Philip M. and Deborah N. Isaacson House

Philip M. and Deborah N. Isaacson House
Location 2 Benson St., Lewiston, Maine
Coordinates 44°6′30″N 70°12′25″W / 44.10833°N 70.20694°W / 44.10833; -70.20694Coordinates: 44°6′30″N 70°12′25″W / 44.10833°N 70.20694°W / 44.10833; -70.20694
Built 1959 (1959)
Architect Bruck, F. Frederick
Architectural style Mid-Century Modern
NRHP Reference #

11000816

[1]
Added to NRHP November 18, 2011

The Isaacson House is a historic house at 2 Benson Street in Lewiston, Maine. Built in 1959 for Philip M. Isaacson, a local lawyer, it is a distinctive regional example of modest Mid-Century Modern residential architecture, that drew nationwide notice in architectural circles after its construction. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2011.[1]

Description and history

The Isaacson House stands in a residential area west of the Bates College campus and north of downtown Lewiston, on the west side of Benson Street. It is a single-story square structure with a flat roof, and is set further back from the street than neighboring houses. A central stone walkway approaches the house, which is set on a terraced rise accessed via floating stone steps. The exterior is finished in vertical siding, and features floor-to-ceiling windows with white trim. At the center of the front facade is a doorway-sized opening leading into a courtyard, which functions as a transitional space between the outside and inside. The main block of the house is divided into rooms three wide and three deep. Interior finish details include custom millwork and hardware.[2][3]

The house was built in 1959 for Philip M. Isaacson, a young lawyer and Lewiston native. Isaacson had become interested in modern architecture while studying law at Harvard Law School, and initially approached Josep Lluís Sert with a proposition to design a small year-round house that could be built for $25,000. Sert rejected his proposal, and Isaacson eventually commissioned F. Frederick Bruck, a young architect trained at the Bauhaus-influenced Harvard Graduate School of Design for the job. The house that Bruck designed ended up costing $32,000. Even the smallest details of interior finishes were included in his design.[3] The house was named one of America's outstanding homes by the American Institute of Architects.[4]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 National Park Service (2007-01-23). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  2. ↑ "Post-World War II Residential Architecture in Maine" (PDF). State of Maine. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
  3. 1 2 "A Fine Vintage". Dwell.com. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
  4. ↑ Keyes, Bob (June 20, 2013). "Philip Isaacson, iconic Maine arts critic, dies at 89". Portland Press-Herald.
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