 Koile House in 1957 Image Courtesy of Parker Hirtle  Koile House in 1957 Image Courtesy of Parker Hirtle  Koile House in 1957 Image Courtesy of Parker Hirtle  Koile House in 1957 Image Courtesy of Parker Hirtle  Koile House in 1957 Image Courtesy of Parker Hirtle  Koile House in 1957 Image Courtesy of Parker Hirtle  | The influence of Frank Lloyd Wright on twentieth century architecture cannot be overstated, especially when it comes to residential design. His Prairie School designs of the early 1900s, long and low to the ground, can be seen as precursors to the Ranch style. In the mid-1930s Wright began to explore the small, single family home with a series of buildings he called “Usonian Houses.” While Wright did not design any buildings in Vermont, his Usonian designs and concepts inspired the house at 62 Fairmount Street in Burlington. Built in 1957 by architect Parker Hirtle for the Koile family, it was a remarkably progressive project considering that Wright himself was designing similar houses at the time of his death in 1959. Viewed from the street, the Koile House reveals very little about itself. The flat roof emphasizes the horizontality of the structure and is built on two levels, with the main roof covering the majority of the house and a smaller roof over the kitchen and living room, where the ceiling is raised to allow for clerestory windows. The front door is placed perpendicular to the street under a projecting roof overhang, making the entire house seem very closed and tight. This privacy was one of the trademarks of the Usonian house, achieved by orienting the house not towards the street but rather towards the back yard and using this more secluded outdoor area as an extension of the interior living spaces. Hirtle also designed built-in furniture for the house, including a twelve-foot redwood sofa in the living room, a snack bar in the dining room, and shelving throughout the house. The doors and cabinets are mahogany, and the interior walls are a combination of redwood and sheetrock. The greatest change made to the house was the enclosure of the original carport on the north end to create a garage. Koile and Hirtle both readily acknowledge Wright’s influence, but the house is not a copy of a specific Usonian house. Although the Koile family was extremely pleased with the house, they lived in it less than one year before relocating to Texas. In what may be an indication of how far ahead of its time the Koile House was, it sat on the market for three years before the Koiles were able to find a buyer. References: Burlington Free Press, "Wide roof features Koile home on Fairmount St.", September 7, 1957. Earl A. Koile, "Modern Home for Sale", property information sheet, 1958. The present occupant of the Koile House has confirmed that the original materials and finishes are still intact. |
