Mr. and Mrs. Feodor Pitcairn House

Mr. and Mrs. Feodor Pitcairn House

For the Pitcairns’ house, Richard Neutra balanced family and entertaining spaces, including both residential and more commercial elements. The Pitcairns, a well-to-do family who belonged to a religious society, intended to host large gatherings for their community in the home. The divide between private and public spaces is delineated on the facade, where a more domestic left side is juxtaposed with a composition of windows on the right. Located in Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania, in the midst of a thick wooded region, the two-story house is clad in quarried stone and cedar siding to engage with nature. The stone, selected for its large quantities of ferrous oxide and quartz, was held together without mortar while the wood was treated with a creosote bleaching oil. A rustic wooden balcony with flower boxes is held by triangular, wooden supports. Also outside, a Terrazzo sunken bath is located adjacent to the garden, and a heating system made winter bathing a possibility. Inside, the home features one of the largest residential aquariums with a minimalist design of unbroken glass framed in brushed stainless steel. The space is also enlivened with a sculptural staircase of cantilevered treads floating from a plastered frame which is doubled in the mirrored wall behind it. Family areas include built-in cabinetry in both the living room and the kitchen, which opens into a large playroom.

Adapted from Neutra – Complete Works by Barbara Lamprecht (Taschen, 2000), p. 421.