Welcome to the Archives of The Paul Rudolph Institute for Modern Architecture. The purpose of this online collection is to function as a tool for scholars, students, architects, preservationists, journalists and other interested parties. The archive consists of photographs, slides, articles and publications from Geller’s lifetime; physical drawings and models; personal photos and memorabilia; and contemporary photographs and articles.

Some of the materials are in the public domain, some are offered under Creative Commons, and some are owned by others, including the Geller Estate. Please speak with a representative of The Paul Rudolph Institute for Modern Architecture before using any drawings or photos in the Archives. In all cases, the researcher shall determine how to appropriately publish or otherwise distribute the materials found in this collection, while maintaining appropriate protection of the applicable intellectual property rights.

LOCATION
Address: Surfside Drive
City: Bridgehampton
State: New York
Zip Code: 11932
Nation: United States

STATUS
Type: Residential
Status: Built; Demolished

TECHNICAL DATA
Date(s): 1966-1967
Site Area: 46,500 ft² (4,320 m²)
Floor Area: 4 beds, 2 baths; 0 ft² (0 m²)
Height: 27’-0” (8.23 m)
Floors (Above Ground): 2
Building Cost:

PROFESSIONAL TEAM
Client: Irving Elkin (1919-1997) and Louise L. Elkin (1923-2006)
Architect: Andrew Geller (1924-2011)
Associate Architect:
Landscape:
Structural:
MEP:
QS/PM:

SUPPLIERS
Contractor:
Subcontractor(s):

Elkin Residence

The project scope is to design a residence for Irving Elkin (1919-1997) and Louise L. Elkin (1923-2006).
The project is known as ‘Grasshopper’ and ‘Reclining Picasso’
The project is under construction in April 1967.
The residence is featured in an advertisement campaign by House & Garden for their 1974 Second House Guide publication. The project appears on a wall calendar and newspaper spread.
The residence is destroyed in the 1990s.
Irving Elkin passes away on May 13, 1997.
Louise Elkin passes away on October 23, 2006

“...the house in Sagaponack that Mr. Geller did for Irving Elkin, a photographer, as a wildly pitched succession of Cubist-style forms, which vaguely resembled a reclining nude by Picasso. It was singled out for condemnation by local citizens and critics and was compared by some to the Titanic hitting an iceberg. But perhaps that was the point. A summer house was meant to make you smile.”

— Allistair Gordon in “BEACHCOMBING WITH: ANDREW GELLER; In Search of Fun Among the Dunes.” The New York Times, 22 July 1999.