) was an American architect, designer, writer, and educator. He designed more than 1,000 structures over a creative period of 70 years. Wright played a key role in the architectural movements o ...
located in
West Lafayette, Indiana
West Lafayette () is a city in Wabash Township, Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States, about northwest of the state capital of Indianapolis and southeast of Chicago. West Lafayette is directly across the Wabash River from its sister city, ...
. The home is an example of the
Usonian homes that Wright designed. Samara was built from 1954 to 1956 and was still occupied by the original owner, John E. Christian, until he died on July 12, 2015.
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History
In 1950 John and Kay Christian decided to build a home near
Purdue University
Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and money ...
where they both worked, John as a pharmaceutical chemistry professor and Kay as the social director for the university. After much discussion, they decided that Wright was the architect who suited the ideals for their home. Not knowing how to proceed, John phoned Wright directly at his office and was surprisingly able to speak directly to the famed architect. Over the next six years they worked together both with meetings in West Lafayette, Indiana and at
Taliesin
Taliesin ( , ; 6th century AD) was an early Brittonic poet of Sub-Roman Britain whose work has possibly survived in a Middle Welsh manuscript, the '' Book of Taliesin''. Taliesin was a renowned bard who is believed to have sung at the courts ...
, Wright's summer home in
Spring Green, Wisconsin. The home was named after the
samara
Samara ( rus, Сама́ра, p=sɐˈmarə), known from 1935 to 1991 as Kuybyshev (; ), is the largest city and administrative centre of Samara Oblast. The city is located at the confluence of the Volga and the Samara (Volga), Samara rivers, with ...
, which Wright spotted on the property during his first visit. He worked a stylized design of chevron-shaped leaves throughout the design of the home including the
clerestory
In architecture, a clerestory ( ; , also clearstory, clearstorey, or overstorey) is a high section of wall that contains windows above eye level. Its purpose is to admit light, fresh air, or both.
Historically, ''clerestory'' denoted an upper l ...
windows, dining chairs and the living room rug.
[ These designs, nicknamed The Winged Seed, are located on the perforated upper windows and were also used on the Bachman-Wilson Usonian home. The house was built to entertain the family's college students; the living room was designed for 50 people. It featured a long couch and room for sitting on the stairs.]
The Christian family maintains the home according to the exacting specifications of its architect. As in many of the homes he designed, Wright specified or designed the entire environment, including the furniture, linens and landscaping. The Christians were not initially able to purchase all of the specified custom details; however, they made an agreement with Wright to continue adding to the home as their budget allowed.[
The color palette of furniture and design details is brighter and more saturated than other examples of Wright's architecture. This was prompted by Kay Christian who requested brighter colors against Wright's wishes. Wright was finally convinced by his wife, Olgivanna Lloyd Wright, who insisted that she would help the Christians with the color design. The result was a palette of vibrant lime green, magenta, and purple combined with more subdued shades of orange, yellow, and beige (see image at left). The home was designated as a ]National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...
in 2015. The nomination form for the home provides a very detailed overview of the home with pictures and floor plans. It was featured in a mid-2015 exhibit at the Portsmouth Art and Cultural Center.
In 2020 $1 million in grants was acquired to make repairs.
See also
*List of Frank Lloyd Wright works
Frank Lloyd Wright designed over 425 houses, commercial buildings and other works.
"The 20th-Century Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright" is a UNESCO World Heritage Site consisting of a selection of eight buildings across the United States designe ...
*List of National Historic Landmarks in Indiana
National Historic Landmarks in Indiana represent Indiana's history from the Native American era to its early European settlers and motor racing. There are 43 National Historic Landmarks (NHLs) in the state, which are located in 23 of its 92 coun ...
References
* Storrer, William Allin. ''The Frank Lloyd Wright Companion''. University Of Chicago Press, 2006, (S.375)
External links
*
{{Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright buildings
National Register of Historic Places in Tippecanoe County, Indiana
Museums in Tippecanoe County, Indiana
Houses in Tippecanoe County, Indiana
Historic house museums in Indiana
National Historic Landmarks in Indiana
Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Indiana