The Chandler House in 2006

Chandler House in 2006

Chandler House, 1978
606 Illini Drive

Poised to take advantage of the rugged hilly terrain, this contemporary 1-story house was constructed on concrete piers on a wooded lot over-looking Elliott Road.

Designed by architects Robert Martin Engelbrecht and Associates as a vacation home, this octagon-shaped glass and cedar structure, was built for Louis and Lynn Chandler in 1978, by Sosso and Welsh, Inc.  The house was originally designed utilizing an octagon floor plan, the central roof section being a pyramid that peaks in a Plexiglas skylight to illuminate the central core. The plans called for 952 square feet of living space, with a versatile floor plan that could be adapted to the site, allowing this vacation home to be set on concrete piers -- a feature that recommended the design to the rugged hilly terrain of western Pennsylvania.

Because of the international oil embargo in effect at the time, gas service was being denied to new construction, and so the house was built as an all-electric home.

Later, the space around the piers was enclosed to provide a basement, and in 1985 the original floor plan was modified by Palazzi Builders and Designers when a north wing was added to essentially double the available floor space, and provide integral space for a two-car garage.