One of the most influential architects of the 20th century, Walter Gropius, was born on May 18 in 1883. Gropius believed that design should be both functional and aesthetically pleasing. His theories became the foundation for the stark, no-nonsense Bauhaus style.

I thought I didn't like Bauhaus until I visited the modest home Walter Gropius built for himself in Lincoln, Massachusetts. The day was cold and rainy. The boxy, colorless Gropius House seemed to melt into the dark, wet landscape. And yet even at dusk, the Gropius House conveyed a sense of light and space.

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^{Photo © Jackie Craven}