Hagerty House

Gropius / Breuer – Josephine M. Hagerty House – Cohasset, MA USA, 1938

Josephine M. Hagerty House is a historic home at 357 Atlantic Avenue in Cohasset, Massachusetts. Built in 1938, it was the first building in the United States commissioned to Bauhaus architect Walter Gropius, who collaborated with Marcel Breuer on its design. It is one of the first American examples of international-style architecture and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.
In this house, Gropius emphasized simple lines and the use of local materials, wood and stone.
The house is located near the rocky coast, on a foundation made of locally collected stone. Parts of the house are supported by steel columns. The plan of the house is L-shaped, with a single-storey horizontal section (approximately north-south) and a three-storey section that extends to the west (inland) below its left end. The exterior is finished with a cladding of wooden planks placed vertically, interspersed with full-height windows and bands of windows arranged to maximize the ocean view. A sundeck protrudes further south. The building has undergone some small changes, mainly in response to the harsh conditions imposed on the original materials used.