Henry F. Miller House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Henry F. Miller House
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 Location in Connecticut
Location in the United States
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| Location | 30 Derby St., Orange, Connecticut |
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| Built | 1949 |
| Architect | Henry F. Miller (Anthony Concelmo, builder) |
| Architectural style | International Style |
| NRHP reference No. | 01000399 |
| Added to NRHP | April 25, 2001 |
The Henry F. Miller House is a special home in Orange, Connecticut. It was designed in a style called the International Style. Henry F. Miller, who was studying architecture at Yale School of Architecture, designed and built it in 1948-1949. It was his big project for his Master's degree!
This house was one of the first modern homes in the area. It was even called "The House of Tomorrow" in the New Haven Register newspaper. After it was finished, about 25,000 people paid a small fee to visit it. This money helped raise funds for the New Haven Boy's Club. The house was also featured in House Beautiful magazine.
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What Makes This House Special?
The Henry F. Miller House shows many features of the International Style. This style was adapted for family homes in the suburbs. It has an open layout with walls that can be moved. It also has a flat roof and lots of glass windows. The house includes many modern conveniences. It was carefully planned to fit its location on a hillside. This style avoids fancy decorations.
Connecticut has many International Style houses. One of the most famous is the Glass House by Philip Johnson. The International Style started in Europe. It used new building technology. It also had a simple, machine-made look. After World War II, this style sometimes used natural materials. It also included some local features.
The Story Behind the House
Henry F. Miller was a student at Yale. He decided to design a modern house for his final project. After it was built, Miller and his wife lived there. As their family grew, they added more rooms in 1959. These new parts, like a master bedroom and playroom, matched the original style perfectly.
The Miller house helped spread modern architecture. Yale was a top school for this new style. Its teachers and students made the New Haven area a center for modern design.
House Beautiful magazine wrote about the Miller house. They called it part of "the New American Style." The article talked about how the house was affordable and used new technology. It also showed how hard it was to convince people to try modern architecture. It said:
The American Dream: — as much luxury as possible — for as little money as possible. Like all
dreams, this one won't come true by just wishing. You have to do what this Connecticut family did — work at it. They parked their prejudices, studied all the advanced techniques in home building, and applied them. Result: 2,152 sq ft (199.9 m2). of luxury for $25,000.
In 1985, the Miller house was part of an art show. It was at the Yale School of Architecture. The show featured buildings designed by former students. The Miller house was the oldest work in the show.
Key Features of International Style
The Henry F. Miller House has many features of the International Style. These include:
- Post and beam frame: This means the walls don't hold up the roof. This allows for big glass windows.
- Lots of glass: The house has large windows and glass doors. This makes the inside bright and airy. It also connects the inside to the outdoors.
- Simple, geometric shapes: The house uses clean, basic shapes. It also has a flat roof.
- Unique layout: The main living areas are on the lower floor. This takes advantage of the hillside. It also allows easy access to outdoor patios. The bathroom is split into three parts. This lets more than one person use it at once.
- Blends with nature: The house is built on a small part of the lot. It sits on the edge of a hill. Living spaces open to outdoor decks. Large windows connect the inside and outside. Fences hide the carport and service areas. Existing plants were saved. New landscaping blends with the surroundings.
- Smart climate design: Windows face south. This lets sunlight in during winter. But it blocks sun in the summer. North-facing walls are solid. This protects from winter winds. Windows and doors allow air to flow through. The roof can hold water in summer. This helps cool the house.
- Plenty of storage: The house has many smart storage solutions. This includes shallow shelves in the kitchen. It also has movable storage walls. These walls have drawers and hanging space. They can also divide rooms.
- New technology: It has a built-in watering system for indoor plants. There's an intercom from the kitchen to the front door. You can even open the front door from upstairs! The lower floor has heating in the floor. This means no bulky radiators.
- Clean look: The house feels open and spacious. This is because of the large windows and open layout. The staircase is also open and light. There are no fancy moldings or decorations.
About Henry F. Miller
Henry F. Miller was born in 1916 in South Dartmouth, Massachusetts. He grew up in New York City. He went to Yale University. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1938. He also worked on the campus humor magazine. After serving in the Army during World War II, he returned to Yale. He earned a Bachelor of Architecture degree in 1948.
Miller taught at Yale for a year. Then he joined an architecture firm. His firm worked on many projects. These included schools, public buildings, and businesses. In 1974, Miller started working for Yale University. He helped plan their buildings. He retired in 1990.
Henry F. Miller became a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects in 1972. He became very interested in saving old buildings. He worked on committees for historic preservation. He was also on the boards of several historical and preservation groups.
