“[Philip Hiss] hired Paul Rudolph to design a speculative house for his Lido Shores development ‘to attract attention from the road and in the architectural journals,’ according to Bill Rupp. Hiss was not disappointed: the result was a very Floridian house of temple-like quality, with a high second wood-slat roof over the lower building masses for cooling and shading. The house proper had two levels containing upper bedrooms at each end, with balconies and bridges over a two-story living-dining space that became a breezeway when opened. The slat roof continued out over a swimming pool and gazebo. Again, the structural solution was difficult to attain, but it was ultimately successful and earned much publicity. The house’s fragile lattice portion was eventually destroyed by a hurricane.”
Howey, John. The Sarasota School of Architecture: 1941-1966. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1997. pp. 72-73.
Hurricane Alma tore away the “umbrella” in June, 1966.
‘Umbrella House’ by Paul Rudolph from Virtual Globetrotting
“Paul Rudolph’s Umbrella House Regains its Umbrella from Preservation Magazine (Internet Archive)
