Gropius House
Construction
Because the Gropiuses’ house was owned and paid for by Helen Storrow, the invoices, receipts, and other documentary records for the period of construction were sent to her property manager and their whereabouts are unknown. Surviving records pertaining to the house start in the fall of 1938 when the Gropiuses started keeping their own house files. Luckily, the Gropiuses retained a full set of blueprints (reproduced below) that provide great detail into the house’s construction and give clues as to what was being changed as the house was being built. In addition, the daughter of carpenter Jack Studley recently discovered a set of photos her mother had taken while visiting the work site as the house was under construction. This series of photographs allows us to look inside walls and floors as they were going up. Both the architectural plans and construction snapshots have provided essential information for restoration teams working on Gropius House over the years.