Gropius House

We have visited the Gropius House in Lincoln several times, and often the tours were international. More than once, we found ourselves alongside visitors from Europe, particularly Germany, drawn here because of the reputation of the man who designed and lived in this remarkable home.

The house was built in 1938 by Walter Gropius, one of the most influential architects of the 20th century and the founder of the Bauhaus movement. Forced to leave Germany in 1934 as the Nazi regime shut down the Bauhaus and branded its modern ideas as “degenerate”. Gropius immigrated to the United States in 1937. Shortly thereafter, he accepted a teaching position at Harvard Graduate School of Design and settled in the town of Lincoln, Massachusetts.

Gropius lived here with his wife and family from 1938 to his death in 1969. He built his life in the U.S., shaping generations of American architects and embedding modernism into the American architectural landscape.

In this house, Gropius blended European Modernist principles with traditional New England materials. There are steel railings, glass block and cork floors coexisting with wood, brick and local stone. This was all intentional to be functional and efficient.

The design both inside and out, reflects Bauhaus ideals that form follows function, craftsmanship matters and good design support daily life. Today, the Gropius is preserved by Historic New England.