Paul Schweiker House and Studio, Meacham Road, Schaumburg, IL
Built in 1937-1938, this Modern International-style house was designed by Paul Schweiker to serve as his personal residence and studio. The house is low-slung and inspired by the surrounding Prairie environment, enhanced by landscape architect Franz Lipp. At the time of the house’s construction, the surroundings were largely rural, and not a heavily developed suburb as it is today. The house was inspired by the Brick residential architectural designs of Ludwig Mies van den Rohe, the landscape-inspired houses of Frank Lloyd Wright, and Japanese traditional architecture. In 1948-1950, the house was expanded with the addition of a bedroom on the front facade, as well as a cantilevered two-story addition to the studio wing, which housed the growing family and practice of Paul Schweiker. The house was the home of the Schweiker family until 1953, when Paul Schweiker accepted a position as the chair-man of the Yale School of Archi-tec-ture, moving to Connecticut. Following the departure of the Schweiker family, the house became home to Martyl and Alexander Langsdorf, whom lived in the house for the next six decades.
The house is arranged in a T-shaped layout, with a studio to the north, a bedroom wing to the west, towards the nearby road and a detached garage and office building, and a living wing to the south. The studio wing is connected to the rest of the house via a covered breezeway, while the two other wings are linked via a glass-enclosed hallway, which allows for passive solar heating in the winter, with the overhang preventing direct sunlight from entering the house during the warmer summer months. The house is made up of three vertical brick wall planes, which include the chimney and fireplace in the living room, which are interspersed with redwood and glass walls. The interior and exterior of the house flow into one another almost seamlessly, with ample views of the surrounding grounds. Inside, the main house features a large living room and dining room that is partially open to the kitchen, two bedrooms, including one added in 1948-1950 to house Paul Schweikher Jr., a large bathroom with a cypress wood tub and shower, and a largely open floor plan. The studio wing features three separate spaces, with the original studio at the south end, a separate office space, later converted into a bedroom, a the north end, and a guest bedroom in the basement.
The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987. Today, the house is operated as a museum by the Schweiker House Preservation Trust. The house is one of several notable early modern houses by significant architects in the Chicago suburbs, sitting among some of the last remaining open non-nature preserved land with rural character in Northwest Cook County.
Paul Schweiker House and Studio, Meacham Road, Schaumburg, IL
Built in 1937-1938, this Modern International-style house was designed by Paul Schweiker to serve as his personal residence and studio. The house is low-slung and inspired by the surrounding Prairie environment, enhanced by landscape architect Franz Lipp. At the time of the house’s construction, the surroundings were largely rural, and not a heavily developed suburb as it is today. The house was inspired by the Brick residential architectural designs of Ludwig Mies van den Rohe, the landscape-inspired houses of Frank Lloyd Wright, and Japanese traditional architecture. In 1948-1950, the house was expanded with the addition of a bedroom on the front facade, as well as a cantilevered two-story addition to the studio wing, which housed the growing family and practice of Paul Schweiker. The house was the home of the Schweiker family until 1953, when Paul Schweiker accepted a position as the chair-man of the Yale School of Archi-tec-ture, moving to Connecticut. Following the departure of the Schweiker family, the house became home to Martyl and Alexander Langsdorf, whom lived in the house for the next six decades.
The house is arranged in a T-shaped layout, with a studio to the north, a bedroom wing to the west, towards the nearby road and a detached garage and office building, and a living wing to the south. The studio wing is connected to the rest of the house via a covered breezeway, while the two other wings are linked via a glass-enclosed hallway, which allows for passive solar heating in the winter, with the overhang preventing direct sunlight from entering the house during the warmer summer months. The house is made up of three vertical brick wall planes, which include the chimney and fireplace in the living room, which are interspersed with redwood and glass walls. The interior and exterior of the house flow into one another almost seamlessly, with ample views of the surrounding grounds. Inside, the main house features a large living room and dining room that is partially open to the kitchen, two bedrooms, including one added in 1948-1950 to house Paul Schweikher Jr., a large bathroom with a cypress wood tub and shower, and a largely open floor plan. The studio wing features three separate spaces, with the original studio at the south end, a separate office space, later converted into a bedroom, a the north end, and a guest bedroom in the basement.
The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987. Today, the house is operated as a museum by the Schweiker House Preservation Trust. The house is one of several notable early modern houses by significant architects in the Chicago suburbs, sitting among some of the last remaining open non-nature preserved land with rural character in Northwest Cook County.