Week 2: Glass House Flashcards
What are the differences between post-war suburbs and earlier suburbs?
- houses were now named after developpers
- turnkey purchasing
- 4 bedrooms
- gendered expectations of work were BUILT IN to the home
Who determined the design and location of houses?
Children. Everything revolves around the child, where they go to school, where they play, etc.
Describe the layout and materials of the Eichler house.
structure/materials:
- prefabricated wooden structure on concrete slab
- interior walls are philipinne Mahoganny
- all easy to clean materials
- built-in appliances
- radiant heating from concrete floor
layout:
- multi-purpose room
- major rooms at the back of the house
- 2 car garage *** key indicator of a post war house
- fortress-like
What does the guest house represent in Philip Johnson’s glass house? When was the glass house built?
the guest house is key to Johnson’s private life. it was built in 1949.
discuss the farmsworth house.
Built by Mies van der Rohe. A mocking of the owner’s unmarried status. It was made only of steal and glass.
Who was Catherine Beecher?
Catherine Beecher was a domestic reformer. Her floor plan was revolutionary, as it placed a small kitchen near the center of the house, in comparison to previously large kitchen at the back of the house reserved for servants.
What is Frank Lloyd Wright’s Prairie House considered to be?
It is believed to be the first modern house, however it still has servant quarters.
How did architecture accommodate the new way of parenting in the 50s?
Architecture allowed moms to respond to the every move of their child.
In what respect did the modernist house function as a victorian house?
Drawn curtains could create opaque walls. A separate dining and kitchen area could be created.
What was the purpose of the living rooms in the modernist house?
It had a purely symbolic purpose. You were not allowed to go in it.
How were houses, specifically kitchens, represented on TV?
Homes always had and open plan, but the kitchens were separated by a swinging door.
In what respect was the modernist house a gendered space?
- the “master” bedroom, a place of grooming and pimping for women
- the backyard as the man’s kitchen
Describe the Victorian suburban house.
- it has BIG kitchen accessible by servants
- the front is inviting (compared to the post-war house), since there is no space for a car
Describe a suburban house of the 1920s.
- they were often bungalows (the roof extended past the porch)
- the kitchen was part of the core of the house, not in the back
- there were no servants
- there was no more parlor
What are the two spaces associated with women in the suburban house?
The kitchen and the bedroom. They represent the virgin and the tramp.
- The kitchen symbolizes the virgin; it is a space in which the woman as depicted as being excited by domestic work.
- The bedroom symbolizes the tramp, it is a space in which the woman is seen as aesthetic.
