Robert Saarinen Swanson House

People: Robert Saarinen Swanson

Date: 1966

City: Bloomfield Hills

Michigan State Historic Preservation Office, photo by Rob Yallop.

The Robert Saarinen Swanson House is located in a quiet residential neighborhood located off of East Long Lake Road in Bloomfield Hills. The house is located in the center of the property surrounded by large expanses of open lawn. Several medium and large mature trees are clustered near the residence. A semicircular drive extends off of Huntingwood Lane to the house’s two-car garage, which projects from the front of the house. A curved brick walk bordered by low shrubs directs visitors toward the main entrance, which is located in the center of the main elevation. The roof of the garage extends over an open corridor that leads to the front door. The simple box forms, flat roof, and straight lines of the architecture give the home a simple yet sophisticated character. The exterior is clad with a combination of brown brick and vertically oriented wood siding. A wood deck, shaded by large trees extends from the north side of the house. The rear elevation overlooks a small stream extending along the rear property line. The back of the house is divided into three recessed bays separated by narrow brick dividing walls. The bays are identical in their arrangement; each bay contains a horizontal band of windows at the lower level, larger expanses of glass providing light to the living room, which spans the width of the house at the middle level, and a narrow band of clerestory windows tucked under the eaves.

The Swanson House was designed by Robert Saarinen Swanson for himself, his wife, and their three children. The house was conceived to maximize square footage on a small footprint. This was achieved by designing a series of five overlapping levels all contained within a thirty-by-forty-five-foot rectangle and set behind a projecting two-car garage. The entryway, kitchen, and dining room are located at grade with the children’s rooms and a rec room on the lower levels and the living room and master bedroom on the upper levels. The overlapping arrangement allowed the dining room, central stair, and living room to be large open volumes.

Robert Saarinen Swanson received his bachelor of architecture from the University of Michigan and a master of architecture from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Swanson began his career with the firm of Saarinen, Swanson, Saarinen Architects. Later, in association with his father, J. Robert F. Swanson, he formed Swanson Associates, Inc. Architects, Engineers and Planners. Gaining a specialization in resort design and planning, Swanson formed a satellite office in Harbor Springs in 1976 (Swanson/Hofland). Swanson Associates closed its offices the following year at which time, Swanson began a sole practice as Robert Saarinen Swanson Architect and then later partnered with his daughter Karen P. Swanson. Robert Swanson is a member of the American Institute of Architects and served on the Board of Governors for Cranbrook Art Academy beginning in 1971.