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THE GREAT INDOORS: Peeping a Frank Lloyd Wright Suntop Home in Ardmore
Few people get to live in their dream home. We often sacrifice luxury, style and invention for practicality ... and budget. But not Jim Gee. He didn't have to. On New Years Eve 2000, he and his wife moved into a Suntop Home, a hidden gem courtesy of Frank Lloyd Wright.
THE GREAT INDOORS: Peeping a Frank Lloyd Wright Suntop Home in Ardmore
Reporter Meg Augustin takes you inside some of Philly's most fab dwellings to showcase our city's unique grasp on design and architecture.
Few people get to live in their dream home. We often sacrifice luxury, style and invention for practicality … and budget. But not Jim Gee. He didn’t have to. On New Years Eve 2000, he and his wife moved into a Suntop Home, a 1,628-square-feet hidden gem built by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1939. Certainly the most renowned American architect, Wright’s designs were some of the first to present open, modern living with a focus on linking design to nature. This is as evident in the Suntop homes as it is in Falling Water. The group of Ardmore homes was Wright’s vision of affordable housing. Wright didn’t skimp here, though. His signature Prairie designs are highly evident in the home. The living room features a two story window that lets light from the garden flood in, the dining room and fireplace are cantilevered, a “hanging” effect that is pure Wright, and the home sports a open roof deck that gives it its name.
Unlike Falling Water, the lineup of Chicago mansions or Wright’s own home in Arizona, the Suntop Homes are affordable and on the market (this one's going for $429,000). So when the opportunity to own and live in a Frank Lloyd Wright home appeared to Gee in 1999, he grabbed it. It’s a rarity that someone gets to live in a Frank Lloyd Wright home, so few people could tell Gee what to expect. Would it be mesmerizing? Would it be odd to live in a work of art? According to Gee, it was a little bit of both, and more. When Gee and his wife first walked through the home he notes, “the house [was] enveloped in this beautiful glow — a consequence of the special interior lighting combined with the brick and wood building materials and large window spans of glass.” That glow sold them and never faded.
Many of Wright’s homes counter wide, light-filled spaces with dark, cozy corners, which could cause some to feel claustrophobic. However, the wood and brick materials and generous built-in nooks makes this home more cozy then claustrophobic. And yet, the house felt expansive despite the warm, cozy feel. “Most people visiting the house discover, as we have, that another brilliant element of its design is how spacious the house feels in spite of its small footprint.”
And a lot of people did visit the home. One aspect of being the owner of such an iconic building is that you need to be ready for visitors. Design enthusiasts the world over may come knocking on your door, looking for a tour. For Gee, this was a welcome compliment. During his time in the home, strangers and friends were always welcome. His favorite memory of the home was his son’s first birthday party. A band set up against the sprawling glass in the living room while the dining room sported a grand buffet. Over 100 people comfortably filled the space, mingled and enjoyed the home’s welcoming aesthetic. The magical party is still talked about today. The perfect entertaining venue, the wide spaces are the ideal party atmosphere while the cozy corners offer intimate socializing.
As one might expect, there is a stewardship role to owning the home. The year Gee moved in, several other Suntop homes were also scooped up by young families. An instant bond was made, further fused by community dinners. The dinners soon served as a time to share maintenance tips and homeownership tales. As with owning any old home, issues such as leaky roofs and gusty windows were always popping up. Unlike most homes, though, a proud Suntop owner can’t simply go to Home Depot to buy a new window or door. Owning a piece of Frank Lloyd Wright history can be custodial, preserving the original design and vision of the homes. Of course every homeowner takes this role differently. Gee renovated his balcony and roof deck in keeping with the original materials and design — an attempt that earned him a preservation award. Other owners have painstakingly rebuilt the concrete floors to original specifications while others still have simply reworked the garden view.
However, Gee pointed out that in the end, his home was a home like any other. It was the home he brought his first child to, it was the home he came to every night and made dinner in, it was a home filled with memories just like any other. So while living in a Frank Lloyd Wright creation may seem out of this world, for Gee and his family, the Suntop home was still a home — just with a little more style.
(megan.augustin@citypaper.net)
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