The Berger House, located in San Anselmo, California, was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright for Robert and Gloria Berger. In the early 1950s, mechanical engineer, Robert Berger, then a teacher at the College of Marin, decided to build a family home. He did not like the conventional “boxy” plans of the period and one day told his wife, Gloria, “I’m going to ask Frank Lloyd Wright to design it.”
Shortly thereafter, he wrote Wright a letter asking him to design a home which was expandable, inexpensive and easy for one person to build. Wright wrote back requesting photographs and a topographical map of the site.
The Korean War interrupted Berger’s plans but he had the opportunity to meet Wright in Wisconsin after a stint with the Army on the East Coast. Berger told Wright he could afford no more than $1500 for the architectural fee and a maximum of $15,000 for the home’s construction. Wright agreed to these terms and in January of 1953, sent Berger the preliminary drawings.
Construction began the following April under the guidance of Wright’s San Francisco Associate, Aaron Green. It was a slow and arduous process, contingent on the Bergers’ finances. Mrs. Berger remembers it as a difficult time; “I remember being broke and surrounded by tools and sawdust.”
By 1957 the core living area was complete and the couple and their four children were able to move in. Two years later, the bedroom wing was finished. Throughout this period, Berger did most of the work himself. The final details took much longer, particularly after Berger fell ill in 1969. When he died in 1973, Gloria Berger hired a professional carpenter to finish the job, including the construction of the Wright-designed furniture. Today the Berger House stands as a monument to Robert Berger’s many years of hard work and Frank Lloyd Wright’s magnificent design.
Building Materials
The house is built of stone, glass, wood and concrete, complementing the colors and shapes of the surrounding landscape and exemplifying Wright’s concept of organic architecture. The windows frame views of the Fairfax and San Anselmo hills and a triangular deck juts off the main living area.
According to Mrs. Berger, the house is easy to maintain and living in it is “like living in a work of art”.
Images of the Robert & Gloria Berger House
These interior and exterior views of the Berger House were taken by Scot Zimmerman and copyright resides with him. For permission to use or reproduce them, please contact the photographer at: scotzman@sprynet.com
To view an image, please click on the thumbnails below:
