Masonry Magazine January 1972 Page.30
Once-in-a-lifetime Dream House
(Continued from page 8)
The architect told IMI that, "The reason I chose the various array of masonry products is because I felt they have a timeless quality that would be appropriate for the expression of this house. Also, brick as a building unit has a very human scale for you can hold it in your hand, which helps humanize the expression when you are dealing with it monumentally."
Discussing the structure with mason contractor Krabacher, the International Masonry Institute learned that marble plays an impressive role in the structure. More than 13,000 sq. ft. were used for flooring and walls, baths, shelving, lavatory tops, dressing tables and stove tops. The travertine with horizontal graining was quarried near Tivoli, Italy, adjacent to the Baths of Tivoli and Villa d'Este, which was built in 1550. Krabacher ordered that iron and rust be steam blown from the voids at the saw and provided other quality specifications.
Some of the marble used in the house came from the area of Italy long noted for its white carrara marble. "Michelangelo visited the area many times," according to Krabacher, "and secured marble there for his famous Pieta. Marble from the same area is being used in the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City," he said.
Mason contractors can better visualize the extent of Krabacher's assignment knowing that he used 142,000 face brick, 1,000 lineal ft. of limestone copings, and 36,800 lightweight concrete block for the walls, which have steel bar joists and steel decking supported roofs. White plaster was used for ceilings and walls. Glass mosaic and ceramic tile were used generously in bathrooms as was white marble in the master bath and for the gallery foyer floor, where travertine was used as an outline, and for the foyer walls.
Outside, the light-tone travertine walls accentuate the dark tones of the chimneys and stair tower. The brick columns reach majestically skyward providing circular views of the sky through the bull-eye openings. All were constructed with Portland cement mortar and skim-pointed with colored mortar while moist. A matching brick wall surrounds and shelters the terraces providing privacy from neighbors. A formal terrace is paved with brick as are the walks outlining a long reflecting pool bordering the edge of the house.
Masonry unions working with Harold T. Krabacher, masonry superintendent, were: BM&PIU Local 22-Dayton, Marble Masons & Helpers Local 63-Cincinnati, and Mason Tenders Local 1410-Dayton. The masonry foreman was Robert Bronson. The Dayton Builders Exchange presented him with its highest craftsman award for outstanding masonry work. "Bronson's work on this structure was most influential in being selected for the award," Krabacher said.
Describing the family's experience in having a masonry "castle in the sky" designed by a noted architect and seeing it created by an array of masonry craftsmen and other construction trades, the owner said, "I've seen ever so many people practically have nervous breakdowns doing their houses, but it wouldn't bother me at all to go through this again. Of course, we had a long time to do it-nearly two years but everything fell into place. Nothing went vitally wrong. Usually when you build a house, you do something you don't like and think that some day you'll do it over, but I don't dislike any of this. I love it all."
Architect Colburn, who has done noteworthy designs for such structures as the Geophysical Science Building and others at the University of Chicago, and the Cathedral Church of Christ the King in Kalamazoo, Mich., attributes his success on this single-family house to the attitudes of the owners. "They dealt with me as a professional," he said. "They understood that I had something to offer, and I understood what they wanted and could contribute."
Editor's note: the owner's name and the location of the dwelling in Ohio are not cited to assure privacy. The name for FBS Builders was derived from (F) Father, Louis J. Krabacher; (B) Brother, Harold T. Krabacher; and (S) Son, Richard L. Krabacher.
30
masonry
• November/December, 1972
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The unusual bubble skylight gives a glow to the Greek cross area of the house. For parties, the piano is in the foyer. Stairs spiral to the daughter's apartment.