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An attempt to increase single-family dwelling density in the suburbs, Suntop Homes was a series of Usonian homes gathered in a pinwheel plan. Four three-bedroom homes were to be placed on a single lot while maintaining individual unit privacy. These economical desires were jeopardized by Wright’s implementation of individual heating systems and garages for each unit, limiting the flexibility and potential expandability of the quadrant clusters.

“There is no economy of multiplication. The site plans are therefore typically unhierarchical: they are made up simply of equally spaced, identical buildings.”

— Darlene Levy. Reference: Roger Sherwood. Modern Housing Prototypes. p29-30.

The Creator's Words

“No man can build a building for another man who does not believe in him, who does not believe in what he believes in, and who has not chosen him because of his faith knowing what he can do. That is the nature of architect and client as I see it.

“Put yourself in my place; it’s such a responsibility, I assure you, to prepare these young men for the world they will enter when they leave college. If I emphasize the Modern too much, where will they find employment? Most of the architectural firms, and the largest ones, are still doing period or eclectic work. If I stress too much the period style, what will become of them if everyone does Modern tomorrow.”

— Frank Lloyd Wright. from John Sergeant. Frank Lloyd Wright’s Usonian Houses: The Case for Organic Architecture. p138, 139.

Details

152-158 Sutton Road
Ardmore, Pennsylvania 19003