HomeMy WebLinkAboutmoon-hill-road_0034 AREA FORM NO.
FORM B - BUILDING R 536
MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION
294 WASHINGTON STREET, BOSTON, MA 02108
1 Lexington
gess 34 Moon Hill Road
.oric Name Sarah and John Harkness
s
Y"
Present residential
I!
Original residential
I I �
:SCRIPTION:
- 1948
. aurce R.S. Morehouse
SKETCH MAP
Show property's location in relation Style International Style
to nearest cross streets and/or Sarah and John Harkness
geographical features. Indicate Architect ('rhe Architects Collaborative)
all buildings between inventoried
property and nearest intersection. Exterior wall fabric redwood
Indicate north.
Outbuildings 10-foot by 14-foot stable;
❑ �y ao 24-foot by 24-foot garage
❑ o ❑ ❑ Major alterations (with dates)
❑ G
13A
O Moved Date
❑ Approx. acreage 22890 ft.2
Nancy S. Seasholes and
Recorded by R.S. Morehouse Setting In community of architect-
Organization Lexington Historical Commission designed contemporary houses; on quiet
Date February, 1984 street serving only this neighborhood.
(Staple additional sheets here)
ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE (Describe important architectural features and
evaluate in terms of other buildings within the community.)
Like other houses in Moon Hill, the Harkness house is an example of the
International Style, as indicated by its horizontal massing and use of natural
materials (see Moon Hill area form) . The original house was designed to
facilitate child care in a servantless family. Thus, the central area was a
large kitchen/dining/play space. In addition, the house was designed to adapt
to the extremes of the New England climate. The north wall of the play area
was formed by two overhead glass doors, cross-braced with steel tie rods, and
(see Continuation Sheet)
HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE (Explain the role owners played in local or state
history and how the building relates to the development of the community.)
Built in 1948 and one of the first houses erected in Moon Hill, this
house was designed as their own residence by John C. and Sarah P. Harkness,
two of the original members of The Architects Collaborative (TAC) (see Moon
Hill area form) . The Harknesses still occupy the house.
BIBLIOGRAPHY and/or REFERENCES (name of publication, author, date and publisher)
Architectural Forum, June 1950, pp. 122-123.
L� L'architecture d'aujourd'hui 28, February 1950, pp. 35, 110.
Gropius, Walter et al. , editors. 1966. The Architects Collaborative: 1945-1965,
pp. 41, 46-47. Switzerland: Arthur Niggli Ltd.
10M - 7/82
INVENTORY FORM CONTINUATION SHEET Community: Foran No:
MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL CC[Mff SSION Lexington 536
Office of the Secretary, Boston
Property Name: 34 Moon Hill Road
Indicate each item on inventory form which is being continued below.
ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE
hung on garage door hardware. In the summer they could be opened to form a
breezeway; in the winter they were covered with wood slat shades and the area was
lighted by plexiglass skylights. Other features of the original house included a
children's washbasin in a dressing alcove that could later be converted to a
bathroom and children's bedrooms divided by a sliding partition that could be
opened to form a larger play area.
Staple to Inventory form at bottom