Usonia Historic District (Tour) - Clio

Entries on This Tour

1. Reisley House (Usonia Historic District)

The Reisley House was designed for Roland Reisley and his wife Ronny by Frank Lloyd Wright, who at the time of the home’s construction was in his mid-eighties. Begun in 1951, the custom home was move-in ready in 1952. The Reisley House contains a number of design elements of architectural significance including: a complex roof framing covered in dentilated fascia that overhangs the carport, a cantilevered extension of the living space, and an extensive rectangular stone fireplace. The interior remians almost completely original and exemplifies the Usonian traditions of using natural materials, using very few right angles and bringing elements of the outdoors inside. The Reisley House is part of the Usonia Historic District, which was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2012.

2. David Henken House (Usonia Historic District)

David Henken (1915-1987) was the principal founder of the Usonia community of homes in Pleasantville, New York. It was Henken's vision to create the Usonia cooperative in Westchester County, NY, and it was he who solicited Frank Lloyd Wright's participation in the project. The home Henken designed for himself and his wife, Prescila, was completed in 1949 and features extensive floor to ceiling fenestration, clerestory windows, and roof pergolas. In the very early 1980s, Henken made additions to the house, including a bedroom wing, more living space, and a lap pool. The Henken House is included in the Usonia Historic District, which was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2012.

3. Aaron Resnick House (Usonia Historic District)

The architect and structural engineer Aaron Resnick (1914-1986) designed twelve houses in the Usonia Historic District, including the custom home for he and his wife Mildred on Bayberry Drive. The Resnicks moved into their Usonia homein 1949, the first home in the cooperative to be occupied. The south side of the Resnick House was positioned to “greet the sunshine” with large walls of windows and expansive spaces allocated for dining, reading, and entertaining. The northern side is built into a steeply sloping hill and contains primarily storage and sleeping space. The Resnick House is included in the Usonia Historic District, which was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2012.

4. Lurie House (Usonia Historic District)

Japanese-American architect Kaneji Domoto (1912-2002) designed five of the forty-seven homes in the Usonia Historic District in Pleasantville, New York, between 1948 and 1955. The first home Domoto worked on was the Lurie House, constructed 1949-1950. The Lurie House was part of Domoto’s experimentation with “Japanese” motifs that emphasized low-cost construction, landscape design, and environmental responsiveness. It is a one-story L-shaped residence, constructed of concrete, horizontal cypress siding, and fieldstone, and includes a large fieldstone chimney. The Lurie House is included in the Usonia Historic District, which was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2012.

5. Watts House (Usonia Historic District)

The Watts House is one of two homes in the Usonia Historic District in Pleasantville, NY, designed by architects Paul Schweikher and Winston Elting, partners in the firm Schweiker & Elting, Architects, from 1945-1953. The other Usonia home designed by the duo is the Lew House. Completed in 1949, the Watts House possesses many of the quintessential Usonian design features found elsewhere in the community, including concrete slab, horizontal cypress siding, and a massive brick chimney. The one-story, long rectilinear residence is built into a hillside, exposing its lower-level garage, and allowing for a large, wrap-around porch. Originally cantilevered, it is presently supported by iron poles. Stairs on the north elevation provide access from the driveway to the main level. The Usonia Historic District, which includes the Watts House, was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2012.

This Tour is a Virtual Museum or Site Tour.

Usonia Historic District

Created by Westchester County Historical Society on October 20th 2021, 2:55:39 pm.

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Description

The Usonia Historic District is a neighborhood community in Pleasantville, NY, populated entirely by nature-inspired, Contemporary (also referred to as Mid-century Modern) homes. Almost all the houses were designed or approved by renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright or by his former students and acolytes. The district encompasses ninety-seven acres and includes forty-six contributing features, built between 1949 and 1964. The original site plan for the Usonia community was designed by Wright himself and later slightly revised by David Henken with Wright’s approval. The majority of the homes in the Usonia Historic District rest on concrete slabs and were designed with massive masonry chimneys, natural brick, flat roofs with overhanging eaves, radiant heating, and open floor plans with separated bedroom wings. Originally a cooperative community with a shared mortgage among the residents, all of the building lots were transferred in 1955 from cooperative to private ownership. The Usonia Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2012.

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