The Zimmerman House is a

house museum A historic house museum is a house of historic significance that has been transformed into a museum. Historic furnishings may be displayed in a way that reflects their original placement and usage in a home. Historic house museums are held to a v ...

in the North End neighborhood of

Manchester, New Hampshire Manchester is a city in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. It is the most populous city in New Hampshire. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 115,644. Manchester is, along with Nashua, one of two seats of New Hamp ...

. Built in 1951, it is the first of two houses in New Hampshire 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 ...

(the other is the

Toufic H. Kalil House The Toufic H. Kalil House is a house museum in the North End neighborhood of Manchester, New Hampshire, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1955. The Usonian Automatic design of this house allowed Wright to meet the requirements of Dr. Toufic and ...

, built in 1955 on the same street), and one of a modest number of Wright designs in the northeastern United States. The house was built for Dr. Isadore Zimmerman and his wife Lucille. The house is now owned by the

Currier Museum of Art The Currier Museum of Art is an art museum in Manchester, New Hampshire, in the United States. It features European and American paintings, decorative arts, photographs and sculpture. The permanent collection includes works by Picasso, Matisse, Mon ...

because of the Zimmermans' decision to donate the home to the public after their death. The museum provides tours of the building, which is the only legal access to the grounds. It was listed on 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 ...

in 1979.

Description and history

The Zimmerman House is located in a residential setting in northern Manchester, New Hampshire. It is a single-story structure, set on a floating concrete slab. It is organized around a large L-shaped central chimney, and covered by a deeply overhanging roof. The rooms are arranged in a single line, except with an open carport at one end. The interior is largely finished in cypress wood. The house was designed in 1950 by Frank Lloyd Wright in his

Usonia Usonia () is a word that was used by American architect Frank Lloyd Wright to refer to the United States in general (in preference to ''America''), and more specifically to his vision for the landscape of the country, including the urban plannin ...

n style for Dr. Isadore and Lucille Zimmerman. It has two bedrooms, is based on a four-foot module, and is constructed of red glazed brick with Georgia cypress trim (less expensive than tidewater cypress). John Geiger, then an apprentice in Wright's

Taliesin Fellowship The School of Architecture is a private architecture school in Paradise Valley, Arizona. It was founded in 1986 as an accredited school by surviving members of the Taliesin Fellowship. The school offers a Master of Architecture program that focus ...

, was sent to New Hampshire to supervise the construction of the Zimmerman house. He was responsible for the completion of the project and much of its final changes for the clients. Wright redesigned the house around a rock just outside the front entrance. Wright's design extended to include the interior furniture and furnishings. This includes a musical quartet stand, as well as the mailbox. Wright also specified the plantings for the garden. The property was maintained by the Zimmermans according to Wright's plan, and was donated to the

in 1988. The museum offers tours of the property with shuttle service to the house, in order to minimize traffic in the residential neighborhood. No other access to the property is permitted.

References

* Storrer, William Allin. ''The Frank Lloyd Wright Companion''. University Of Chicago Press, 2006, (S.333)

External links

The Zimmerman House on the Currier Museum WebsiteThe Zimmerman House in the book ''New Hampshire Architecture''
by Bryant Franklin Tolles
Zimmerman House - Manchester, NH - Frank Lloyd Wright Designed Buildings on Waymarking.com
{{Frank Lloyd Wright Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in New Hampshire Frank Lloyd Wright buildings Historic house museums in New Hampshire Museums in Manchester, New Hampshire Houses in Manchester, New Hampshire National Register of Historic Places in Manchester, New Hampshire

Description and history

See also

References

External links