LOUIS KAHN

204 SUNRISE LANE

BUILT 1961

LOUIS I. KAHN, (1901-1974) said that his work as an architect is "the sum of all my works." The noted Yale professor Vincent Scully, an early champion of Kahn's work, wrote that Kahn was "gifted in every imaginable way, most of all as musician and painter." Kahn's greatness as an architect is a measure of the richness and quality of his gifts and experience.

The house he designed for Margaret Esherick, niece of sculptor Wharton Esherick, at 204 Sunrise Lane is one of few residential commissions that were actually built. His spirit and guiding hand touch those who live there. The size of the windows and their carefully considered placement fill the house with light that is choreographed by the time of day and the seasons.

Kahn described the many considerations that went into its design. "Beauty and logic" were two. They form a house that is clean, direct, and warm. The warmth is created, in part, by the richness and variety of the wood, within and without—in the cypress shutters, the teak bookcases, the oak wall in the living room, and the rough oak beam supporting the balcony.

The setting made its own contribution to its design. The house has two faces, which "suggest two different houses." The street side is private and the back opens to Pastorius Park.

Economy was an element, too, along with "the desires of the client." He added, "A building reaches excellence when the client knows what she wants, and the architect knows how to interpret it."

Shirley Hanson
Founding Member
Chestnut Hill Historical Society