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: 12183 Fort King Highway
City: Thonotosassa
State: Florida
Zip Code: 33592
Nation: United States

STATUS
Type: Residence
Status: Built

TECHNICAL DATA
Date(s): 1958-1959
Site Area: 882,340 ft² (81,972 m²)
Floor Area: 5 bed, 5 bath, 6,642 ft² (617 m²)
Height:
Floors (Above Ground): 2
Building Cost: $108,000 USD

PROFESSIONAL TEAM
Client: Richard Ambler and Dorothy L. Liggett
Architect: Paul Rudolph
Associate Architect:
Landscape: Prentiss French
Structural: Sidney L. Barber
MEP: Charles T. Healy
QS/PM:

SUPPLIERS
Contractor: R. S. Stevens and Sons
Subcontractor(s):

Liggett Residence

Richard Ambler Liggett (1903-1971) is Chairman of the board of the First National Bank of Tampa during the 1950s and 1960s. He graduated from Yale in 1925 and obtained a M.B.A. from Harvard in 1927.
The site of the residence is the focal point of a 30-year old orchard of 35-ft high orange trees, with a 1000’ (304.8 m) central allée opened up to a lake. The residence is placed on axis approximately 25’-0” above the lake. A podium terrace dramatizes the importance of the house. The lack of ordinary fenestration and openings offer no scale and makes the house appear larger than it is.
The form of the house takes shape in a series of sculptural interplays of rectangular forms and voids, and both the horizontal and vertical planes. The entrance approach to the house is placed so that one must walk around the outside of the residence to appreciate the design.
The design is a modern interpretation of Southern Greek revival architecture, similar to the later Wallace residence. The abstract classical composition features a large private covered porch at the rear with a public facing front elevation kept simple and reserved.
The plan of the residence has all major rooms facing long vistas through the surrounding orange grove with the exception of the Master Bedroom located on the first floor, which has its own walled-in garden, terrace and pool. Rooms for the children and guests are on the upper floor. The plan centers on a roofed and screened courtyard which is intended to be filled with exotic plants.
The structure is framed with concrete block, steel beams and 10-inch bar joists. Floors are 2-1/2 inch concrete slabs on bar joists, finished in carpet, terrazzo or rosewood flooring. Exterior walls are brick treated with silicone.
The interiors are in large part designed by Rudolph to emphasize the sense of space: especially in the living area, with built-in leather seats flanking a rosewood floor sunken conversation pit. Interior finishes are brick, glass and plaster. The living room and library ceilings are two stories high.
The residence is air conditioned throughout except for the central patio, using ceiling diffusers, floor and sidewall returns.
Like the Harkavy Residence, the layout distinctly privatizes the internal life of the occupants by positioning the main living space towards the back of the house.
The project is the last completed by Bert Brosmith before the office in Sarasota, Florida is closed.
The residence is featured in Architectural Record Houses of 1962.
In 1988, the property is sold to A. Bronson and Stella Thayer.