Josephine M. Hagerty House

Cohasset, United States

Exterior only

Visible from the street; the inside is private.

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Built in 1938 in Cohasset, Massachusetts, the Josephine M. Hagerty House marks a milestone in American architectural history: it was the first building designed by Bauhaus architect Walter Gropius and his partner Marcel Breuer in the United States. Situated on a rocky point overlooking Massachusetts Bay, the International Style residence features an L-shaped plan combining a single-story north–south wing with a three-story section extending westward. The structure rests on a foundation of locally gathered fieldstone, with parts supported by lally columns, while its exterior employs vertical board siding punctuated by expansive floor-to-ceiling and banded plate glass windows that embrace the coastal landscape. A projecting sundeck extends eastward from the south side. Now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the house has undergone successive modifications by later owners, including the enclosure of its original deck and various window and material replacements.