| Additional Information: | A 'site file' exists for this property. It contains additional information such as correspondence, newspaper clippings, or historical information. It is a public record and may be viewed in person at the Wisconsin Historical Society, State Historic Preservation Office.
"The son of a Russian immigrant, Irving Armour was born in Michigan. The Armour family moved to Milwaukee in 1926, at which time Irving's father Wolf established the Rapco Leather Company in South Milwaukee. Irving would go on to become the firm's president.
The Armour home was designed by John Randal McDonald, who liked to emulate Frank Lloyd Wright's architectural style and mannerisms. Like many Wright homes, the private, or non-street elevation, of the Armour house is more striking than the front. The limestone in the living room and skylights are part of McDonald's expression of organic architecture--bringing the outside in.
McDonald designed the height and placement of the windows, as well as the eaves, to take advantage of the sun's position at different times of the year to either warm or cool the house. There is a wealth of built-in storage areas in the bedrooms and in the pantry. McDonald used Shoji doors, with translucent fiberglass, as closet doors. And, true to Wright's legacy, the original flat roof leaked.
The home's current (and only second) owners say that they have become less acquisitive since moving into the house in 2006, as the house is its own decoration. The dining room was added in the late 1970s, at the same time the office next to the master bedroom was fashioned out of a screened-in porch. As well, the east wall of the house was extended 12 feet in both rooms." Wright and Like 2011: Milwaukee Originals June 10th Through 12th, Frank Lloyd Wright Wisconsin, Inc., Madison, WI, 2011. |
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