Sotheby’s sold the Walker Guest House, at their Important Design auction in New York. They included a chapter on the Walker Guest House in the auction’s main catalog—and also published a separate catalog that was focused on the house.
An Exciting Auction
The Walker Guest House—one of Paul Rudolph’s most iconic designs—was recently sold at auction. The house was built in the early 1950’s, and has been loved (and maintained with meticulous care) by three generations of the Walker family.
The sale took place on December 12, 2019, at Sotheby’s-New York, as part of their Important Design auction. Readers of these posts will be familiar with Sotheby’s efforts: they created several web-paged devoted to the building (one of which included a documentary they’d commissioned, about the house’s architectural significance), featured it in the catalog for the overall auction, and even published a separate catalog devoted to the building.
Sotheby’s allocated a galley to the Walker Guest House, in which they showed original furniture from the house, screened the documentary which they had commissioned, and displayed classic Ezra Stoller photos of the house. Most impressive of all, they displayed a full-size recreation of one of house’s exterior bays (including the adjustable flap and counterweight.) Above photo courtesy of David Shapiro of shapiro _real_estate_restaurant; photo at right courtesy of Spliteye Multimedia LLC
The auction’s final “hammer price” for the Walker Guest House was $750,000 and, with auction house fees, the total came to $920,000. The house was sold without the land, so the new owner will be moving it to another location. The Paul Rudolph Heritage Foundation realizes that anybody who is making such an investment must care about great architecture (and especially Paul Rudolph’s!)—and we congratulate them on acquiring such a significant work.
And Now: The Auction of the Replica
A nearly exact, partially furnished, demountable replica of Paul Rudolph’s Walker Guest House will soon be auctioned.
A Replica?
The Sarasota Architectural Foundation (SAF) commissioned this replica of Paul Rudolph's Walker Guest House (also known as the "Cannonball House” because of the steel-sphere counterweights that help the panels move) in response to the destruction of several structures designed by the architect.
"The SAF, whose mission is to educate about, advocate for, and celebrate Sarasota's mid-century modern heritage, undertook this project as an educational initiative.”
“Recognizing that a majority of Sarasota School structures are private residences not normally accessible to the public, the SAF wanted to expose the forward-thinking principles of the 'Sarasota School' to a wider audience by constructing and exhibiting this replica.”
—SAF Chairman Dr. Christopher Wilson, Ph.D
An exterior view of the replica, with the flaps up on the left, and partially down on the right. Photo by Stan Jernigan, courtesy of the Sarasota Architectural Foundation
The replica as seen in the early evening, glowing from within. Flaps have been set at various angles. Photo by Anton Grassl, ESTO, courtesy of the Sarasota Architectural Foundation
The replica seen on the diagonal, with the entry door at the far left. Photo by Anton Grassl, ESTO, courtesy of the Sarasota Architectural Foundation
This replica was constructed from Rudolph’s plans, and initially installed on the grounds of The John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art where it was open for tours from 2015-to-2017. Visitors came to the 576-square-foot house to learn about Paul Rudolph and discover the principles of the Sarasota School of Architecture movement. The replica was thoughtfully and meticulously constructed to match the original—and designed so that it would be practical to transport and re-erect.
Replica On View Again in Palm Springs, California
In 2018 it was reinstalled in Palm Springs (where it was a feature of "Modernism Week”: the city’s biannual festival celebrating mid-century Modern architecture and design.
It will be on display again in February, during 2020’s Palm Springs Modernism Week.
With the ending of it’s display at 2020’s Modernism Week, the Walker Guest House Replica will need a new home and owner—and therefore it will be auctioned. Fortunately, it was designed so that it could be shipped, and it is hoped that will facilitate finding a new location.
The Upcoming Auction
The auction will take place on Tuesday, February 25, 2020. One need not be in any specific location to participate: bidding can be done though the auctioneer’s internet bidding system.
For the Replica auction, bidding will start at $10,000 – the same amount as the original 1950’s budget.
The purchaser of the replica will also receive replicas of a living room table, a bookshelf/divider, and a daybed designed by Rudolph; and a desk by Paul McCobb (the well-known mid-century Modern furniture designer); as well as the kitchen fixtures.
Note: there is currently no bathroom, as that space was adapted to provide a lift for disability access when the house was on-display. The demountable structure can be uninstalled and transported, and has a manual for construction. The auction house’s Design Department can supply more information on all this—and the Paul Rudolph Heritage Foundation can also refer the buyer to architects that are knowledgeable about this phase of Paul Rudolph’s work (and who could be helpful in re-erecting and adapting the replica.)
An interior view, showing a portion of the living room, (with the adjustable flap structure beyond.) Photo courtesy of the Sarasota Architectural Foundation
An exterior view, showing the adjustable flaps in various positions. Photo by Anton Grassl, ESTO, courtesy of the Sarasota Architectural Foundation
A portion of the living room, looking toward the dining area beyond. Photo by Jenny Acheson, courtesy of the Sarasota Architectural Foundation
The Auctioneer
The sale of the replica will be the highlight of Heritage Auctions’ February Design auction, which will include a diverse selection of modern and contemporary furniture, ceramics, glass and objects.
Heritage Auctions is the largest fine art and collectibles auction house founded in the United States—and they maintain offices in New York, Dallas, Beverly Hills, San Francisco, Chicago, Palm Beach, London, Paris, Geneva, Amsterdam, and Hong Kong.
The Walker Guest House replica—shown with with its famous adjustable exterior flaps in the downward position—when it was on-display in Palm Springs. Photo by Melissa Daniels
Paul Rudolph’s drawings of his Walker Guest House, showing how the exterior flaps work. Located on all four sides of the house, they open and close (and can be set at almost any angle), which allows for flexibility in dealing with changes in sun, wind, and rain (and desire for privacy.) © The estate of Paul Rudolph, The Paul Rudolph Heritage Foundation