Building of the Month, May 2011

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The Seymour Krieger House (1958), in Bethesda’s Bannockburn neighborhood, was designed by internationally renowned architect Marcel Breuer. The structure is the only single-family dwelling designed by Marcel Breuer in Montgomery County, and is one of four residential buildings he designed in Maryland.  The residence was built for Seymour Krieger, a communications lawyer, and his wife Rita.  The Krieger family lived here until 1964.

Marcel Breuer's Krieger House

Marcel Breuer's Krieger House

The resource is an outstanding example of an International Style residence.  Its transparent volumetric form, exposed steel framing, lack of applied ornamentation and balanced asymmetry are hallmarks of the style. The triangular-shaped corner lot was landscaped by prolific landscape designer Dan Kiley.  The project was the first of five collaborations between Breuer and Kiley nationwide, and was one of only two projects these distinguished designers worked together on in Maryland.

The Krieger House is designated locally, on Montgomery County’s Master Plan for Historic Preservation, and is also listed on the National Register of HIstoric Places.

Montgomery Modern explores mid-century modern buildings and communities that reflect the optimistic spirit of the post-war era in Montgomery County, Maryland. From International Style office towers to Googie style stores and contemporary tract houses, Montgomery Modern celebrates the buildings, technology, and materials of the Atomic Age, from the late 1940s through the 1960s. A half century later, we now have perspective to appreciate these resources as a product of their time.

One Response to “Building of the Month, May 2011”

  1. claudia kousoulas

    The current residents are neighbors and when I talked to them about living in a modern house they brought up interesting comments about curation. We all know how to restore Victorians or Colonials, but were does a microwave go in a Modern, open plan kitchen?

    But, they say, on a warm spring day, with the doors and windows open, the house turns itself to the outdoors and is a beautiful place to be.