Art and architecture lovers now have a rare opportunity to explore the Margaret Esherick House, a midcentury modern gem designed by famed architect Louis Kahn, through new guided tours offered by the Wharton Esherick Museum.

The modernist landmark, located at 204 Sunrise Lane near Pastorius Park, is one of only nine houses designed by Kahn and features a one-of-a-kind kitchen crafted by his close friend and legendary studio furniture artist Wharton Esherick. The museum began hosting tours of the home in 2024, following its addition to the National Register of Historic Places in 2023.

“There are two dates on the calendar now — they're both booked up,” said Katie Wynne, Wharton Esherick Museum’s deputy director of operations and public engagement. “We have another one coming up later this summer, and we will definitely do at least one more in the fall.”

A rare collaboration

Visitors experience a rare collaboration between Kahn and Esherick — one of only two in existence. The other is a 1956 workshop on the museum’s campus in Malvern. At the Chestnut Hill home, Esherick was given full creative freedom over the kitchen, which features his signature touches: curved countertops, hidden storage, and a tactile, sculptural aesthetic.

“You step into this room and there’s beautiful curving counters,” Wynne said. “There’s all these really brilliant uses of space … when you see its functionality, the delight happens and it’s that sense of discovery.”

To protect the Esherick kitchen from wear and tear, current owners Paul Savidge and Dan Macey constructed a second, minimal kitchen nearby, cleverly repurposing an adjacent former utility room. They installed a custom furnace in a crawlspace and even relocated the hot water heater into a chimney cavity.

“They recognized right away — how are we going to be comfortable using this kitchen? It's a work of art,” said Wynne.

Kahn, one of the 20th century’s most influential architects, was known for blending monumental forms with natural light and “material honesty,” an architectural term that refers to respecting the inherent integrity of a material, using it where most appropriate, and keeping it visibly true to its nature. His works include the Salk Institute in California, the Kimbell Art Museum in Texas, and the Phillips Exeter Academy Library in New Hampshire. In Philadelphia, he designed the Richards Medical Research Laboratories and Erdman Hall at Bryn Mawr College.

The Esherick House, completed in 1961, exemplifies Kahn’s design philosophy of “served” and “servant” spaces — distinguishing between primary living areas and support functions such as bathrooms and hallways. One notable feature is the split bathroom: the tub occupies one space with its own fireplace, while the toilet is in a separate adjoining area.

The 2,000-square-foot, one-bedroom home was commissioned by Esherick’s niece, Margaret Esherick, owner of the former Fireside Bookshop in Chestnut Hill. The living room includes a beam selected and hewn by her uncle, and floor-to-ceiling bookshelves reflect her literary background.

“They’ve just lowered the price”

Current owner Savidge recalled first seeing the house as a child. “My parents drove around on Sundays looking at houses, and we came by this house just to take a look at it. My parents liked modern architecture.”

Savidge and Macey bought the home in 2013 after it had lingered on the market for years due to its unusual one-bedroom design. “Dan sent me an email at work and said, ‘The Louis Kahn house in Chestnut Hill — they’ve just lowered the price again,’” Savidge said. “We walked through it and walked out … Dan said, ‘We would be really good stewards of this house.’”

Savidge serves on the Wharton Esherick Museum board. Macey, a commercial food stylist, is active in several architectural preservation groups, including Docomomo US/Greater Philadelphia.

After purchasing the home, the couple reached out to the museum and began learning more about Esherick’s significance. “The real estate agent told us the kitchen was designed by Wharton Esherick,” said Savidge. “It’s just a fantastically beautiful and functional space.”

Their 18-month renovation focused on maintaining the integrity of Kahn’s original design while updating infrastructure. “We had no intention of erasing the past of the house,” Savidge said. In one small but telling example, they preserved a concrete section of flooring from the old utility room in the new kitchen.

“The house basically appears in every architecture textbook,” Savidge said. “Every architecture student knows this house.”

The couple also own two stools designed and signed by Esherick, along with one of his cutting boards — a signature gift he often brought to friends.

When asked if there is anything he does not like, Savidge thought for a moment and admitted, “It would be good to have another bedroom. But, other than that, you get to live in this beautiful, beautiful, beautiful space.”

To be notified of future tour dates, Wynne recommends signing up for the museum’s email updates via its website.

Of the tours, Savidge said, “It’s good for the museum, it’s good for Dan and me.”

The Margaret Esherick House is a private residence. Upcoming tour dates are TBD. To be notified of upcoming tours, call (610) 644-5822 or email info@whartonesherickmuseum.org. Tickets are $50 per person and include a 60-75 minute docent-led tour of both the interior and exterior of the house.