Vanna Venturi Home Up for Historic Designation

The iconic postmodern home that Philly architect Robert Venturi designed and built for his mother Vanna in 1964 may soon be deemed historic. According to Plan Philly, the Philadelphia Historical Commission accepted a nomination to list the Vanna Venturi House in the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places. If all goes according to plan—and it most likely will—the 3-bed, 2-bath, 1,986-square-foot house in Chestnut Hill will be officially designated as historic at the commission's next meeting on December 11.

Also dubbed "Mother's Home," it has only had two owners in its history, including Venturi's mother and later University of Pennsylvania professor Dr. Thomas P. Hughes, who died last February. According to the nomination, Venturi's mother commissioned her son to "design and build her a home that would accommodate her in advanced age and allow her to live comfortably as a single woman." Venturi's ultimately designed a two-story, rectangular-planned home that was considered "conspicuously anti-Modernist," what with its gabled roof, arches, framed windows, and green-painted exterior.

The nod from the historic commission comes at a fitting time, as architects Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown recently became the first duo to be awarded the AIA's Golden Medal, the highest honor available. In addition, the home is currently on the market for $1,750,000. With the impending historic designation, the new owner will have to closely work with the commission, which will have oversight for any changes to the property's exterior.

· 8330 Millman St. Nomination [Official]
· Historic designation ahead for Vanna Venturi House [PlanPhilly]
· Denise Scott Brown & Robert Venturi Win AIA Gold Medal [Curbed]
· The trailblazing postmodern Vanna Venturi house is for sale [Curbed]