Quintin Blair House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Quintin Blair House
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 Location in Wyoming
Location in the United States
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| Location | 5588 Greybull Hwy., Cody, Wyoming |
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| Built | 1952 |
| Architect | Frank Lloyd Wright |
| Architectural style | Modern Movement |
| NRHP reference No. | 91000998 |
| Added to NRHP | September 27, 1991 |
The Quintin Blair House in Cody, Wyoming is a special home. It was designed by a very famous architect named Frank Lloyd Wright. The house was built between 1952 and 1953. This house shows Wright's idea of a "natural house." This means the building was made to blend in with the land around it. It is the only building Wright designed in the entire state of Wyoming.
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Who Was Frank Lloyd Wright?
Frank Lloyd Wright was an American architect. He is known for designing many unique buildings. He believed that buildings should be in harmony with nature. He called this idea "organic architecture." Wright designed homes, offices, churches, and schools. Many of his buildings are now famous landmarks.
How the Blairs Met Wright
The story of the Quintin Blair House began with Ruth Taggart Blair. She was a student at the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts in the 1930s. Her teacher, Bruce Goff, took the class to visit Taliesin. This was Wright's home and studio in Spring Green, Wisconsin. There, Ruth met Frank Lloyd Wright for the first time.
Years later, in 1951, Ruth and her husband, Quintin Blair, were visiting Arizona. Ruth suggested they visit Taliesin West. This was Wright's winter home in Arizona. Wright himself met them in the driveway. He invited them to stay for lunch. During lunch, Wright said he wanted to design a house for them. He had no buildings in Wyoming yet. Wright suggested the Blairs buy land away from the city. He preferred designing homes that were not on small city lots. The house was finished in 1953.
Unique Features of the House
The Quintin Blair House is built using a special plan. It is laid out on a 4-foot by 4-foot grid. This means everything in the house is based on these measurements. The house has a low, almost flat roof. This roof spreads out a lot over the living room.
Glass Walls and Special Windows
The living room is very bright. Three of its walls are made of glass from floor to ceiling. The windows have "mitered corners." This means the glass meets at an angle without a visible support. It makes it look like the glass itself bends around the corner. A small, triangle-shaped area sticks out from the glass wall. This space was designed for a piano. This was a common idea in Wright's designs.
Building Materials
The outside walls of the house are mostly made of local stone. This stone is called ashlar sandstone. It was taken from nearby quarries. Using local materials helped the house blend into its surroundings.
The Surrounding Nature
The house sits on a large piece of land. It is about 40 acres in size. A small creek runs about 15 feet below the house. There are also natural springs near the house. These springs have been blocked by a wall. This wall lines up with the angled wall of the piano area. This creates a small pond near the house. The house has been changed and made a bit bigger over time. These changes were made with advice from Taliesin, Wright's design school.
Historic Recognition
The Quintin Blair House is an important building. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1991. This means it is recognized as a place important to American history.
More Information
- Storrer, William Allin. The Frank Lloyd Wright Companion. University Of Chicago Press, 2006, ISBN: 0-226-77621-2 (S.351)
- Photographs of the Quintin Blair House at the National Park Service's NRHP database
