Hello Again, Umbrella House

In the early 1950s, land programmer Philip Hiss teamed up with architect Paul Rudolph to create one of the 20th century’s most iconic houses, the Umbrella House at Sarasota, Fla.. The house in the community of Lido Shores is a good instance of how modernism can be implemented at a suburban, Florida Gulf Coast context. This home and many others neighboring became called the Sarasota School of Modernism.

Constructed as a”spec” house, the Umbrella House steps about 2,000 square feet and can be developed on a 32-inch module, the width of a normal Sears jalousie window. The dominant characteristic of the house, the aptly called”umbrella,” was originally constructed of wood and used to shade the house from the intense Florida sunlight. After years of decay and hurricane damage, the”umbrella” was all but gone from the end of the 1970s.

New owners Vincent and Julie Ciulla of all Ciulla Design have revived much of the umbrella, now constructing it of aluminum. The Ciullas say the umbrella displays the house so well their cooling bills are reduced by 30 per cent, a nod to Rudolph’s forward-looking and sustainable design.

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Ciulla Design

The south of the house is glass. The original umbrella extended out to surround and shade the pool space. The Ciullas intend to reestablish the umbrella as it had been, having already placed footings for the new columns.

The spatial organization of the house can also be viewed here. A large, two-story centre space is flanked with two piled bedrooms on the left and a kitchen with bedroom over on the right. The 32-inch module of this off-the-shelf jalousie windows is also evident.

Ciulla Design

The umbrella overlooks the north side of the house, facing the road. This view clearly shows the vertical columns of jalousie windows and institution of this 32-inch module used to plan your house. Translucent at the bottom floor for privacy, these jalousies permit for a substantial amount of cross ventilation.

What I particularly love about the umbrella is that the way the shadows from it fall across the surface of the house. The pattern is similar to the darkened portions of so a lot of Rudolph’s drawings.

Ciulla Design

The restored umbrella floats over the house. Though Rudolph would later became one of the prime practitioners of Brutalism, his Sarasota houses have a mild and nearly impermanent quality, as if the whole thing may be rapidly disassembled and moved.

Ciulla Design

The columns which support the umbrella are all articulated and independent of the house structure. It is as if a sizable open tent was constructed and a box positioned under it.

Ciulla Design

The house features a”dumbbell” plan with a two-story space along the rear flanked by piled bedrooms on one side and a kitchen with second-floor bedroom on the opposite. The bridge which connects the two upstairs bedrooms is a loft area and can be a few steps lower compared to the bedroom degree. This creates a very low ceiling at the entry area that’s quite Wrightian in feel. The dialogue pit with fireplace and hearth is below this attic. It is as if one has to input a cave to get close to the fire.

Every bedroom overlooks the main living space. These windows can be closed off for privacy. The bedrooms also contain built in wardrobes that jut out to the main living room to make shelves for artwork and a television.

Following is a photo of this home since it had been under construction. Though nobody knows for sure, It is considered that Paul Rudolph took the photo, which can be from the south-southwest and reveals the full umbrella as originally imagined. Lido Shores is a really different place today with a lot more vegetation, houses and traffic.

The original view from the rear of the house was around Sarasota Bay. Subsequent development and a great deal of new vegetation produces this view available just in the history books.

This is a view taken in the west shortly after the house was completed.

Following is a vintage picture of the original, Rudolph-designed fence which surrounded the house. The Ciullas are restoring this weapon as part of the total restoration of the house.

Read more about the Home and restoration on the Umbrella House website and Facebook page.

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