Dorothy H. Turkel House, Frank Lloyd Wright residential design in Palmer Woods, Detroit, United States.
The Dorothy H. Turkel House is a two-story Frank Lloyd Wright residence in Detroit covering about 4,300 square feet. It features a music room with tall ceilings, numerous pierced concrete blocks in varied patterns throughout, and includes multiple bedrooms plus a study.
Built in 1956, the house marked a shift in Wright's approach to his Usonian Automatic designs. It stands as the only two-story example of this building type ever constructed and remains Wright's sole surviving structure within Detroit city limits.
The home reflects Wright's belief in connecting indoor and outdoor spaces through open layouts and natural materials. Visitors can see how the pierced concrete blocks filter light throughout the rooms in a thoughtful way.
Visitors can explore the garden and surrounding grounds through guided tours that provide access to the house. It is helpful to check tour schedules in advance to ensure access during your visit.
The house employs 36 different patterns of pierced concrete blocks that Wright designed specifically for this project. This variety of patterns was an experimental technique that Wright did not pursue as intensively in his later Usonian designs.
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