Margaret Esherick House Tour

A Collaboration Between Two Icons of Modernism

In 2024, the Wharton Esherick Museum launched a partnership with the owners of the Margaret Esherick House to offer tours and programs at this iconic modernist home on select dates throughout the year. Commissioned by Margaret Esherick, Wharton’s niece, the house was designed by Philadelphia architect Louis Kahn and features an extraordinary kitchen conceived and installed by Wharton Esherick during the construction of the house. Recognizing the architectural importance of the house, the homeowners have generously collaborated with WEM on this ongoing series of select public events, sharing their private residence for the benefit of the museum and its supporters.

The celebrated Margaret Esherick House (1961), located in the Chestnut Hill neighborhood of Philadelphia, is one of only two examples of collaboration between Wharton Esherick and his friend Louis Kahn, the world-renowned architect. The 1956 Workshop on the museum’s campus, designed by Kahn, Anne Tyng, and Esherick, provides the only other instance of their work together.

The house embodies Kahn’s modernist, elemental approach to material and light at an intimate scale: a 2,500 square foot house with one bedroom. Margaret gave her uncle Wharton full license to design and build the kitchen, which features curving countertops and many signature Esherick design elements like unexpected drawers, hidden storage, and tactile warmth. Esherick’s ingenious handling of tight quarters and the clarity with which he unites form and function sing in this unique space, which preceded the kitchen he built and designed for his own Studio home.

The Margaret Esherick House is a private residence. The owners, Paul Savidge and Dan Macey, have lovingly maintained and preserved the home, receiving local and national recognition for their exceptional stewardship including conservation of Wharton Esherick’s work. In 2023, the house was listed on the National Registry of Historic Places with the kitchen noted as a significant contributing feature. Recognizing the importance of the house, both as an architectural gem in its own right, the opportunity it affords to see an intact Esherick installation, and its unique status as one of two Kahn/Esherick collaborations, the couple have generously partnered with WEM to offer limited tours and programs for the benefit of the museum and its supporters.

Photography by Jeffrey Totaro

Tours and special events at this iconic modernist home are offered on select dates throughout the year. Explore the event calendar below for upcoming programs!

Please note, events at the Margaret Esherick House are limited and fill up fast – be sure to sign up for our mailing list to hear about additional tours and programs as they are announced.

View Event Calendar

Margaret Esherick at a staff Christmas Party at Chestnut Hill Hospital, 1955. She owned the Fireside Bookstore and often used the three-wheeled Messerschmitt car to deliver gift purchases around Chestnut Hill. Image courtesy of Chestnut Hill Conservancy Archives.

FAQs

Who is Louis Kahn?

Louis Kahn (1901- 1974) was born in Estonia but moved to Philadelphia with his familiy while still a child. He was one of the United States’ greatest 20th century architects, known for combining modernism with the weight and monumentality of ancient buildings. Kahn is considered by many as part of the pantheon of modernist architects, which include Le Corbusier, Mies van der Rohe, and Philip Johnson. Kahn was working on the famed Salk Institute in La Jolla, California, while designing the Margaret Esherick House. His other significant built projects include the Richards Medical Research Laboratories building in Philadelphia, the Kimball Art Museum in Ft. Worth, Texas, the Capitol building of Bangladesh in Dhaka, Philips Exeter Acedemy Library in Exeter, New Hampshire, and The Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park in New York City.

Who is Margaret Esherick?

Margaret Esherick (1919 – 1962), was the daughter of Wharton Esherick’s brother Joseph (1889 – 1958) and Helen Gaugwisch Esherick (1893- 1954). Margaret graduated from the University of Vermont and owned and operated the Fireside Book Shop in Chestnut Hill, which featured children’s books and educational toys. Her brother Joseph Esherick, a student of Louis Kahn’s at Penn, became a well-regarded architect on the west coast. It is likely Joseph referred Margaret to Kahn to design her home in Chestnut Hill, noting that their uncle Wharton and Kahn were friends. Margaret moved into her home in the fall of 1961, but passed away suddenly there in April 1962.