Triangle Modernist Houses

Compiled by George Smart, Jr.                                                          

FRANK HARMON, AIA

Born in Georgia, Frank Harmon went to NCSU's School of Design and moved to London to study at the Architectural Association School of Architecture.  He interned briefly with Edward Loewenstein 1963-4.  Harmon returned to the US in 1970 and worked for Richard Meier for three years.  After working again in London for six years, he founded his own firm in Raleigh in 1981.  Harmon also taught at the School of Design.   For many years he taught an adult education course in Raleigh called "The Design of Your Home."  He was very close to Harwell Hamilton Harris.

Since 1992, Harmon’s firm (current staff, left) has won more AIA Design Awards than any firm in North Carolina. In 1995 he was awarded the Henry Kamphoefner Prize.  In early 2008, he won the design competition for the AIANC headquarters.   Here are three 2007 video interviews in which Harmon discusses his firm and their projects. 

1978 - The Clark and Bonnie Cramer Residence, 6008 Canadero Drive, Raleigh.

1989 - Harmon's own lovely home, 114 Brooks Avenue, Raleigh, right across from NCSU.

1998 - The Gigi and Warren Edwards Residence, 828 Runnymede Road, Raleigh.

1999 - 817 Bryan Street, Raleigh.  This beautiful house, attractive even from the air (not easy to do!), is owned by Frank D. Thompson.  It was built on the site of a previous house, below.  Franks Harmon and Thompson had a falling out midway through the project.  It was completed by architect Roger Cannon.  With Jessica Johnson Moore, Thompson is currently renovating the 1951 house (also called 817 Bryan) just north of this one.  You can see its roof in the picture just above.

1999 - The James Franklin Taylor and Janice Taylor House, Scotland Cay, Bahamas.  3000 sf on 1/2 acre.  Cost $100 per sf.  Harmon came up with the idea of an inverted roof that would function like an upside-down umbrella, directing rain through a central spout that runs down the center of the house and into two 8,000-gallon cisterns on the ground floor. The roof's upside-down pyramid form also helps cool the home naturally: Its shape forces the air beneath it to flow more quickly than that above it. To avoid the 50 percent tax the Bahamas imposes on imported materials, the 10-person building crew obtained as much as it could--stucco, wood, and concrete block, for example--from local sources.   Contractor:  Ivar Unhjem Construction, Marsh Harbor, Abaco, Bahamas.

2000 - 2700 Webb Street, Raleigh.  Current owners Rich and Amy Podurgal turned this old 40's brick ranch into an exciting new home. 

 2004 - Strickland/Ferris Residence in Raleigh, 4221 Laurel Ridge Drive.  The land was bought from the James Franklin Taylor family in 2003. Interior photography by Timothy Hursley and Jeffrey Jacobs.

2009 - The Jarrett Residence, Apex. 

Other Houses:  Ruth Guthrie, 146 Lochwood West, Cary. 
John and Joyce Young, 617 Misty Isle Place, Raleigh. 
Smith Residence.