RALPH E.

RAPSON, FAIA (1914-2008)

Born in 1914 in Alma MI, Rapson attended the University of Michigan

in Ann Arbor and the Cranbrook Academy of Art studying under Eliel
Saarinen.

In 1942 he entered private practice in Chicago while also serving as

Head of the Department of Architecture at the Institute of Design. He
was appointed Associate Professor in the School of Architecture at
MIT in 1946 then opened an office in Cambridge MA. From 1951-53
he worked in Europe designing American embassies.

He was the youngest of nine architects selected to participate in the

initial Case Study Houses Program. However, his entry known as
Case Study House #4 was never built.

He is known for the former Guthrie Theater building, the Rarig Center
for Performing Arts at the University of Minnesota/Minneapolis, the
United States embassies in Stockholm and Copenhagen, St. Thomas
Aquinas Catholic Church in St. Paul Park, the Riverside Plaza housing
complex in Minneapolis, and the Prince of Peace Lutheran Church for
the Deaf in St. Paul, among many other buildings.
 Rapson also designed furniture and accessories for Knoll
Furniture in the 1940s and had his own furniture line in the
1950s. Among his most noteworthy pieces was the Rapson
Rapid Rocker, above.

Rapson led the University of Minnesota School of Architecture from

1954 to 1984 when he retired to private practice.

Rapson with NCSU College of Design Dean Marvin Malecha.

1938 - The Earth-Excavated Cave House, designed with David (Dave)
Runnells while at Cranbrook. Unbuilt.

1938 - The 4/16 House Competition. Designed with John Van

der Meulen. The day after graduation from Cranbrook, Rapson
and Van der Meulen entered a small project in the "4/16
Competition", organized by Architectural Forum magazine. It
was a completely modular design based on multiples of
standardized dimensional materials and techniques, including
two-by-four lumber, sixteen inch spacing, and four-, eight-,
and sixteen-inch masonry units. Althought the 4/16 house
failed to win first place, it received an honorable mention and
$50.
1938 – The Harry D. Hoey House, 5520 Metamora Road,
Metamora MI. Ranch-type, single-level home with an open,
horizontal floor plan. Designed with Rapson's fellow
Cranbrook Academy of Art student, Walter Hickey. Built for
the Headmaster at Cranbrook School for Boys in Bloomfield
Hills MI. Hoey used the property as a vacation house. Sold to
Pat and Jack Ogden. Sold in 1990 to Peter Gilles and Joseph
Maday. Sold in 2014 to John and Kristin Mathies.
 1939 - The Fabric House, designed with David Runnells while
at Cranbrook. Unbuilt. The house is an insulated tent, all roofs
and walls are insulated fabric panels that allow the utmost
flexibility in planning and design. The prefabricated roll fabric
is placed over a skeleton of light, stamped metal. The
structural members are a system of tele-pipe similar to
present day airplane sections. A tele-pipe system allows an
almost infinite placing of walls and roof. A mechanical
package contains all the necessary bathroom, kitchen,
heating and electrical requirements. Radiant floor heating
panels are placed in the floor construction and are completely
demountable. Electrical panel boxes, likewise, are placed in
the floor. The floor is chemically treated tamped earth laid
 over six inches of crushed rock bed on which any floor
covering can be laid. Sources: KCModern and Dave Runnell's
daughter.

In 1941, Rapson submitted The Fabric House for The New

House 194X competition sponsored by Architectural Forum
magazine.

1939 - The Mildred Schoch (Dorothy, or Dot) Hagberg Studio

Residence, Okemos MI. Based on the Cave house but largely
below grade. According to author Susan Bandes, Hagberg met
while both were at Cranbrook and he designed this house for
her. However, it was not built (despite the statement that it
was in Rip Rapson's book). Instead, the property stood vacant
until her son worked with a local architect in 1955 to build a
Modernist house.
 1940 - The Realistic House for Georgia. Rich's Department
Store in Atlanta sponsored a national architectural
competition "for the design of a realistic house for a family in
Georgia" in cooperation with Progressive Architecture
magazine which published the program for the competition in
its October 1945 issue. Atlanta architect Henry J. Toombs and
Kenneth Reid, editor of the magazine, served as advisors for
the competition plus a jury of 6 architects. Hugh Stubbins Jr
won first place, Watson Balharrrie from Ottawa, 2nd, Harold
Calhoun of Houston TX, 3rd. There were 568 entries.
Rapson's entry was never built.

1940 - Half Moon Series, aka prefab mobile homes for

Redman Trailer Company, Alma MI. According to Ralph
Rapson: Sixty Years of Modern Design, "He hoped his next
step after (high school) graduation might be an
apprenticeship with a practicing architect, someone who could
help him move from classroom exercises to real projects.
There was nobody of that description in Alma, so he looked to
Midland, where the preeminent architect was Alden Dow, son
of the Dow Chemical Company's founder. Rapson made an
appointment.

Although Dow courteously reviewed the young man's senior-

year portfolio, he explained that he didn't have enough work
to support an apprentice. He suggested that Rapson talk with
a friend of his at the Redman Trailer Company, an Alma-
based manufacturer of mobile homes. Rapson followed up.
Redman wasn't ready to hire Rapson either but encouraged
him to stay in touch, which he did. A few years later, the
relationship bore fruit. Rapson designed a half-dozen models,
named the Half Moon series, variations of which the company
produced. No address or photo of these. Do you have any?
1943 - The Ronald G. and Helen Evans House, aka the
Halcyon House, 112 North Grant Street, Hinsdale
IL. Commissioned 1939. Rapson was working for Peterson at
the time and Helen Evans was Peterson's secretary. Rapson
was fired from Peterson's firm for doing this project instead of
coming into work. The Halcyon house was a 1.5 story
structure "stacked" on three levels. The bedrooms were up a
half-level from the entry area, and the living room was a half-
level down, creating a twelve-foot high living room space.
Rapson used natural wood on the inside instead of plaster,
and sheathed the outside with redwood siding.Destroyed by
1963.

1945 - The J. G. Lopez House, aka the Homes and Gardens

"Blueprints for Tomorrow" House. Included an open,
horizontal organization of space, extensive use of glass in
partitions and exterior walls, and utilization of an interior
open court to serve as both a children's play area and an
outdoor living room. Unbuilt.
1945 - The ABC House, a competition entry for "Design of a
House for Cheerful Living." This competition was sponsored
jointly by Architectural Forum and the glass and paint
manufacturer PPG Industries. Rapson won third place.
1945 - The Johnson Residence, located a block from the
Gidwitz House, Chicago IL. Unbuilt.

1945 - The Deerfield Houses, Chicago IL. Unbuilt.

 1945 - The Greenbelt House, aka Case Study House #4.
Unbuilt at the time, Rapson did finally get this design built in
1989 for the indoor exhibit Blueprints for Modern Living:
History and Legacy of the Case Study Houses at the Los
Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art. With Rapson, Nathan
Wieler attempted and failed to launch modular houses in the
early 2000's.
1946 - The Lourie Walker House, 921 South Hale Street,
Wheaton IL. Has been renovated.

1946 - The Lee Gladstone House, 1700 Richmond Road,

McHenry IL. The principal architect was John van der Muelen.
Destroyed sometime around 1993 and the site became an
Applebee's.

According to daughter Lorna Gladstone, it was her mother's

idea to go with the modern look for the house; her dad wasn't
so sure about it. Her mom had a friend who worked with Knoll
and Herman Miller Interiors. The house was completely
furnished with their furniture. The house had a flat roof and
large sliding glass winows in most rooms. Featured in LIFE
Magazine.

Rapson also built a medical clinic for Gladstone on Green Street in

1956, shown below. It too has been destroyed.

1946 - The Shank House, Homewood IL. Designed with

George Fred Keck. Done for a young couple on a budget of
less than $5,000, he designed a flat roof with a lip running
the entire permieter to contain rainwater; if water rose above
a certain level, a spigot opened to release the excess into the
gutters. In the summer the water cooled the house. He also
incorporated a radiant-heating system beneath the floor that
used clay tiles. Unsure if built.
1946 - The Willard and Adele Gidwitz House I, 4912 South
Woodlawn Avenue, Chicago IL. Commissioned 1943. Years
later the design was included in a traveling exhibition with the
Museum of Modern Art - New York entitled "Three Post War
Houses." Sold to the Leon Walker Trust around 2002.
1950 - The Eastgate Apartments, now called the 100
Memorial Drive Apartments,100 Memorial Drive, Cambridge
MA. 29 stories. Facing a large number of World War II
veterans returning to school on the GI Bill, MIT was forced to
build new housing for graduate students. Rapson collaborated
on the design with Vernon DeMars, William Hoskins Brown,
Robert Woods Kennedy, and Carl Koch. Won the AIA First
Honor Award 1951 and the AIA 25 Year award in 1976.
<
 1950 - The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)
House Design Competition. Rapson actually sent in two
submissions to the competition, one under his name (top
photo) and one under the name Mary Dolan, his second wife.
His won second place in the nationwide division and first in
one of the regional divisions. Despite its practicality, building
ordinances prohibited plans in which people would have to
walk through living spaces to get to a bathroom. The winning
designs became the property of the NAHB which sold working
drawings. A substantial number of the prize-winning homes
were built nationwide.
1950 - The Schechter House, aka the House of Doors, 34
Robinson Road, Lexington MA. Rapson was asked by the
Hillside School for Boys in Marlborough in Boston to design a
number of small residences. The client had purchased more
than one hundred insulated doors at a factory close-out sale
and asked Rapson to incorporate them into the design; he
did, using the doors not only for their traditional entrance and
exit functions, but for exterior walls, interior partitions, and
flooring. Sold in 1976 to Allen E. and Mary Armstrong. Sold in
2007 to Robert C. Weir.
1954 - US Embassy Staff Housing, Paris, France. Designed
with John Van der Meulen.

1954 - The Willard and Adele Gidwitz Residence II, Ravinia

IL. Built. No address or photo. Do you have one?

1954 - The W. P. Kern House, 138 or 225 Sandy Pond Road,

Lincoln MA. Needs verification. Permits from November 1953
show it was designed by Rapson and was completed. No
address or photo. Do you have one?
1955 - The David and Joan Wyer House I, Cottagewood area
of Deephaven MN. Built. Rapson did a renovation in
1959. Presumed destroyed; needs verification. Do you know
where it is/was?

1956 - Model House for the Southeast Housing Homestyle

Center, aka Museum of Houses, aka Grand Rapids Homestyle
Center Residence, Grand Rapids MI. Unbuilt. Other
participants included Alden Dow, Harwell Hamilton Harris,
George Nelson, and Paul Rudolph.

In 1956 Detroit realtor Jason Honigman conceived The Home

Research Foundation to showcase new Modernist houses on
80 acres outside Grand Rapids, MI. The press referred to it as
"an outdoor museum for houses," "the world's most wondrous
 village," and, eventually, "the lost theme park." The project
was extensively promoted in major design magazines such as
Architectural Record, Arts and Architecture, and Interiors.

The first set of 12 homes was to be designed and started in 1956,

followed by 13 in 1957, and 25 more over a span of 3 years, ending
in 1960. The Home Research Foundation closed its offices in May
1957 due to funding issues. The Homestyle Center was never built
but the original lake around which the houses were to be built is now
part of the 132 acre Fredrick Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park,
planned in 1982 and opened in 1995.
1957 - The William G. (Jerry) and Frances Shepard
House, 2197 Folwell Avenue, St Paul MN. This was the first
Rapson house in the University Grove Neighborhood. Won a
1958 AIA Honor Award. Sold in 2009 to Dan Voytas and Tony
Payne.
1959 - The Betty Poole House, 6699 Mohawk Drive,
Chanhassen MN. Commissioned 1958. Designed with Douglas
Baird Associates. Featured in Northwest Architecture
Magazine twice in 1960. Sold in 2003 to Matthew and
Elizabeth Tibbetts. For sale in 2015.
1958 - The Alan Thal House, 2 West Shore Road, North Oaks
MN. On Gilfillan Lake. Featured in Northwest Architecture
Magazine twice in 1960. Designed with Douglas Baird. Won
an AIA MN Merit Award in 1960. Sold to Mark and Mary
Ekblad. B/W photos by Bobak Ha'Eri.
 1959 - The Winton House, aka White House, 4245 Bayside
Road, Orono Mn near Maple Plain MN. . Won a 1963 AIA MN
Merit Award. Rapson did a kitchen remodel in 1970. Seven
bedrooms and a study. Sold to Robert P. White who
commissioned Rapson for an expansion that was never
built. Destroyed in 1989.

1960 - The Jackson Development Co-op Apartment,

Minneapolis MN. Unbuilt.

1960 - The Wayzata Housing Development, aka Knutson

Wayzata Project, Wayzata MN. Unbuilt.
 1958 - The Meech Residence, 430 Holly Lane, Plymouth MN.
Won a 1959 AIA MN Honor Award. Sold in 1979 to Jerry and
Maurine Shink. Although the original Meech property has been
subdivided and nearly 70 houses now stand in the once
pristine woods, the home still sits on two acrese. Over the
years, the Shinks made some modifications with Rapson's
advice. They converted the study into a master bedroom and
the original master bedroom into a master bath. They also
covered up the original rolled linoleum floor that Mrs. Meech
insisted upon. On the children's level, three bedrooms were
reconfigured as two. The 1950s bomb shelter remains, used
as storage. Sold in 2007. Sold in 2011 to Persio and Silvana
Ravena.
1960 - The Neal L. Gault House, 1595 Vincent Avenue, St.
Paul MN. Sold around 1962 to Morrell. Sold around 1992 to
Karen Burke and Grayson McCouch. Sold around 1996 to
Scott McConnell and Ann Johnson. One of Rapson's University
Grove Houses. Sold to Serguei and Amy Pakhomov in
2011. Bottom photo by Bobak Ha'Eri.

1960 - Urban Housing Development, Cincinnati OH. Unbuilt.

1960 - The Markell Brooks Residence, aka Longshadows, on Long

Lake in Orono MN. Rapson was reluctant to build a Japanese-inspired
home but the persuasion of widow Markell Brooks convinced him. The
6,100 square foot home integrates the Japanese modern look with
glass walls, cedar and redwood built-ins, and shoji screens. He
dubbed the home Longshadows after the shadows cast by the
overhanging roofline. The 4 bedroom, 6 bath home sits on 5 acres on
a hill overlooking Long Lake. An original studio apartment is also part
of the property. Sold to Mary Haldeman Dayton in 1975. The kitchen
was updated in 2000, an existing porch was enclosed, and a heated
pool added. Sold in 2010 and renovated by architect James Dayton.

1961 - The Ray and Kay Price House, 4730 Coffey Lane,
Minneapolis MN. Sold to Leroy and Monica Rosin in 1986.
1961 - The Melvin S. and Eileen Cohen House, 1703 Drummond
Street, Eau Claire WI. Still owned by the Cohens as of 2016.
1962 - The Paul Cashman and Veryl Andre House, 2140
Folwell Avenue, St. Paul MN. One of Rapson's University
Grove Houses. Sold in 2013 to Kate Walthour.
1962 - The Harold Kelley House, 1564 Burton Street, St. Paul
MN. Commissioned around 1959. Sold around 1972 to Harry
and Billie Foreman. Sold in 1999 to Todd Hogg and Maribeth
Mertes. One of Rapson's University Grove Houses.
 1964 - The Philip and Eleanor Pillsbury, Jr. House, Ferndale Road,
Wayzata MN. Commissioned 1963. In three separate but connected
pavilions, large expanses of brick and glass wall floated between a
sculptured white stucco roof fascia and structural platform. Featured
in Architectural Record in 1963. Won the 1965 AIA Honor
Award. Won the 1965 AIA MN Merit Award. Won the 1990 AIA MN
25 Year Awrad.

Late in 1996, Bill Cooper bought the property and, according to

Rapson, dismissed any notion of preserving it saying “It’s not my cup
of tea.” By February 1997, the house was destroyed before it could
be included on the list of the state’s Ten Most Endangered Historic
Buildings. Cooper built a new McMansion where he hosted fund-
raisers featuring Dick Cheney and George H. W. Bush.

1963 - University Courts Housing, Minneapolis MN. Commissioned

1962. Unbuilt.

1963 - The Detroit Housing Project, Detroit MI. Unbuilt.

1963 - The Houston Housing Project, Houston TX. Unbuilt.

 1964 - The Pierce Butler, Jr. House, 1630 Edgcumbe Road,
St. Paul MN. The lot was later subdivided to allow another
modern house to the east. Sold in 1973 to John G. (Jack) and
Linda Hoeschler. A new garage with an inverted roof was
added in 2009, with the old garage converted into a library,
designed by David O'Brien Wagner and Jared Banks; interior
design by Meredith Wilson; built by Northstar
Remodeling. Still owned by the Hoeschler's as of 2015.

1964 - The Albert and Jean Hood House I, 2160 Folwell

Avenue, St. Paul MN. Sold in 1966 to Wolfgang and Marilyn
Taraba. Sold in 1990 to Samuel Krislov. Sold in 1991 to Nygui
Lin and Yan Song. Sold in 2006 to Chris and Jennifer Reedy.
One of Rapson's University Grove Houses. Bottom photo by
Bobak Ha'Eri.
 1966 - The Red Cedar House, aka the Weyerhaeuser
Demonstration House D-1317, aka The Mondrian, 110711
Kings Lane, Chaska MN (originally Jonathan MN). 1648 sf. It
was a commission from the Weyerhaeuser Company using
Weyerhaeuser products and was designed as “a house for
everyman.” Featured in Better Homes and Gardens.

Jonathan MN was a planned town with its own industrial,

commercial, and recreational activities as well as housing.
Within its 8,142 acres was to be a town center for 15,000,
three industrial parks, and a central commercial complex. By
1990 the population was to be 50,000 and Jonathon was to
link with the Twin cities by some type of fixed-rail rapid
transit system. Jonathan is now a homeowners' association,
the largest in MN with 2,300 households. It was planned by
the Jonathan Development Corporation and begun in 1967 by
Minnesota State Senator and real estate developer Henry T.
McKnight. The development corporation folded in 1979, and
Jonathan was annexed by the city of Chaska.
 1966 - The Albert (Al) and Jean Hood House II, 26 Rocky
Shore, Iowa City IA. This was a duplicate of their house in
MN because Al Hood liked it so much. Sold in 2013
to Hyungsub Shim.
 1966 - The Ira M. (Gary) Gourley House, 2118 Folwell
Avenue, St. Paul MN. Sold in the early 1970's to Irving and
Carol Gottesman. Sold in the early 1980's to Richard Meisch
and Diane Tanabe. Sold to Ken and Doreen Leopold. One of
Rapson's University Grove Houses. Photo by Bobak He'Eri.
1967 - The Patarasp and Shirley Sethna House, 2147 Hoyt
Avenue West, St. Paul MN. Sold in 1995 to Nevin and Diane
Young. One of Rapson's University Grove Houses.
1968 - The Joseph Livermore House, 2179 Folwell Avenue, St
Paul MN. One of Rapson's University Grove Houses. Top two
photos by Barbara Lamprecht. Sold in the 1970's to
Hochberg. Sold in the late 1970's to Joanne Eicher, still owner
as of 2015.
1969 - The Scott W. Butwin House, 1101 Sylvandale Road,
Mendota Heights MN. Commissioned 1967.

1969 - The Robert C. and Carmen Bell House, 807 Heinel Drive,
Roseville MN. Still owned by the Bells as of 2016.

1969 - The House of Leather and Suede, Edina MN. Built. However,
this was a store, the predecessor of Wilson's Leather.
 1970 - The Frederick B. and Diana Lewis House, 7564 Pleason
Avenue NW, South Haven MN. On Lake Sylvia. A interesting second
phase was designed but never built due to budget
constraints. Deeded to Glenn Lewis. Sold in 1997 to James F. and
Tarole Richards-Bottelson.

1973 - The Riverside Plaza Apartments (aka Cedar Square West

Apartments), 4th Street and Cedar Avenue, St Paul MN. Featured the
second home of Mary Richards on the Mary Tyler Moore television
show. Foreclosed in 1985. Sold in 1988 to Sherman Associates. Has
been renovated.
 1974 - The Ralph Rapson Vacation House, aka Glass
Cube, 1370 50th Avenue, Amery WI. Featured in Architecture
Week, August 2007. Won an AIA MN Citation.
1975 - The David and Joan Wyer House II, aka the Strampe
House, 19700 Lakeview, Deephaven MN. Built by the Wyers
with a stunning view of Carson Bay. Commissioned 1974.
Sold in 2003 to James and Kathy Strampe. Sold in 2011 to
Huagui Li and Xiaojian Shen.
 1977 - The Vernon and Gloria Tew House, 4431 Eastwood
Road, Minnetonka/Wayzata MN. Won an AIA MN citation in
1978. Still owned by the Tews as of 2015. Bottom photo by Bobak
Ha'Eri.

1979 - aka the Tree House. Unbuilt.

1978 - The Benjamin and Helen Liu House, 1 North Deep Lake Road,
North Oaks MN. For sale in 2016.
 1979 - The Fritz Rosendahl Condos, aka the Willow Run
Condos, 16148 Highway 86, Spirit Lake/Okoboji IA. Won an
AIA MN Honor Award in 1985.
1979 - The Rick and Claudia Davis House, 15612 Upper 34th
Street, Afton MN.

1980 - The Thomas (Tom) Hitchcock Summer House, 27998

Ridgewood Drive, Merrifield MN, on Upper Mission Lake NW of Lake
Mille Lacs. Sold in 1992 to Roger L. Funk. Sold in 1997 to Cynthia
and Paul Karos.
 1984 - The Susan Lenz House, aka the Lenz-Polesky
House, 4270 Glenwood Avenue, Golden Valley MN. Sold
around 1989 to Herbert Polesky. Photo by Bobak Ha'Eri.
1985 - The Charles and Maryanne Lo House, 271 Twin Lakes
Trail, Little Canada MN. Renovated in 2011 by Laun
Sanderson with interior design by Kathryn Johnson.
1987 - The David and Mary C. Daly House, 2152 West Hoyt,
St Paul MN. One of Rapson's University Grove Houses.
Renovated in 1997 by Rapson. Still owned by the Daly's as of
2015. Bottom photo by Bobak Ha'Eri.

1988 - The Marijo Crimont Toner House, Madrid NM. No

address or photo. Do you have one?
1989 - The Heller House Remodel, 2159 West Hoyt Avenue,
University Grove area of St. Paul MN. The original house was
designed by Elizabeth and Winston Close, who designed 14
homes in the University Grove neighborhood.

1992 - The Heller House Remodel 2, North Oaks MN.

No address or photo. Do you have one?

1995 - The Trus-Joist MacMillan Frameworks House, Provo

UT. Competition entry. Unsure if built.
 1996 - The Charles Dolan House, Laramie WY.
Dolan was Rapson's nephew. Photo by Charles Dolan.

1996 - The Heller Highwater Apartments, Minneapolis MN. Unbuilt.

1997 - The Erica Johnson House, Bloomington MN.

Unbuilt.
 1999 - The Mary Anne and Darwin J. DeRosier House, 899
Tanglewood Drive(County Road G2), Shoreview MN.

1998 - The Rose and Peter Dwyer House, Collegeville MN. Designed
with Toby Rapson. Built by local builders and overseen by Dwyer.

2003 - The Greenbelt 2, Sag Harbor NY. Built by Nathan

Wieler. Do you know where it is?

Rapson submitted a modified version of Case Study #4, aka the

Greenbelt house, to the Dwell Home Design Invitational. With
assistance from his son, architect Toby Rapson, Rapson redesigned
the house with a two-story atrium. Although Rapson's design was not
chosen by DWELL, Wieler's development company asked Rapson to
develop a new models.

There is one more built somewhere on the Chesapeake Bay.

 2007 - The Jodi Peterson Residence, 4729 Annaway Drive,
Edina MN. Commissioned 2005. According to Midwest Home
Magazine, May 2007, Peterson "called Ralph's office in May
2005 not expecting him to pick up his own phone. He agreed
to do the addition as long as it was approved by original
architect Jack Smuckler. When it was finished, Peterson
admitted it went beyond what she had planned as a residence
for her three young daughters and herself and it had become
more of a work of art. She put it on the market with the
intention of having Rapson design another home for her. Even
the front yard sculpture garden with a reflective black-bottom
pool was designed by Rapson, with Peterson's assistance."
Sold to Franck L. Gougeon.

Sources include: KCModern, Virtual

GlobeTrotting, Archiplanet, Minnesota Architects: A
Biographical Dictionary by Alan Lathrop, Catherine
Westergaard, Dianne Bertsch.