Part of:

People:

Peter Eisenman (archive creator)
Peter D. Eisenman, Architect (architectural firm)

Title:

House VI, Cornwall, Connecticut

Date:

1971-1989

Level of archival description:
File 14

Extent and medium:

Approximately 451 drawings
339 reprographic copies
13 photographic materials
1 model
0.06 l.m. of textual records

Scope and content:
File documents an executed project for House VI, a weekend/vacation house designed for Richard and Suzanne Frank for a six-acre lot at Great Hollow Road, Cornwall, Connecticut. The file also includes material for renovations to House VI undertaken in 1983, 1986, and 1989-1990. Material in this file was produced between 1971 and 1989.

The 1,500 square foot plan of House VI comprises a kitchen, dining room, living room and study on the ground floor, and a bedroom and bathroom on the second floor. The most notable formal and compositional ambiguities of House VI are the two staircases, one green, and the other red and positioned on the ceiling.

Documents include drawings by Eisenman concerning the geometric operations at the origin of House VI (DR1994:0134:055-067), conceptual drawings (DR1994:0134:001-068; DR1994:0134:086-130; DR1994:0134:131-160), numerous colour studies of the elevations (DR1994:0134:262-343), a presentation panel (DR1994:0134:521) notes (DR1994:0134:779-782), and a first set of working drawings and "check set," completed on 30 Aug. 1973, (DR1994:0134:667-689).

Documents also include drawings for major revisions which occurred from 3 October 1973 through August 1974, photocopies of photographs of the house under construction (DR1994:0134:783-805), and a copy of the site survey (DR1994:0134:806).

Planned and executed renovations to House VI began in 1983. Documents relating to unexecuted renovations and additions of 1983 includes drawings (DR1994:0134:604-615), a "bid set" and annotated copies (DR1994:0134:552 and DR1994:0134:554-570; copies: DR1994:0134:646-655), and a photocopy of the site plan indicating Eisenman's initial ideas (DR1994:0134:224). Documents relating to unexecuted renovations and additions of 1986 includes seven drawings (DR1994:0134:553 and DR1994:0134:628-633).

House VI was extensively rebuilt between 1988 and 1990. The renovations included the replacement of the exterior plywood walls, the insertion of steel reinforcement, a new roof with skylights, the replacement of the original stucco by a coat of Finestone, the repainting of the interior, and the addition of a plexiglas barrier to the staircase.
Documents relating to the renovations of 1988-90 include original and photocopied detail drawings, an interior paint schedule by Eisenman's office, correspondence, original and photocopied technical literature, an incomplete copy of the specifications, and a copy of the original survey map (identical to DR1994:0134:806). There are also numerous photographs of the building before, during and after renovation, one photograph of presentation axonometrics for House VI, and one photograph of Eisenman's office.

Documents relating to a publication on House VI include: notes (DR1994:0134:807-853), the book mock-up (DR1994:0134:854-855), and fragments of the original coloured transformation diagrams (DR1994:0134:530-531).

File contains conceptual drawings, including plans, axonometrics, and sections - many black felt-tip pen and/or coloured felt-tip pen on tracing paper; and reprographic copies - mostly photocopies on wove paper. Design development drawings include site plans, plans, elevations, sections, and axonometrics - some graphite and/or coloured pencil on tracing paper and some pen and black ink and/or graphite on tracing vellum; and reprographic copies - some photocopies on wove paper and some sepia prints on mylar. Schematic drawings include site plans, plans, elevations, and sections - all pen and black ink on mylar; and reprographic copies - many blackline prints on wove paper. Working drawings include site plans, plans, elevations, sections, electrical drawings, HVAC drawings, structural drawings, and detail drawings - some coloured pencil on blueline prints on wove paper; and reprographic copies - mostly blueline prints on wove paper. Presentation drawings include plans, elevations, and axonometrics - some pen and black ink and/or transparent coloured adhesive film on mylar and some translucent adhesive coloured film on cardboard; and reprographic copies - mostly photocopies on wove paper. Model includes one finished model - grey, white, and silver paint on wood and Fome-Cor with plastic sheets. Notes and documents include manuscripts - mostly black felt-tip pen on wove paper; reprographic copies - mostly photocopies on wove paper; and a land surveyor plan - one blueline print on wove paper. Book project includes layout drawings - some black felt-tip pen on ruled paper; reprographic copies - all photocopies on wove paper; manuscripts - mostly black felt-tip pen on wove or ruled paper; one sample piece of grey cardboard used as backing for some of the presentation drawings; and sets of drawings in the form of book dummies - mostly pen and coloured ink and/or black felt-tip pen on photocopies on wove paper.

Detail drawings include elevations, sections, details - mostly graphite on tracing paper. The linear cm of documents includes sets, reprographic copies and manuscripts. Notes and documents include elevations, sections, and details - some graphite on photocopies on wove paper; two sets of drawing copies, some with changes - mostly photocopies on wove paper; reprographic copies - mostly photocopies on wove paper; manuscripts - many graphite on wove paper; ephemera includes trade pamphlets; and photographs include colour images of House X prior to and during one of the renovations.

Reference number:

AP143.S4.D14

Location:

Cornwall Connecticut United States

Language of material:

Documents are in English.

Related units of description:

Thirty-eight drawings (DR1994:0134:069-085; DR1994:0134:140-160) are possibly for the Low Rise High Density Housing project for Fox Hills, Staten Island (AP143.S6.D2). Other records related to this project can be found in the fonds "Peter Eisenman Architectural Drawings for House VI", available from the Getty Research Institute's Research Library. The CCA Photographs Collection has two photographs of House VI (PH1981:0392 and PH1981:0393) taken in 1976 by Judith Turner.