Historic Name: |
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Common Name: |
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Style: |
Modern |
Neighborhood: |
Wallingford |
Built By: |
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Year Built: |
1955 |
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Significance |
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This house was erected in 1950-55 (the Assessor record indicates that the structure was complete in 1953; however, a second permit, issued to allow for an extended construction period was not closed until 1955). It was designed and built by the owner, Emil Sattler, who listed his address on the permit application as 2403 W. 59th Street. Sattler apparently was still living at the latter address when the second permit was issued in 1951.
The basement garage is an original component of the design.
This structure is significant as an intact and well-maintained example of post World War II vernacular modern. Although not the only, or even the best, example of this style in Wallingford, it is the easiest to observe and one of the least modified.
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Appearance |
This is a one-story concrete masonry unit (CMU) residence on a concrete foundation over a full basement. It is not clear if the CMU is structural or used only as cladding; the floor and roof structure are wood frame according to the Assessor’s record. The simple rectangular footprint, the hipped roof, the moderate overhangs and the enclosed soffits all are characteristics borrowed from simple prairie school bungalows; however, the choice of unfinished CMU as a cladding material, and the asymmetrically placed windows – some with wood frames and others with metal – identify the building as a post World War II Modern era structure
The entry door is located in the face of the façade at the north end of the east (street) elevation. The entry is approached from the sidewalk by two flights of steps that ascend along the northern edge of the driveway (which leads directly from the street to the overhead door that functions as the entry to the basement garage at the south end of the east elevation). More steps rise along the face of the building to the small concrete entry porch. This porch is not protected from the weather except by the roof overhang. A large window, serving the front room at the main level, is located at the south end of the east elevation. It is an undivided, fixed wood frame unit.
A similar unit is situated at the front end of the south elevation. The south-facing window acts with the east-facing unit mentioned above to form a corner window. The corner mullion is built of CMU. To the west of the corner window are two narrower and progressively shorted window openings; they are placed pragmatically to serve interior spaces. Like the corner windows at the southeast corner of the structure, their heads abut the soffit of the roof overhang that wraps the house.
At the basement level of the south elevation, three similar (but not identical) windows are placed high in the basement wall; the heads of the three windows are aligned, but the easternmost unit is somewhat taller than the other two. They appear to be equally spaced across the length of the basement level façade.
The north wall of the house is very simple. Near the front (east) end of the elevation, paired wood casements with metal muntins illuminate the space directly behind the front entry. Two horizontal muntins are placed near the top and bottom of each sash, and two vertical muntins near the two sides of each sash in the familiar craftsman pattern. Two wide but not very tall metal windows that appear to function as awning type units are located high in the wall to the west, one near the middle of the elevation and the other toward the west end.
A 12’ x 8’ patio was located near the south end of the west (back) elevation when the house was built, according to the Assessor’s survey completed in 1952; however, the back side of the house cannot be observed from the street and it is not known if the patio is still extant.
The CMU has been painted, an adjustment that would be considered relatively unimportant if the cladding were wood; however, because the aesthetic tenets of Modernism included a preference for materials left in their “natural” state, the painting of the CMU might be considered by some to represent a significant change. No other significant modifications are apparent. |
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