Vanna Venturi House: Robert Venturi

Abstract

AbstractThe Vanna Venturi House in Chestnut Hill, Pennsylvania, lovingly known as the “Mother's House,” was arguably Robert Venturi's quintessential architectural statement. It was planned and built between 1959 and 1964, a wide time span that is telling of the exceedingly large amount of thought and intellectual work that went into its realization. A house of modest scale, commissioned by the architect's widow mother, is a typical brief for a young architect's first commission, for obvious social and economic reasons. In many ways, little houses are a testing ground for the young architect to consider, evaluate, modify, and adjust his theoretical knowledge against the requirements of reality. Given the special relationship between architect and client, such early projects for a small house often are more daring and experimental than larger buildings for corporate clients. Ideally, they expand the known limitations of construction, excel on the level of aesthetics, and enhance contemporary discourse by exemplifying the theoretical standpoint of an emerging voice. For these reasons, such houses bear great potential for the discipline of architecture, being capable of transcending current standards and opening up new horizons for this specific form of knowledge.