Hanna House

Introduction

Text-to-speech Audio

Located on the Stanford University campus, the Hanna House was designed by famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Built in 1937, Hanna House (sometimes referred to as Honeycomb House) was constructed for long-time Stanford professor Paul Hanna and his wife Jean. The home is unique in the Wright pantheon due to its incorporation of hexagonal modules and non-rectangular design and is a designated National Historic Landmark. Unfortunately, it is only open to the public for tours on Sundays.

Images

One of many views of Hanna House.

Waterfall on the grounds of Hanna House.

Dining room within Hanna House.

Interior view of Hanna House.

Another view of the living space within the Hanna House. Notice the hexagonal floor pattern.

Backstory and Context

Text-to-speech Audio

Hanna House, initially, was a Usonian design, but its numerous expansions over the 25 years after it was built priced it beyond the means of middle-class Americans. When designed, it was estimated to cost $15,000 but cost overruns shot the final price to $37,000 and the house grew as the Hanna family did. The family occupied the house until 1975, when it was donated to the university. It has remained in their possession since.

The Hanna House is built primarily of native redwood and San Jose concrete, brick and glass. In fact, there is no paint present in the house as all exposed surfaces are comprised of those four materials. Wright, as he usually did, blurred the lines between interior and exterior spaces. Built on 1.5 acres, the single-story house features numerous tile terraces, built-in furnishings, an open floor plan and a central clerestory. In addition to the main house, there is also a guest house, hobby shop, storage building, double garage, carport, breezeway, and garden house with small pools and a cascading waterfall present on the grounds.

The house was the home to four provosts until it was badly damaged in the Loma Prieta Earthquake of 1989. It then went through a decade long restoration effort and reopened in 1999. Stanford permits three, hour long tours every Sunday. However, those tours are booked months in advance.

Sources

"About The Hanna House." Hanna House. Accessed June 11, 2017. https://hannahousetours.stanford.edu/?p=about.

Txakeeyang, Lindsey. "Stanford’s Hanna House a little-known architectural gem." The Stanford Daily, February 11, 2013. http://www.stanforddaily.com/2013/02/11/stanfords-hanna-house-a-little-known-architectural-gem/.

Feuer, Margaret. "Hanna-Honeycomb House 1936." Palo Alto Stanford Heritage. October 1, 2013. Accessed July 13, 2017. http://www.pastheritage.org/Articles/HannaHH.html

Quinan, Jack. "The Paul and Jean Hanna House, Stanford, California." The Weekly Wright-Up. November 30, 2013. Accessed July 13, 2017. http://wright-up.blogspot.com/2013/11/the-paul-and-jean-hanna-house-stanford.html