Broadacre City

Frank Lloyd Wright

and his vision for the urban future

American System-Built Houses

by Franz Sdoutz

'American System-Built Houses' [American System-Built Homes, ASBH, American Ready-Cut prefabricated housing, American Ready-Cut System, American System Ready-Cut, American Ready-Cut System Houses] 1911 - 1917 V.), Frank Lloyd Wright …

» I do not want any mistake made about this new "System". These buildings are not in any sense the ready cut buildings we have all heard of where a little package of material is sold to be stuck together in any fashion. The American System-Built House is not a ready cut house, but a house built by an organization, systematized in such a way that the result is guaranteed the fellow that buys the house.
[…]
I do not want to lose sight of the central idea of using the machine and all modern industrialism to produce beauty. […] Simply selling houses at less cost means nothing at all to me. To sell beautiful houses at less cost means everything. […] « I.) 1

Frank Lloyd Wright designed different housing units A.) for real-estate developer Arthur L. Richards, using a system of industrially manufactured and trimmed elements B.) assembled on site in order to reduce costs. C.) Small homes were advertised from $2.750, larger ones for up to $10.000 ($100.000). D.) Some E.) units have remained. The enterprise failed however. F.)

So far consent; further detail depends on the expert respectively.

1. ^ The scale of the enterprise:
   Richard Cleary (2009) writes: » Wright produced designs for approximately three dozen residences […] (for which he planned 138 types) « II.) 2
   Allin Storrer notices on his website in 2009: » The ASBH drawings alone count nearly a thousand. «
   According to Kamps/Das (in 1991) 966 drawings for 38 different designs of System-Built Houses are catalogued in the Taliesin archives. VIII.)
   Anthony Alofsin counts some 800 drawings in 1993 [page 343, note 57],
   and Bruce Brooks Pfeiffer reckons » [o]ver 900 drawings « in 2011. X.) 8
   […]
2. ^ The system's engineering:
   Colin Davies (2005) identifies Wright's system as a 'balloon frame' construction.
   The MoMA specifies (2002) » wood framing, floors, joists, rafters, roofs, and trim « as its pre-cut parts.
   » Building components, including precut lumber, doors, and windows would be sent to the jobsite from a mill and warehouse in Milwaukee. The business plan had much in common with other mail-order-house enterprises of the time […] « II.) 2
   A ready-cut Sears home came in approx. 30.000 pieces - counting each and every nail … [IKEA concept] youtube.com [2007]
   
   Details are referred to: Kenneth Martin Kao 'Frank Lloyd Wright: Experiments in the Art of Building' published in Modulus 22, the Architectural Review at the University of Virginia 1993 [page 79-90] http://www.savewright.org/
   
3. ^ Its assembly:
   Customers of a Sears kit-home would have saved 1/3 (even 40%) the price compared to a traditionally built house mainly due to the in-necessity of skilled labour. The houses could be assembled in a DIY fashion. [Possibly my rather than] Wright's ideal for the 'proliferation' of Broadacre City and common practice in his "Organic Architecture" a few years later. III.) 3
   
   But as Wright himself emphasised I.) 1 his system-homes were to be assembled by local builders and contractors stressing quality and depending on skilled craftsmen to implement their beauty.
4. ^ Costs:
   … are simply [… even artfully I.) 7] avoided
   
   In 1918 the Sears most expensive 'Carlton' cost $4.875, the "Magnolia" $4.485 IV.) ( » Honor Built, already cut and fitted « ). "The Saranac" ( » Standard Built, not cut or fitted « ) was sold for $390.
   
   According to William Allin Storrer [2002] - referring to an announcement in the Chicago Sunday Tribune, March 4th, 1917 - small homes were offered from $2.750 to $3.500, larger ones from $5.000 to $100.000. [!] V.) 4 I.) 7
   
   This price range is either misprint or the true reason why the project never took of in the first place. Even at $10.000 (as quoted by Christopher A. Meyers XI.) 5 from the same advertisement XII.) ) the System Built House would have been (compared to its competitors) an up market product, not the low cost housing scheme for which it is generally perceived.
   
   Richard Cleary acknowledges: » The premise of the American System-Built Houses was to offer middle-class home buyers the opportunity to build customized homes with guarantees of price and quality. « II.) 2
5. ^ Their number:
   Those 6 buildings in W. Burnham St., Milwaukee.
   According to Michael Lilek speculative investments intended to be sold of immediately, VII.) not show-case-houses demonstrating the system to potential customers (as one was previously led to believe), which would explain why 2720-2734 W. Burnham St. are [were] identical.
   
   And at least 9 other (remaining Houses) are listed. V.)
   
   There is a re-count:
   "Mysterious 29" ASBH have been [re]discovered in 2008.
   http://www.franklloydwrightinfo.com/
   http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/
   http://www.prairiemod.com/
   http://my.journaltimes.com/
6. ^ The end:
   Most sources identify the United States participation in World War I (from April 1917 until November 1918) as the primary (economic) cause for the projects closure.
   
   Some explain the 'abandonment' of the project with Wright's other endeavours (Imperial Hotel) and a difficult phase in Wrights live. VI.) 6
   
   And there is the lawsuit between Wright and Richards in 1917 as an indicator… VII.)

The 'American System-Built Homes' by Frank Lloyd Wright on West Burnham Street in Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53215 USA E.)

Geoposition:
+43° 0' 37.47", -87° 56' 55.23"
http://maps.live.com/
All 6 buildings are situated next to each other!


'Arthur L. Richards Duplex Apartments' 1916
in 2720-22, 2724-26, 2728-30 and 2732-34 West Burnham Street

'Arthur L. Richards American System-Built Homes Bungalow' 1915
in 1835 South Layton Boulevard

'Arthur L. Richards Small House' [for $1835 compare D.) ] V.) 4 1915
in 2714 West Burnham Street

[Numbers are consistent with most sources, see also http://wrightinmilwaukee.org/.]

References

1. IN: 'Frank Lloyd Wright: Essential Texts' edited by Robert Twombly, published by W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. NY 2009
   
   'The American System of House Building' [page 181 - 185]
   » This excerpt from Wright's "recent" speech to an unidentified gathering of Chicago businessmen (most likely realtors) was published in the Western Architect, 24 (September 1916). «
   
   1 a [page 183] [page 185]
   First part very similar online: www.chameyer.net, www.appraisercitywide.com
   7 [page 181] » […] the least expensive advertised in the Chicago Tribune in 1917 for $2,730. « see also XI.) 5
2. IN: 'Frank Lloyd Wright: From Within Outward' published on the occasion of the exhibition 'Frank Lloyd Wright: From Within Outward' at the Guggenheim Museum NY 2009, by Skira Rizzoli Publications Inc. 2009
   http://www.books-by-isbn.com/
   
   'Frank Lloyd Wright and the Romance of the Master Builder' by Richard Cleary [page 47 - 57]
   
   2 ^ a b [page 50] Emphasising » a degree of customization, unmatched by the competition. «
3. 'Frank Lloyd Wright's Usonian Houses: Designs for Moderate Cost One-Family Homes' by John Sergeant, published by Watson-Guptill Publications / New York, 1984 Paperback Edition (First published 1976 in New York, by Whitney Library of Design) http://books.google.at/
   
   3 [page 138 onwards]
4. ^ Prices quoted from: 'Houses from Books Treatises, Pattern Books, and Catalogs in American Architecture, 1738-1950 : A History and Guide' by Daniel Drake Reiff, published by Penn State Press, 2000) http://books.google.de/ [page 192]
   
   Compare prices and architecture with the Sears Archive: www.searsarchives.com
5. ^ a b 'The architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright: a complete catalog' by William Allin Storrer, Frank Lloyd Wright, published by University of Chicago Press, 2002 http://books.google.at/
   
   'AMERICAN SYSTEM-BUILT HOMES' [page 198 - 210]
   
   4 a » As early as 1911, Wright was designing his American System Ready-Cut structures with "prefabricated" construction integral to their concept. […] « [page 198]
   » Arthur L. Richards Small House (1915) […] Its cost of $1835 may be compared with that of $15,000 for the Bogk […] home. […] « [page 200]
   » […] The project was announced in the Chicago Sunday Tribune, March 4, 1917, offering small homes from $2,750 to $3,500 and larger ones from $5,000 to $100,000 (advertising copy and brochures were written by novelist Sherwood Anderson). […] « [page 201]
   » The Oscar A. Johnson house in Evanston […] all included in a total cost not to exceed $4,000. […] « [page 207]
6. 'Frank Lloyd Wright: His Life and His Architecture' by Robert C. Twombly, published by Wiley-IEEE, 1979 http://books.google.de/
   
   6 [page 174]
7. ^ a b 'The American System-Built Homes in Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Frank Lloyd Wright's earliest system of low-cost housing' by Michael Lilek, 2005 http://www.wrightinmilwaukee.org/
8. ^ a b Historic American Buildings Survey, National Park Service, Survey No. WI-326, School of Architecture University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee, drawn by: James Kamps, [Shapna Das, Brian Milnick, Todd Ovard, …], entered in 1991 [1991 Charles E. Peterson Prize Competition] http://memory.loc.gov/
   
   Img. 02 Retracing of 1506.143 see also X.) Abb. _02 [from promotional materials] of 'Arthur L. Richards Duplex Apartments' 2720 West Burnham Street [sheet 1 of 4 sheets]
9. Img. 01 Web images: see also X.) Abb. _01
   
   Left and right image are likely taken from:
   Frank Lloyd Wright: American System Built Houses - 1999, Pomegranate Publishers
   www.steinerag.com
   architecture.about.com
   
   Centre and right image are likely taken from:
   Frank Lloyd Wright: American System-Built Houses - 1994, Published by the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA), New York
   www.steinerag.com 2
   www.fba.fh-darmstadt.de 2
10. 'Frank Lloyd Wright 1885-1916: The Complete Works' [Volume 1] by Bruce Brooks Pfeiffer, edited by Peter Gössel, published by Taschen 2011
    http://www.taschen.com/
    
    'Arthur L. Richards, American System-Built Houses', dated 1915, realised in » [s]everal Midwest locations « [pages 483 to 493, showing drawings of: VII A, 'urban house', D101, C3, A231, J902, D1, B1, J401, J400, E3 …]
    
    8 » Over 900 drawings were prepared, from preliminary sketches to presentation drawings and construction documents. […] There are approximately 81 presentation drawings, including illustrations printed by means of wood blocks, while the working drawings, rendered in black ink on tracing linen, number 816 sheets. « [page 483]
    
    Abb. 01 Model J902 [page 490], Model C3 [page 489] see also IX.) Abb. _01
    
    Abb. 02 Retracing of 1506.143 » TWO FLAT DWELLING VII A « [page 483] see also VIII.) Abb. _02
11. » Gary - "America's Magic Industrial City" « website [probably] by Christopher A. Meyers, [at least] online since 1st of March 2000 [according to …]
    
    As http://www.chameyer.net/ never bothered to answer any of my emails, I've got no lead that Christopher A. Meyers [Director of the Department of Planning + Development in the City of Gary] actually is he author of that website, apart from other sites … relating the topic to him as well. So, if you feel discredited, complain right here.
    
    5 a '600 Fillmore Street' » A.S.B. designs were sold at a "guaranteed" or fixed price which included labor and materials. Prices ranged, as described in a Chicago Tribune ad from March 1917, "for small homes from $2,730 to $3,500 (and for) larger homes $5,000 to $10,000." « [http://www.chameyer.net/frame8665.html]
12. ^ IN: 'Chicago Sunday Tribune'
    
    Advertisement September 17, 1916 http://www.loc.gov/
    Project announcement ?, March 4, 1917
    'YOU CAN OWN AN AMERICAN HOME', July 8, 1917

Links

• Varying descriptions
  books.google.at
  books.google.com
  www.chameyer.net
  http://www.wrightinmilwaukee.org/
  www.franklloydwrightinfo.com
  http://www.city.milwaukee.gov/ (PDF)
  http://www.wrightinmilwaukee.org/ (PDF 'Model B1')
• Drawings
  http://www.loc.gov/ [A4 A231 B1 C3 D1 D101 E3 J400 J401 J902 …]
  www.moma.org [D101 E03 J902 A221 (A243 view A241 A242 A343 variations from one plan) B23 (C3 view isometric interior)]
  www.npl.org
  news.webshots.com 2 3 [A101 C3 interior]
  www.chameyer.net 2 3 […] [D101 D1]
  www.1art1.de
  www.american-architecture.info
  http://www.scalarchives.it/ [D101 C3 E3 B23 A243 A221 J902]
  http://sdrdesign.com/ 2 3 […]
  http://www.baunetz.de/ [D1]
  http://www.loc.gov/
• Images
  http://contentdm.unl.edu/ (database-images)
  www.bluffton.edu
  www.prairiestyles.com
  myweb.msoe.edu […]
  www.wisconsinhistory.org
  www.galenfrysinger.com
  prairiemod.typepad.com 2
  http://wrightinmilwaukee.org/ 2 3 4 5 6
• Video
  http://www.youtube.com/ (B1) 2
• Model
  http://ps.theport.com/ 2 […]
• Forum
  http://www.savewright.org/
• Context (the Ready-Cut Industry)
  www.oldhousejournal.com (Sears)
  www.searsarchives.com (Sears)
  http://books.google.de/ (Sears)
  www.amazon.com (Sears)
  www.inspectapedia.com Video www.oldhouseweb.com (Sears)
  articles.latimes.com (Pacific)
  www.amazon.com (Pacific)
  http://clarke.cmich.edu/ (Aladdin) PDF [1917 Catalog]

more Broadacre

• 'Broadacre City' model
  Illustrations 002, 003, 004, 005, 006, 007 for 'The Living City'
• Related housing schemes:
  Quadruple Block Plan; Cloverleaf Quadruple Housing; American System-Built Houses; Willey House; Usonia; Galesburg Country Homes; Parkwyn Village; Usonia II;
• Featured architecture:
  Huntington Hartford Play Resort; Gordon Strong Automobile Objective; Rogers Lacy Hotel

File Log

• Preliminary version ...
• Outlining Broadacre City became necessary in the course of my urban diploma project 16/3 in 1999. Published online the same year in German, this 'preliminary' English translation became available in 2007.
• All links to http://contentdm.unl.edu/ [University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries] have been updated (25.11.2008).
• Links to http://www.mcah.columbia.edu/ [Columbia University in the City of New York] added (2.8.2009)
• All dates according to source [!]. Wikipedia and 'The Complete Works' by Bruce Brooks Pfeiffer accomplish a certain 'conventionalisation', superseding conflicting 'chronologies' supported by [prior] publications of the time.