Idea House II at Walker Art Center: Short Form
Idea House II. Photo Courtesy Hennepin County Library
Name of Building/Site:
Idea House II
Style:
Modernist, mid-century modern
Primary Classification:
Museum / Exhibition
Secondary Classification:
Residential
Building/Site Address:
725 Vineland Place
Minneapolis, MN 55403
Location Additional:
Currently location of Walker sculpture garden expansion
Summary:
Idea House II was a more ambitious iteration of the prior; the home was designed by William Friedman and Hilde Reiss and opened in 1947. This iteration depicts a greater awareness of transparency, as opposed to flexibility. Folding glass doors separate interior spaces, a breakfast bar provides a window from kitchen to dining area, and an expansive window wall in the back gazed upon the Walker Art Museum.
Commission Date:
1946
Completion Date:
1947
Current Condition:
Demolished 1969
Architectural and Other Designer(s):
William Friedman, Hilde Reiss
Others Associated with Building/Site:
Sponsored by Andersen Windows
Photo Courtesy Hennepin County Library
Photo Courtesy Hennepin County Library
Photo Courtesy Hennepin County Library
DOCUMENTATION:
“Carefree Living with Automatic GAS Equipment” (advertisement) in Minneapolis Sunday Tribune, 28 September 1947, p. 8.
“Idea House II” in Minnesota By Design, Walker Art Center online archives, https://walkerart.org/minnesotabydesign/objects/idea-house-ii
“Idea House II” Minneapolis Sunday Tribune, 28 September 1947.
Adams, Cedric. “In This Corner.” Minneapolis Sunday Tribune, 21 September 1947, p. 6.
El-Hai, Jack. Lost Minnesota : Stories of Vanished Places. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2000.
Hatler, Carrie. “Walker Art Center’s Idea House.” Forgotten Minnesota. 11 March 2011. https://forgottenminnesota.com/blog/2011/03/walker-art-centers-idea-house
“Minneapolis Housewives Like It Because: It Looks Easy to Keep Clean” The Washington Post, 28 December 1947, p. C4.
Walker Art Center, and Andrew Blauvelt. Ideas for Modern Living : The Idea House Project / Everyday Art Gallery. Minneapolis: Walker Art Center, 2000.
Winton, Alexandra Griffith. “‘A Man’s House is his Art’: The Walker Art Center’s ‘Idea House’ project and the Marketing of Domestic Design 1941-1947.” Journal of Design History, vol. 17, No. 4 (2004), p. 377-396. http://www.jstor.com/stable/3527001
Wright, Bruce N. “Visions of a New World? The Walker Art Center Idea House II.” Hennepin History, vol. 52, No. 3 (Summer 1993), p. 16-38. https://digitalcollections.hclib.org/digital/collection/p17208coll13/id/4230
Recorder Name: Mary Begley
Recorder Date: September, 2020
Recorder Affiliation: Docomomo US/MN
“Carefree Living with Automatic GAS Equipment” (advertisement) in Minneapolis Sunday Tribune, 28 September 1947, p. 8.
“Idea House II” in Minnesota By Design, Walker Art Center online archives, https://walkerart.org/minnesotabydesign/objects/idea-house-ii
“Idea House II” Minneapolis Sunday Tribune, 28 September 1947.
Adams, Cedric. “In This Corner.” Minneapolis Sunday Tribune, 21 September 1947, p. 6.
El-Hai, Jack. Lost Minnesota : Stories of Vanished Places. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2000.
Hatler, Carrie. “Walker Art Center’s Idea House.” Forgotten Minnesota. 11 March 2011. https://forgottenminnesota.com/blog/2011/03/walker-art-centers-idea-house
“Minneapolis Housewives Like It Because: It Looks Easy to Keep Clean” The Washington Post, 28 December 1947, p. C4.
Walker Art Center, and Andrew Blauvelt. Ideas for Modern Living : The Idea House Project / Everyday Art Gallery. Minneapolis: Walker Art Center, 2000.
Winton, Alexandra Griffith. “‘A Man’s House is his Art’: The Walker Art Center’s ‘Idea House’ project and the Marketing of Domestic Design 1941-1947.” Journal of Design History, vol. 17, No. 4 (2004), p. 377-396. http://www.jstor.com/stable/3527001
Wright, Bruce N. “Visions of a New World? The Walker Art Center Idea House II.” Hennepin History, vol. 52, No. 3 (Summer 1993), p. 16-38. https://digitalcollections.hclib.org/digital/collection/p17208coll13/id/4230
Recorder Name: Mary Begley
Recorder Date: September, 2020
Recorder Affiliation: Docomomo US/MN
