Designed in 1963 by architects Philip Johnson and Richard Foster, the Kreeger residence was built for David and Carmen Kreeger, pillars of the city’s arts and cultural community. The Kreeger’s design requirements included: 1) space to display their growing collection of 19th and 20th century paintings and sculpture, 2) a large recital hall for music, 3) living spaces that would provide privacy, views, and light, and 4) family recreational areas that would include a swimming pool and tennis courts. The completed travertine-clad building sits on five and a half wooded acres and is 24,000 square feet. Johnson and Foster utilized a module system of 22 x 22 feet in the design of the building.
Within the Great Hall, there are three sail domes, as well as lunette windows filled with cork which filter light, enhance acoustics, and reference mashrabiya from the Middle East. The Sculpture Terrace, reveals the building's structure and opens the terrace to views of the sloping site and a magnificent pool (now a reflecting pool) surrounded by a colonnade.
The bronze stair railing was designed by artist Edward Meshekoff, who designed a similar promenade for Johnson and Foster’s New York State Theater (now Koch Theater) at Lincoln Center. The walls of the gallery spaces are covered by panels of beige cotton carpet, providing ease of installation and enhanced acoustics. The flooring on the main and lower levels are teak and oak, respectively.
Image: Bronze stair railings and atrium. Photo by Robert Lautman, 2004
The building's structure is achieved with poured-in-place concrete which is then clad in travertine. The general contractor for the project was George A. Fuller Co. The structural engineering firm was Lev Zetlin & Associates.
The mechanical system is recessed throughout the building. In the Great Hall, thin horizontal slots behind the carpet panels provide supply and return for the building. Jaros, Baum & Bolles were the mechanical engineers for the building.
Image: Garage domes looking south. Construction photo by Stewart Bros., November 30, 1965
Philip Johnson
Pritzker-Prize-winning architect Philip Johnson (1906-2005) was in his late fifties when he designed the Kreeger residence in 1963. Johnson is considered one of the foremost architects of the 20th century, projects included: The Glass House (1949), the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Sculpture Garden at The Museum of Modern Art (1953), the Pre-Columbian Pavilion at Dumbarton Oaks (1963), the New York State Theater at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (1964), and The Rothko Chapel (1971).
In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Philip Johnson talked of how “his arches represent the breaking” from the influence of Mies van der Rohe, his mentor and greatest inspiration. These projects, including the Kreeger project, included prominent arches within their design and at varying scales: the Kneses Tifereth Israel Synagogue, Port Chester, NY 1956; the Philip Johnson Pavilion, New Canaan, CT 1962; and the Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery, University of Nebraska, Lincoln 1963.
Richard Foster
In addition to contributing to the design, Richard Foster (1919-2002) was deeply involved in the building’s construction documentation and construction administration. He traveled to Italy for the selection of the travertine and completed change orders until the building’s occupancy in July 1967. In a 1994 letter to the Museum, discussing the project, Foster wrote:
"Its monumentality is as correct and current today as it was when it was built. It’s a special monument to David and Carmen Kreeger – to their love of art and music. To the mantle of public leadership that he assumed so willingly. To the long-range vision that this home would eventually be a museum, constructed for the delight of generations that would follow his rich and rewarding life."
“...Carmen and David Kreeger were two of the most intelligent, sympathetic, and in their way, daring, clients that I have known. I wish there were many more like them. What an interesting world we would share!”
Foster's architectural oeuvre boasts a plethora of major collaborations with Johnson, including The Glass House, the New York State Pavilion at the 1964 NY World's Fair, the New York State Theater (now Koch Theater) at The Lincoln Center, buildings at Yale and New York University, as well as serving as coordinator for the Seagram building (NYC). Foster also designed his very own Round House (Wilton, CT), a daring structure which features a hovering circular abode that revolves around a pedestal. Considered a modernist pioneer alongside Johnson, "What you see from the 1960's is very much the influence of the two of them together," according to architectural historian Hilary Lewis. Foster created his own architectural firm, Richard Foster Associates, in 1962.
The Building at a Glance
Design: Philip Johnson and Richard Foster
General Contractor: George A. Fuller Co
Landscape Design: Samuel French and Company
Lighting: Jack Kilpatrick
Interior Design: Samuel Morrow
5 ½ acre plot on Foxhall Road, Northwest Washington, DC
Building was begun in 1963, completed in 1967
David and Carmen Kreeger moved into the building in August 1967
Constructed on three levels
223 feet North to South
111 ½ feet East to West
36 modular units. 22 X 22 feet (2 additional ½’s make 37)
17 domes
Square Footage: Approx. 24,000
Materials: Concrete, steel, brick, travertine, anodized aluminum (dark metal trim throughout building), teak, glass, dolomite (cobblestones)
FAQ’s
What has changed since the building was finished in 1967?
Very little has changed since the building’s original conception and construction; the swimming pool was changed to a reflecting pool in 2011, the tennis court on the north lawn was removed in 2013, and the plexiglass atrium dome was replaced in 2007 with a glass roof.
Did the Kreegers really live here?
Yes. This building was designed as a residence and a museum. The north wing of the building - was designed as a residential area.
What’s with the carpet on the walls?
The beige carpet was woven in the state of Georgia, USA. It serves practical and aesthetic purposes, including improved acoustics, ease of switching work from one location to another, and visually softening the hard lines of the travertine and anodized aluminum.
Was this Johnson’s first project in DC?
No. Johnson designed the Pre-Columbian Pavilion at Dumbarton Oaks, completed in 1963. He also designed an addition to the monastery at St. Anselm Abbey in 1960.
Sources:
Construction Report – George Fuller Co.
