Richard C. Smith House
Jefferson, United States
Exterior only
Visible from the street; the inside is private.
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The Richard C. Smith House in Jefferson, Wisconsin, is a small Usonian home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and built in 1950. It exemplifies Wright's diamond module form, featuring a one-story, lowercase "h"-shaped floor plan composed of interlocking diamond-shaped units that enclose a private terrace around a large existing oak tree. The north facade, facing the road, is built of coursed limestone left rough to evoke a natural outcropping and provide privacy, while the south side opens with numerous windows toward the terrace and golf course beyond. The diamond motif repeats throughout the design in roof eave details and bedroom drawers. Despite Wright's innovative approach—reportedly beginning with the existing oak and orienting the entire composition around it—the house proved problematic in practice: the flat roof leaked, temperature control was poor, and costs nearly doubled the architect's estimate. The structure is listed on both the National Register of Historic Places and the Wisconsin State Register of Historic Places.
Architect
- Built
- Type
- single-family detached home
- Materials
- limestone
- Heritage
- listed in the Wisconsin State Register of Historic Places, National Register of Historic Places listed place
- Place
- Jefferson, United States
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Location