2/24/15 Week 6 Day 1

A depiction of Margaret Erlanger

figure 1

        Today we visited the Erlanger House, a piece of architecture that was designed for UIUC dance instructor Margaret Erlanger to be her home. The house has many features that show how important dance was to her life. Many of the switches are on the floor, to be used by feet instead of hands. The stairway has no railing on one side,   being very graceful, Erlanger did not need one.

     The house is made to be very private, but is still very open, two walls show enormous windows, but one opens only to the back yard while the other opens to a courtyard enclosed by a tall brick wall.

      The house very much blends the inside with the outside by using stone on the floor near the window and allowing the brick to continue undisturbed from the inside wall to the outside wall. as it passes beside the glass.

      The house appears small from the outside but is actually very spacious inside. Just as there is an effort to blur the lines between outside and inside, there are few distinctions made between rooms. The "bedroom" simply exists on the second story, which is visible from the first floor as shown in figure 1. The carpet from the bedroom continues uninterrupted into the bathroom, creating an open and unimpeded space.


 Down on the first floor is a lowered area meant to encourage conversation and socializing. It is located next to a fire pit and creates a small space that feels more enclosed than the rest of the spacious house.

The Erlanger House speaks to the personality and profession of Margaret Erlanger, a private person and a graceful dancer. It is a beautiful piece of architecture that may not appeal to everyone as a great home but in unarguably a beautiful house.