Photo credit:
Sarah Vonesh, 04/08/2022
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Hirsch Residence
Inventory No.:
HA-2290
Date Listed:
2/2/2023
Location:
605 Giles Street, Havre de Grace, Harford County
Category:
Building
Period/Date of Construction:
1969-1970
Architect/Builder:
Poldi Hirsch (architect); Carl Thomas (builder)
Boundary Description:
The eastern ten feet of Lot 54, all of Lot 53, and the western twenty feet of Lot 52, in Block 4 of the Bloomsbury Park subdivision, constituting Tax Parcel 1863 (Tax Map 0602).
Related Multiple Property Record:
Women in Maryland Architecture, 1920-1970
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Description:
Located in Havre de Grace, Maryland, the Hirsch Residence is a one-story, mid-century modern, single-family dwelling designed by local architect Poldi Hirsch (a native of Germany). Completed in 1970, the house features low, horizontal, modernist massing in an L-shaped plan, consisting of a main block with a slanted, overhanging shed roof that slopes to the west, and an eastern wing with a low-pitched roof that slopes to the north. Of frame and masonry construction, the house is clad in California redwood siding, with portions of the east, north, and west elevations constructed of uncoursed local fieldstone. The Hirsch Residence is topped by a flat roof with an intersecting low-pitched slanting roof with wide overhangs and exposed wood rafter rails. All the dwelling’s exterior windows are original and consist of single-pane, wood-framed, awning-sash windows and large single-pane, wood-framed, fixed-sash windows, both on thin wood sills. The main entrance is located in the south elevation, at the east end of a frame porch that extends across the full width of the main block, sheltered by the overhang of the slanting roof. Secondary entrances are located in the east elevation, beneath a flat-roofed frame side porch, and in the north and west elevations. A cantilevered frame sun deck extends from the front of the house, east of the main entrance and front porch, and is clad in vertical redwood siding. An original detached, frame, rectangular-plan carport (contributing building) with an overhanging flat roof is situated to the southeast of the house and is accessed by a covered concrete walkway. The Hirsch Residence has undergone few alterations since its completion, and both its exterior and interior retain excellent integrity.
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Significance:
The Hirsch Residence demonstrates both historical and architectural significance under the Women in Maryland Architecture, 1920-1970 Multiple Property Submission. Designed by Maryland architect Poldi Hirsch as her personal home and office, it illustrates the contributions of female design professionals active in Maryland during the twentieth century. Hirsch was one of only a handful of women architects active in the state during this period. Her work and that of other women in the field helped establish a more equitable environment within the architectural profession. The residence is also significant as a distinctive and sophisticated example of a well-designed mid-century modern dwelling, indicating the trends that shaped modern residential design after World War II. Its design communicates the influence on Hirsch of the work of Frank Lloyd Wright, Le Corbusier, Alvar Aalto, and other leading modernist architects of the era; the building is widely regarded as Hirsch’s best surviving work.
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