Carlton D. Wall House ("Snowflake") | |
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| Location | 12305 Beck Rd.,Plymouth, Michigan |
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| Coordinates | 42°22′16″N83°30′42″W / 42.37111°N 83.51167°W /42.37111; -83.51167 |
| Area | 5 acres (2.0 ha) |
| Built | 1941 |
| Architect | Frank Lloyd Wright |
| Architectural style | Usonian |
| NRHP reference No. | 94000620[1] |
| Added to NRHP | June 28, 1994 |
TheCarlton D. Wall House, also known asSnowflake, is aFrank Lloyd Wright designed home inPlymouth Township, Michigan. It is one of Wright's more elaborateUsonian homes. In 1941, recently married Mr. and Mrs. Carlton David Wall, who were Wright's youngest clients, approached Wright to design a house for them after Carlton Wall studied Wright's architecture in college.[2]
Itsform comprises a series of hexagons radiating from a central chimney or service core without any true right angles, with wings for a nursery, terrace, guest room and carport. The cypress and brick house came to be known asSnowflake because of the hexagonal patterns created by the diamond grid design. This was the first use of Wright's modular diamond structure in Michigan, a technique he used elsewhere when incorporating a house into a hillside.[3]
A massive brick retaining wall supports a dramatic terrace. Floor to ceiling windows, doors withoutmullions, and corner windows are used throughout the house. This brings the "outside in", which is the case in all Wright houses. From 1943 to 1944,Milton Horn collaborated with Wright on a wood relief mural for the house. In 1947, a 1,000-square-foot (93 m2) bedroom wing was added to accommodate the Walls' growing family. It is located to the west of the original house.
Snowflake was purchased byTom Monaghan, the founder ofDomino's Pizza, in 1983.[4] It was used on a rotating basis by executives of his corporation. It was to be part of Monaghan's Frank Lloyd Wright Study Center. In the late 1980s it was sold to the current owners who use it as a residence.
