Viola and Avon Hart House

1545 Skyline Pkwy.

In 1952, the house at 1545 Skyline Parkway was the first commissioned design by Robert Warn after his graduation from Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin. The house exhibits the design characteristics articulated by Wright: 1) a small enclosed entry; 2) compressed space opening into a large space; 3) a fireplace that’s the heart of the house; 4) lots of natural light, and no basement. Warn later went on to design buildings for St. Olaf College. The original builder was Wasbotten and Rose.

The first owners, Viola and Avon Hart, added a single garage with an attached studio for Viola, a professional artist. In 2019, the current owner restored the exterior color of the original redwood siding by painting it “Rustic Red.” Viola and Avon ran an audio visual business as well as an art gallery.