Located at 204 Sunrise Lane in the Chestnut Hill neighborhood of Philadelphia, Margaret Esherick House is a modernist house designed by American architect Louis Kahn. Completed in 1961, the house is a paradigm of Kahn’s prowess in integrating space, light, and function. Its significance has been recognized through numerous awards, including the Landmark Building Award 1992 by the Philadelphia chapter of the American Institute of Architects. The house was further immortalized in 2023, gaining a listing on the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior.
The Esherick House Technical Information
- Architects1: Louis Kahn
- Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
- Topics: American Houses
- Area: 230 m2 | 2500 ft2
- Project Year: 1959-1961
- Photographs: © Doctor Casino, © Jeffrey Totaro, © Jon Reksten, © Arnout Fonck
A room is not a room without natural light.
– Louis Kahn 2-3
The Esherick House Photographs
Genesis and Design Elements
Commissioned by Margaret Esherick, a Chestnut Hill bookstore owner, the house was designed with a strong focus on light, materiality, and the spatial philosophy that defines Kahn’s architectural legacy. Margaret’s uncle, Wharton Esherick, a celebrated American woodworker, played an integral role in the design by crafting the home’s unique kitchen. Featuring wood and copper materials, this kitchen remains an exemplar of fine craftsmanship and complements Kahn’s architectural vision.
Kahn’s innovative use of space is evident in his division of the house into ‘served’ and ‘servant’ spaces. This philosophy manifests in the Esherick House through four alternating sections, each extending across the width of the house. The most striking ‘served’ space is the two-story living room, which is positioned to the right of the main entrance. A built-in bookcase within this space accentuates Margaret Esherick’s profession, while the adjacent ‘servant’ space houses the stairway, doors, and balconies, ensuring seamless spatial circulation.
Innovative Use of Light and Windows
A defining feature of the Esherick House is its masterful manipulation of natural light. The house presents varying window designs on its facades, demonstrating Kahn’s understanding of how light interacts with interior spaces. The front facade features a striking T-shaped, two-story window that balances openness with privacy. Additionally, operable wooden shutters provide ventilation and shading control, allowing for a dynamic interplay between light and shadow.
The rear facade, which faces a garden adjacent to a public park, is composed of large single-pane windows arranged in pairs. These windows remain fixed but are complemented by two-story stacks of wooden shutters that can be adjusted to modulate sunlight and airflow. This unique window configuration creates a continuous dialogue between the interior and exterior spaces, dissolving the boundaries between the house and its natural surroundings.
The Unbuilt Extension, Renovations, and Legacy
In 1962-1964, Kahn designed an extension for a prospective owner, Mrs. C. Parker. However, she never purchased the house, and the addition was never built. The unbuilt design aimed to blend seamlessly with the existing structure, proposing a significant extension to the left of the front door. The hypothetical enlargement captures the dynamism of the original concept, underlining its adaptability and potential for future growth.
In 2016, the house underwent a sensitive renovation spearheaded by K YODER Design. The renovation aimed to preserve the house’s essential character while enhancing its functionality. Modern appliances were added in an adjunctive kitchen space, and the insulating ability of the windows was improved—all without compromising the home’s visual and architectural integrity.
The Esherick House is more than an architectural masterpiece; it’s a testament to the relationships and shared ethos of the Esherick and Kahn families. Kahn’s friendship with Wharton Esherick was not an isolated connection; Margaret’s brother, Joseph Esherick, even took over Kahn’s schematic design for the Graduate Theological Union Library after Kahn’s death. Furthermore, the house shares the neighborhood with the Vanna Venturi House, another iconic structure designed by Robert Venturi. The Venturi and Kahn link further highlights the concentration of architectural greatness in this small part of Philadelphia.
Through its spatial innovations, unique window configurations, and deeply rooted family connections, the Esherick House continues to captivate architects, scholars, and lovers of design, serving as an enduring symbol of mid-century modern architecture at its finest.
The Esherick House Plans
The Esherick House Image Gallery
About Louis Kahn
Louis Kahn was a prominent American architect, born in 1901 in what is now Estonia, and later emigrated to the United States. Known for his monumental and iconic structures that often employed the use of natural light and raw materials, Kahn left an indelible mark on 20th-century architecture. He gained critical acclaim for several public buildings, including the Salk Institute in La Jolla, California; the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas; and the National Assembly Building in Dhaka, Bangladesh. A teacher at Yale University and the University of Pennsylvania, Kahn’s influence extended beyond his built work into architectural theory and education. He passed away in 1974, but his legacy lives on through his timeless designs and philosophic approach to architecture.
Notes & Additional Credits
- Structural Engineer: Keast & Hood Co.
- The quote is not specifically about the Margaret Esherick House, but it encapsulates Kahn’s general philosophy on the importance of natural light in residential spaces, a principle evident in the design of the Esherick House itself.
- GA 76 – Louis I Kahn Esherick House and Fisher House by Yukio Futagawa
- Brownlee, David B., & DeLong, David G. Louis I. Kahn: In the Realm of Architecture, 1997.
- Wiseman, Carter. Louis I. Kahn: Beyond Time and Style., 2007.
- McCarter, Robert. Louis I. Kahn. Phaidon Press, 2005.
