Untitled S.387 (Three Lobed Continuous Form with Two Interior Lobed Continuous Forms)

In the fall of 1947, frustrated by the Black Mountain College's failure to obtain a full-time architect, a group of students formed a study group which met once a week to discuss modern architecture. Members of the group included Warren Outten, Albert Lanier, Si Sillman, Paul Williams, Bernard Karp, Alex Morse, and Ralph Chernoff. Eager to actually build something, the group designed a small low-cost house with an area of 400 square feet, providing cooking, sleeping and study facilities for a faculty or student couple; this project was known as the Minimum House.
The south facade of glass panels looked out onto a woodland scene with a stream and a grove of rhododendron and dogwood trees. The south exposure took advantage of solar heat in the winter time. The north side, facing the road, was of insulating stone gathered from the college property. A row of windows was placed at the ceiling for privacy and the east and west sides were of corrugated aluminum. Warren Outten and Mary Phelan met at Black Mountain College and were great friends of Albert Lanier and Ruth Asawa. The present lot was acquired directly from Ruth Asawa by Warren Outten.