Lauck House

Marcel Breuer, Princeton 1950

Marcel Breuer built the Lauck House in 1950 in Princeton, NJ on a secluded 16 square foot lot.
Breuer's project followed his model of "house in the garden" commissioned by the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York and exhibited in the museum's garden in 1949.

Breuer's design introduced several innovations that have since become common practice in single-family home design: the kitchen open to all living areas of the house, the children's area with bedrooms and playrooms separated from the parents' bedroom, various entrances from external garden areas, and variable ceiling heights.
The large windows incorporate the surrounding landscape, generating a sense of continuity and connection between internal and external space.
The south-facing glass façade captures direct sunlight and heat during winter days, while the steeply overhanging roof creates shade during the summer.

The house was commissioned by New York advertising executive Gerold Lauck for his son and wife. In the mid-80s, a second owner added a sunroom and gallery to the southwest corner, extending the roof slope while carefully maintaining the original design footprint.