usonia subdivision

Tuesday, March 23, 2010 Usonia - Close to Home

A friend of mine contacted me the other day to tell me that her childhood home had burned to the ground. Although it was no longer owned by her family, she was stricken with grief. The house had been commissioned by her parents in the late 1940s and designed by a young Frank Lloyd Wright protĂŠgĂŠ, David Henken, on land in Pleasantville, New York, about 40 miles north of New York City. The community, Usonia, was planned by Wright in the late 40s and contains 3 homes designed by Wright which are excellent examples of his architecture of that time.

Above and Top Podell House, David Henken, 1959. My friend, Stephie, spent her childhood in the house that her parents built. Sadly, all that remains is the foundation and chimney.

Even from my perspective as a kid, 40 years ago, Usonia had a mysterious presence in our neighborhood. I grew up just down the street from one of its nondescript entry points (there were three), and the contrast to our own neighborhood of contractor-built homes with wide stretches of treeless lawns was stark. Usonia’s lowroofed homes gave very little away as one navigated the dark, winding streets barely wide enough for two cars to pass. They tended to open up in back, in the typically south-facing glass facades, and blended into and grew out of the landscape following Wright’s notion of “organic” architecture. The materials used to build the modest homes (small by today’s standards) were wood and local stone (in some cases right from the site), many following Wright’s idea of the “pollywog” design: a utilitarian bedroom wing, to be added to as necessary, attached to the more generous “public” portion of the house. Many of the homes – there are 47 in all – were designed by Henken and architect Aaron Resnick, both of whom lived in the community.

Together with the Wright homes, this unified the look of Usonia and gave it a distinctive character.

But what set Usonia apart, as much as its architecture and landscaping, was its community spirit. To be honest, it was a little intimidating to me growing up (and not just because my dentist had his home-office there – was his first name really Icy?) They had built the community themselves, and even after 25 years, there was a sense of pride and love that was completely missing in my neighborhood. There was also a common bond of background: the creators who purchased the plot of 97 acres had moved up from Manhattan; they were young and liberal and cherished the sense of a communal, almost utopian lifestyle. (The original homes were cooperatively owned but that gave way to private ownership when they couldn’t get bank loans to build new homes.)

I no longer have friends who live in Usonia and I don't know if that same sense of community exists today. There have been many additions and expansions of the homes since those pioneer days of the 40s and 50s, and many of the houses have been sold to a new influx of those escaping Manhattan. I'd like to find out if the local pool and tennis courts still exist, if Usonians still celebrate the Fourth of July together as they used to. I would expect that some of the traditions will have faded.

And yet, looking back, I understand why, so many years later and no longer a resident, my friend is so sad about losing her childhood home, even when it’s hard for me to have any connection at all to the house that I grew up in. She no longer lives there, but she is still a part and holds the spirit of that original, pioneering community. * It makes me wonder, could one create something like that today? Can that spirit translate and gain traction in today’s insular society?

I will be blogging more on Usonia, NY, expanding on the notions of sustainability and environmentalism that were the hallmarks of this community established over 60 years ago.

I encourage those of you familiar with Usonia – or other such communities throughout the US – to contribute your comments to the blog.

Stuart

Friedman House, FLW 1948 The development of the circular geometry of this house culminated in the Guggenheim in New York City.

Serlin House, FLW 1949 Although this house is the least progressively geometric of the three, the simplicity of the overlapping forms is understated and masterful.

Reisley House, FLW 1951 Wright's use of the equilateral triangle is carried through all aspects of the house, down to the furniture and light fixtures. Of course.

Usonia, Pleasantville, NY Note the neighboring treeless lots to the west. The community I grew up in is just to the north, and not quite as barren.

Posted by Stuart at 4:26 PM 3 comments Labels: usonia, wright