Sometimes, you just need to get away from the Midwest winter. We currently reside in the Northwoods of northwest Wisconsin, and between moving to this part of the country and the disruptions of COVID, we hadn’t toured many Wright homes in a while. We decided it was time for that to change! It turned out to be the perfect chance to explore the surprising architectural thread that runs from Frank Lloyd Wright to Joseph Eichler.
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Since our plans involved visiting family and friends, my goal—as always—was to check out any unique architecture in the area. This is actually how the idea for FrankLloydWrightSites.com was born back in 2007. At that time, there wasn’t much information available online and we decided to change that! Any time I was on a vacation, business trip, or visiting family, I made it a point to explore local Wright homes and add more information to the website and today we have over 220 pages for other Wright enthusiasts to explore.
On Our Way to the Golden Gate State
Flying out of Minneapolis (our closest major airport) during the winter can be tricky. Since we live about two hours from MSP, we usually arrive the day before our flight and stay at a hotel with a shuttle. This time, we stayed at the Intercontinental using their Park, Stay and Go package, which put us right at the airport. If you’re not checking bags for your flight, there is a walking bridge that connects the hotel directly to Terminal 1 with it’s own TSA checkpoint.
Our flight to San Francisco (SFO) was uneventful and on time. We stayed with family in the Atherton/Menlo Park area, south of the city and near Stanford University. On previous visits, we were lucky enough to tour the Hanna House (2012) and walk past the Mathews House (2007). This trip, while we didn’t rent a car, we enjoyed walking around the neighborhood whenever the rain let up (the “atmospheric river” was right overhead for much of our stay).
The Eichler Connection
While discussing some of our websites and homes in the area with my brother-in-law, he mentioned that Joseph Eichler had lived in the Lindenwood area of Atherton and offered to take us on a drive to see Eichler’s former residence.
Joe Eichler (1900–1974) moved to the Bay Area in the 1920s and famously rented the Sidney Bazett House in Hillsborough, California—a Frank Lloyd Wright design. This experience greatly influenced Eichler to become a real estate developer focused on bringing modern design to the masses of California.
If you are interested in learning more about Eichler and his homes, I’ve compiled additional resources at the end of this article.
Eichler’s former home is located at 19 Irving Ave in Atherton. This was his personal custom-built residence, designed by Anshen & Allen in 1951. Surrounded by a tall, wood privacy fence and redwood trees, the house was difficult to see in its entirety, but it certainly stood out as more private and distinct than the other homes in the neighborhood.
Easily visible was the carport and a low slung, almost flat roof with lots of angles. We hopped out of the car while the rest of the family headed to do some shopping. We made some observations, snapped some photos and enjoyed a nice 2-mile walk back to our temporary abode. At least the rain looked like it was going to hold off and the sun was out! (If you want to get a bird’s eye view of the home, type this address into Google Maps and you’ll see the predominant parallelogram shape of Eichler’s house. It is strikingly similar to the aerial view of the Bazett House.)
Revisiting the Mathews House
On our walk back, we meandered through the streets of Lindenwood and took a slight detour to revisit the Arthur Mathews House in Atherton. Built in 1950, this house is a beautiful example of Frank Lloyd Wright’s later Usonian period. It’s tucked away on a private, wooded lot on a dead-end street that feels worlds away from the nearby tech hubs of Silicon Valley. It stands in stark contrast to the modern “mega-mansions” popping up in the area.
What’s an ADU?
What I wasn’t prepared for was the new structure now sitting on the property. Larger than a shed but smaller than a house, it looked very modern with its metal roof and white exterior walls. My sister-in-law later informed me that this is an ADU (Accessory Dwelling Unit). These are secondary housing units built on lots that already have a primary dwelling—like the Mathews House. Their purpose is to add affordable housing to the area to meet new California state guidelines, often supported by grants to incentivize homeowners to share their lot space.
I don’t personally have a problem with the concept of these units, but I do wish more thought had gone into the design of this one. You can see in the photo above that the roof line of the ADU is higher than the main house. Given its close proximity to a Wright design, it’s disappointing that it doesn’t resemble or complement the original architecture at all.
From California Modernism to Sunshine State
Exploring the streets of Atherton reminded me that architectural history isn’t just found in museums; it’s lived in and, sometimes, challenged by modern changes like the ADU next to the Mathews House. Seeing Eichler’s personal residence and revisiting a Wright Usonian shortly after really highlighted the lineage of modern design. It’s clear that Eichler’s time in a Wright-designed home wasn’t just a brief stay—it was the spark that eventually helped bring accessible, modern living to thousands of California families.
As the rain clouds finally cleared over the Bay Area, we prepared for the next leg of our journey. While California offered a deep dive into the roots of West Coast modernism, our next stop promised a different kind of Wright experience entirely.
Next up… we’re trading the “atmospheric river” for the Gulf breeze as we catch a long flight from San Francisco to Tampa. Join me in the next article as we travel to Lakeland, Florida, to explore the largest collection of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture in one location. Stay tuned!
Additional Resources and Inspired Products
- Eichler’s Atherton Home – article from the Eichler Network website
- Eichler: Modernism Rebuilds the American Dream by Paul Adamson, Marty Arbunich
- Eichler Homes: Design for Living by Jerry Ditto (Author), Lanning Stern (Author), Marvin Wax (Photographer), Sally B. Woodbridge (Introduction)
- Frank Lloyd Wright’s California Houses (Wright at a Glance Series) by Carla Lind (Author), Frank Lloyd Wright (Designer)
- The Ultimate Guide to Building Your ADU: From Concept to Completion by Steph Wynne (Author)
