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 Rudolph’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 Paul Rudolph 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.

In his will, Paul Rudolph gave his Architectural Archives (including drawings, plans, renderings, blueprints, models and other materials prepared in connection with his professional practice of architecture) to the Library of Congress Trust Fund following his death in 1997. A Stipulation of Settlement, signed on June 6, 2001 between the Paul Rudolph Estate and the Library of Congress Trust Fund, resulted in the transfer of those items to the Library of Congress among the Architectural Archives, that the Library of Congress determined suitable for its collections. The intellectual property rights of items transferred to the Library of Congress are in the public domain. The usage of the Paul M. Rudolph Archive at the Library of Congress and any intellectual property rights are governed by the Library of Congress Rights and Permissions.

However, the Library of Congress has not received the entirety of the Paul Rudolph architectural works, and therefore ownership and intellectual property rights of any materials that were not selected by the Library of Congress may not be in the public domain and may belong to the Paul Rudolph Estate.

LOCATION
Address: 5242 Avenida Del Mare
City: Siesta Key
State: Florida
Zip Code: 34242
Nation: United States

STATUS
Type: Residential
Status: Built

TECHNICAL DATA
Date(s): 1948-1949
Site Area: 11,900 ft² (1,105.5 m²)
Floor Area: 3 bed, 1 bath, 1,220 ft² (113.3 m²)
Height:
Floors (Above Ground): 1
Building Cost: $11,814.00 USD at $10 per s.f. (1949)

PROFESSIONAL TEAM
Client: Edward Allen Deeds (1899-1973) and Sarah Elizabeth Walker Deeds (1907-1981)
Architect: Ralph S. Twitchell (1890-1978)
Associate Architect: Paul M. Rudolph (1918-1997)
Landscape:
Structural:
MEP:
QS/PM:

SUPPLIERS
Contractor: Associated Builders, Inc.
Subcontractor(s):

Deeds Residence

The project scope is to design a two bedroom home with a central screened-patio. The Deeds family want the house to be inconspicuous so the design is a simple rectangular mass with a flat roof.
The design consists of 3 rows of 4” x 6” wood columns - two in the outer walls and the third in the middle of the house, permitting the entire roof to be spanned with two standard rafters, one 10 feet long and the other 12 feet long. Each of the rows of posts are spaced 12 feet apart.
The walls of the house are relieved of any structural duties except wind-bracing, allowing them to be placed anywhere and between any two posts there can be a full 12 foot opening.
Solid wall areas are faced with striated waterproof plywood
A screened patio cut into the plan provides insect-free outdoor living and aids ventilation. It also takes the place of a fireplace as the focus of the living room and as an outdoor dining space. Its location allows the kitchen a direct view of the outdoors on both sides - allowing light into the space on both morning and afternoon.
The ceiling is covered in plaster instead of being left exposed as a way to save money by using cheaper lumber and less exacting joinery. Ventilation was achieved by using stacks of awning-type sashes instead of rolling back large glass windows to reduce the cost of construction.
The residence is renovated in 1969.
Edward Allen Deeds passes away on 10/03/1973.
Sarah Elizabeth Walker Deeds passes away on 03/26/1981.
The property is sold on 10/01/1981 for $105,000 to Willard Emery (1902-1979) and Elizabeth Marvin Emery (1901-1995).
In 1990 a boat dock is added to the property
On 11/14/1990 the property is transferred to Willard Emery Jr. (1937-) and Marvin Emery (1938-).
The property is sold to Marvin Emery (1938-) on 03/31/2000.

““By the use of full-height glass, the living area and master bedrooms are allowed to borrow all out-of-doors as part of the apparent house space, making the little home seem three times as big as it is. By mere omission of a bay and half of roof, a screened patio, cut into the plan, is visually made an inexpensive part of the dwelling space. By a paradox that should appeal mightily to builders, the less house Twitchell & Rudolph built, the more they had.””

— “Tailor-Made Houses.” Architectural Forum 92 (April 1950): 168.