The Crimson Beech
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The Crimson Beech (also known as the Cass House) is a house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright located in the Lighthouse Hill neighborhood of the New York City borough of Staten Island. Its original owners, Catherine and William Cass, had it manufactured in kit form in the Midwest and shipped to Staten Island where it was erected in 1959[1]). It is the only residence designed by Wright in New York City and fewer than a dozen of these "prefabricated" houses were built[2].
A model known to Wright scholars as Prefab No. 1, the house features a combined kitchen and family room, a sunken living room with a cathedral ceiling, and a gallery that leads to four bedrooms[3]. All interior walls are paneled in Philippine mahogany, with raised horizontal bands set about a foot apart[3].
The house is a long, low L, with wide-hip roofs[1]. The exterior, red brick and largely clad in cream-colored Masonite, is similarly striped with redwood battens that emphasize the low-slung lines. The front of the house has one story; the rear, because of the sloping site, has two[3]. The roof is made of terne (lead-covered steel)[3].
At the time it was constructed, the components of the house cost $20,000; assembling them cost $35,000[3]. The house was declared a landmark in August, 1990 and the original owners resided there until 1999 when it was sold. It remains in private hands.[2].
