Harper House St. Joseph, Michigan

New Photos of the Harper House

View of the Harper House from across the street.

There’s a lot to be said for having a room with a view.  Dr.Ina Morris Harper has an entire house with a view.  This home, built in1950, is located on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan in the town of St.Joseph.

According to Storrer,Mrs. Harper read an article by Loren Pope (of Pope/Leighey House fame)and was fascinated by Wright’s work.  Wright was contacted and a home wasdesigned that was quite a bit larger than the Harpers had originallyenvisioned.  The Harpers only lived in the home for two years after it wasbuilt.

The most noticeable feature of this home are the living room windows. This lets the occupants enjoy the view of the lake and lets the sunshine in evenin the cold of winter.   The sides of the living room that face theneighbors are protected by walls that enclose the terrace.

The rest of the home seems quite low in comparison to the livingroom.  I imagine that adds to the privacy a bit too.  Again accordingto Storrer, the home has gone through some changes in the years since theHarpers lived there.  The carport has been closed in, a garage has beenadded, and most of the interior furniture has been removed from thehome.

In February of 2004, I received an e-mail from the currentowners of the Harper House.  They had seen the photos and were kind enoughto get in touch with me and tell me about their experience with the home. They’ve lived in the home for the last 7 years and have had to do significantwork on the home to bring it back to be true to its design.

As with many Wright homes, there was a lot of work to be donebeyond just redecorating.  They commented that for the first many yearsthat there always seemed to be something that needed fixing.  The home isfinally getting to the point where they’re happy with it and able to live in itmore than work on it.

Many thanks to Gina and Art for e-mailing me and sharing theirexperiences with me.

After corresponding some more with the owners of the Harper House, we visited them on our trip through Michigan in early March, 2004. Here are the photos that I got of our visit.

Daylight shot in the Winter. This gives you an idea of what the view is like. You can see the lake in the distance

Living room windows give you a great view, but the wall and hedge give you a little privacy.

Telescope gives you a great chance to look out onto Lake Michigan

Dining area of the living space

Buffet

Looking at the living room and entry nook from the living room windows

The entry nook looks like a great place to relax and read

Fireplace, entry and reading nook

View from the front door

View towards the front door

Using the mirrors as Wright intended

Different view with the mirrors

Even another mirror view

Desk shot

The gas fireplace gave off really good heat and looked good too

Kitchen

Kitchen

Hallway to bedrooms

Master Bedroom view

Looking up at a nice lamp and the outdoor planter overhang

Master bedroom view

Master bedroom

Master bedroom

Master Bath

Small Bathroom

Hall to new wing of the house.

Small bedroom view. notice the mitered glass.

The other small bedroom in the new wing

Office and family room in the new wing.

View of the bedroom planter overhang

Hallway coming back from the new wing of the home

Worm’s eye view

Another shot in the fading sunlight

Twilight at the Harper House

I can’t thank you enough, Gina and Art for the opportunity to meet you and spend some time in your home. It is truly beautiful.

About the author

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Brad Smith

Brad Smith is an experienced interior designer and the founder of OmniHomeIdeas.com. With a Master's degree in Interior Design from Pratt Institute and a passion for creating safe and healthy living spaces, Brad shares his expert insights and innovative design ideas with our readers. His work is driven by the belief that home is where every story begins.

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