Usonia Historic District Explained

Usonia Historic District
Nrhp Type:HD
Nocat:yes
Coordinates:41.1283°N -73.7489°W
Mapframe:yes
Mapframe-Marker:building
Mapframe-Zoom:12
Mapframe-Caption:Interactive map showing Usonia Historic District
Built:-1964
Architect:Wright, Frank Lloyd, et al.
Architecture:Modern
Added:September 5, 2012
Refnum:12000600[1]

Usonia Historic District was a planned community and is now a national historic district located in Town of Mount Pleasant, adjacent to the village of Pleasantville, Westchester County, New York. In 1945, a 100acres rural tract was purchased by a cooperative of young couples from New York City, who were able to enlist the students of Frank Lloyd Wright to build his Broadacre City concept. Wright decided where each house should be placed. Wright designed three homes himself and approved architectural plans of the other 44, which were designed by such architects as Paul Schweikher, Theodore Dixon Bower, Ulrich Franzen, Kaneji Domoto, Aaron Resnick and David Henken – an engineer and Wright apprentice.[2]

The layout of the neighborhood was planned by Wright in a circular manner, preserving most of the original trees and "encouraging the flow of the land". The balance of the homes were decreed to be in the modern "organic" style ordained by Wright. The community was named "Usonia" in homage to Wright, whose ideas on the way Americans should live together guided their plan.

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2012 as the Usonia Historic District.[1] The historic district encompasses 43 contributing buildings, 1 contributing site, and 3 contributing structures.[2]

The Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Usonian homes in Pleasantville are:

Notable residents

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: National Register of Historic Places Listings. 2012-09-21. Weekly List of Actions Taken on Properties: 9/10/12 through 9/14/12 . National Park Service.
  2. Web site: Cultural Resource Information System (CRIS). New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Searchable database. 2015-12-01. Note: This includes Web site: National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Usonia Historic District . 2015-12-01 . Kathleen LaFrank. PDF. March 2012. and Accompanying photographs