645 S. Meacham Rd., Schaumburg, Illinois. County/parish: Cook.
Added to the National Register of Historic Places February 17, 1987. NRIS 87000098.
1 contributing building.
The Paul Schweikher House and Studio is a residence at 645 S. Meacham Road in Schaumburg, Illinois, United States. Designed by the architect Paul Schweikher, the building consists of two detached structures, Schweikher's house and his architectural workshop, connected by a breezeway. The design blends several of the styles in which Schweikher worked throughout his career, including the Prairie School style and International, Japanese, and American vernacular influences. The structures are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Schweikher obtained the land, which was then part of the village of Roselle, in either 1936 or 1937. Schweikher completed the home in 1938, and it was his residence for 15 years. During his occupancy, Schweikher designed many of his buildings in the studio, and the building was known as "South Willow". In 1953, he sold the building to the nuclear physicist Alexander Langsdorf and his wife, the landscape artist Martyl Langsdorf, who owned the building for several decades. The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago seized the house through eminent domain in the late 1980s, while the Langsdorfs continued to live there. In 1999, the village of Schaumburg acquired the house, with plans to renovate it. After Martyl Langdorf's death in 2013, the village began to convert the house into a museum.
The one-story house and two-story studio were built out of wood, brick, and glass. The simple materials and low roof helped match the house to its natural environment, a landscape designed by Franz Lipp. The inside of the T-shaped house is divided into sleeping, working, and living areas, with decorative details such as open shelves and brick walls. The house and studio originally had three bedrooms, though another bedroom was later created from Schweikher's personal office. The building is illuminated by natural light and recessed lights, and it uses several heating systems. The home's design was praised by contemporary architects, including Ralph Rapson, William Metcalf, and Bertrand Goldberg.
(read more...)National Park Service documentation: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28892088