William Palmer Residence, Prairie School residence in Ann Arbor, United States
The William Palmer Residence is a single-family home in Ann Arbor built on triangular geometric principles across approximately 2,000 square feet. Its structure uses Tidewater Red Cypress and distinctive brick materials, with an open floor plan that eliminates traditional room divisions.
This residence was created in 1950 after its owners, an economics professor and his wife, visited another similar home and sought a comparable design. The project represents a key moment when this particular architectural philosophy gained residential application in the Midwest.
The residence demonstrates how indoor and outdoor spaces merge through its open floor plan, a defining feature of this architectural approach. Visitors notice how the design encourages movement between rooms and the surrounding landscape.
The property sits near Nichols Arboretum and within walking distance of the University of Michigan campus. Visitors can combine this stop with other nearby attractions and explore the surrounding neighborhood on foot.
The residence contains no right angles anywhere in its structure, instead relying on equilateral triangles as a consistent design principle throughout. This geometric consistency even extends to unexpected features like shower spaces and planting beds.
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