The land allocated to the architect is next to Walden Pond. Historic New England, the nation's oldest and largest regional preservation organization, now operates the mansion and has a designated route to it: Route 126 South past Walden Pond.
The apple orchard and other trees around the house create a special atmosphere, and the panoramic windows and spacious terraces allow the surrounding nature to permeate the house. Perhaps this is a modern interpretation of the idea of oneness with nature that Henry Thoreau proclaimed?
Main floor living room fireplace built into the load-bearing wall on the west side of the house. This is the side from which the house looks the most expressive. The roof overhang and lattice terrace on the second floor, supported by slender piles, give the building a light, graceful look. The same piles support the covered veranda at the back of the house.
The glass wall looks exactly the same on the inside as it does on the outside. Not only does it create a kind of shelter, forming a cozy hallway, but it also lets in soft indirect sunlight.
From the hallway there is an entrance to the study, with large windows facing north. The study also leads outside to a spiral staircase leading up to the upper terrace. This layout allows access to the terrace without going through the second-floor children's bedroom.
The floor plan at the end of this article offers a detailed look at the building's features.
To get to the master bedroom, you have to go through the dressing room of the architect's wife, Ise. The closet and bathroom are on the left. This unique and perhaps uncomfortable layout is corrected by the transparent wall with a built-in mirror.
The architect died in 1969, and his wife decided 10 years later to donate the house to the New England Heritage Preservation Organization, now Historic New England. The house became a museum in 1985, two years after Ise's death. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 2002.
Forty-five years of maintenance and periodic renovations have kept the original furnishings in perfect shape, which are worth seeing.
