The Maynard Buehler House in Orinda,

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

is a

Usonian 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 planning of ...

home 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 ...

in 1948 for Katherine Z. "Katie" and Maynard P. Buehler. Since 2016 the house has been used as a venue for weddings, after being featured in ''Vogue'' magazine.

Description

Architecture

Much of the Maynard Buehler House is steel frame with redwood panel cladding; other portions are

concrete block A concrete masonry unit (CMU) is a standard-size rectangular block used in building construction. CMUs are some of the most versatile building products available because of the wide variety of appearances that can be achieved using them. Tho ...

. Like many Usonian homes, the house has a distinct flat roof line,

carport A carport is a covered structure used to offer limited protection to vehicles, primarily cars, from rain and snow. The structure can either be free standing or attached to a wall. Unlike most structures, a carport does not have four walls, and us ...

underfloor heating Underfloor heating and cooling is a form of central heating and cooling that achieves indoor climate control for thermal comfort using hydronic or electrical heating elements embedded in a floor. Heating is achieved by conduction, radiation and ...

, and is organized on a modular grid system on an L-shaped plan. The carport is cantilevered to the extreme engineering capacity. A prop was put at the corner during construction to prevent sagging. The roof was built two inches too high at that corner and when the prop was removed the roof settled right down to the proper level. This was a trademark of Wright: to take engineering to the extreme. The long leg of the L houses a wing with three bedrooms, and a small workshop. At the hinge, a small kitchen with wood cabinets and a dark countertop served the family. The more public spaces – a living room, den, and dining room – are arranged at an oblique angle to the main wing. The octagonal living room opens onto a dramatic space, with a shed roof soaring over it. The sloped ceiling has a large rectangular gold leaf inset that reflects the natural light. The hallway leading to the bedrooms is of redwood batten, as are the walls in the bathroom. The kitchen, with its wood cabinets and dark counter top, is conveniently nestled near the center of the house. The smaller wing was designed to accommodate Mr. Buehler's need for a home office and machine shop for his firearm accessories business. He was known for machining the highest-quality mounts, bases, and rings for

rifle scopes A telescopic sight, commonly called a scope informally, is an optical sighting device based on a refracting telescope. It is equipped with some form of a referencing pattern – known as a ''reticle'' – mounted in a focally appropriate po ...

. The house also has a small basement, with openable lookout windows.

Furnishings

Wright designed a number of pieces of furniture for the house. They include a dining room set with the backs of the chairs that intentionally do not rise above the tabletop so as not to impede the view of the garden. The wooden dining table consists of triangular pieces that can be moved around and more pieces added to create a large setting for

Thanksgiving Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in the United States, Canada, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Philippines. It is also observed in the Netherlander town of Leiden ...

and other holiday feasts. The living room has a built-in bench along the perimeter. Manuel Sandoval, who made the cabinetry and furniture for the V. C. Morris Gift Shop, also crafted the Buehler pieces.

Setting

The buildings are on of land transversed by a small stream, with two footbridges. The main house is surrounded with Japanese style gardens and a waterfall, designed by Henry Matsutani. There is an expansive lawn area that sprawls away from the main living area, with a guest house just below the main house, and there is a ceremonial Japanese tea house or '' chashitsu'' at the farthest reach of the property. Maynard filled in the patio swimming pool to create a Koi and water plants pond, including a biological filtering system. The house 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 ...

on December 12, 2006.

References

External links

Orinda Historical Society Newsletter

OHP Listed Resources: BUEHLER, MAYNARD AND KATHARINE, HOUSE

Buehler house - Frank Lloyd Wright Designed Buildings on Waymarking.com

frank lloyd wright buehler house, orinda, california - a set on Flickr

* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20110904070849/http://www.arcaid.co.uk/search.php?inc=quickSearch&search=9684- Photos on Arcaid
Virtual Tour of Maynard Buehler House by Frank Lloyd Wright
{{DEFAULTSORT:Buehler House Frank Lloyd Wright buildings Houses in Contra Costa County, California Orinda, California Houses completed in 1949 Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in California National Register of Historic Places in Contra Costa County, California History of Contra Costa County, California 1949 establishments in California 1940s architecture in the United States Modernist architecture in California