Once poised for demolition until neighbors rallied to save it, the Morton Weiss house designed by Louis Kahn is still sitting on the market for just under $1 million.
Located in East Norriton, a township 22 miles north of Philly, the award-winning house was almost torn down to make way for a senior housing apartment complex. Yet after neighbors rallied to save the structure, the East Norriton Planning Commission struck down the zoning proposal in April.
The 3-bedroom, 3-bath home is being sold by its owner, developer Paul Piantone, who was in favor of the proposed development. He’s had it on and off the market since 2010, holding steady at $995,000.
Kahn and his partner Ann Tyng designed the stone home in 1950 for local business owners Morton and Lenore Weiss. The duo won the 1950 American Institute of Architecture Gold Medal for the design, which features south-facing glass panels that can be moved to control the amount of light and privacy. There’s also an in-ground pool on the 9.9-acre lot and an original Kahn painting, according to the listing.
Yet the home has been vacant for years and isn’t in the best shape, despite the previous owners’ mission to preserve the original structure as much as possible over the past 50 years. According to a recent article in Extant, a Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia’s publication, "preservationists fear the current owner is deferring maintenance on the house while marketing the parcel primarily for large-scale development."
The home is one of 10 residential homes that Kahn has designed or been involved with in the Philadelphia region. You can view the grainy listing photos of the property here.
- Louis Kahn's Morton Weiss house saved from demo [Curbed Philly]
- 10 homes Louis Kahn designed in Philly [Curbed Philly]
- Louis Kahn coverage