Project Description

Built in 1948 for a young couple with three children, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Albert and Edith Adelman House is still inhabited by members of the Adelman family. The 2,600-square-foot Usonian home remained more or less unaltered until 2011, when the Kubala Washatko Architects was hired to do a comprehensive restoration. Acting as both architect and construction manager, the Cedarburg, Wis.–based firm replaced the home’s rotting wood-shake roof with water-resistant cedar shingles, installed a new epoxy-coated red concrete floor after removing the damaged original, and added an entry skylight—an unrealized part of Wright’s design. To update the mechanical systems, the architects dug new geothermal wells and integrated these with mini-split units hidden around the house. The master bathroom was reconfigured with the scrupulous care that is typical of the whole project. —Amanda Kolson Hurley www.residentialarchitect.com/project-gallery/albert-and-edith-adelman-residence-restaoration/