Hiss Residence, Modernist residence in Sarasota, United States.

The Hiss Residence is a modernist house in Sarasota featuring glass walls, vaulted interior heights, and a latticed roof structure covering the main living areas. Louvered windows and shading devices throughout the design work together to manage air circulation and heat in the subtropical environment.

Philip Hanson Hiss III commissioned Paul Rudolph in 1952 to design a model home for his Lido Shores development on a spit of land between St. Armands Key and Longboat Key. Completed in 1953, the house drew several thousand visitors within weeks and more than 25,000 in its first year. Hurricane Alma tore off the pergola roof in 1966; private owners later restored the house to its 1953 condition, and it was listed on the National Register in 2019.

The house was nicknamed the Umbrella House for the latticed parasol roof that shades the house, patio and pool. Within weeks of its 1953 completion several thousand people had toured it, and more than twenty-five thousand visited in the first year. Architecture Sarasota keeps it open to the public through lectures and tours.

The property has multiple levels and transitions between interior and exterior spaces that invite closer exploration. Understanding how windows and shading were positioned will help you appreciate the design choices as you move through the rooms.

A towering latticed roof structure 17 feet (5 m) high covers both the house and swimming pool, effectively extending the living space outdoors. This bold feature demonstrates how Rudolph completely reimagined the boundary between interior and exterior zones.