The Bim Kendall house is a 1954 prairie-style building near the west side of the University of Wyoming campus. The Bim Kendall House was formerly the Hitchcock House, named for the Verna J. Hitchcock who was a department head in Family and Consumer Sciences. As the Hitchcock House, the building was home to women learning to manage households, and later, to a UW daycare center.
Now part of the UW Environmental and Natural Resources program, the Bim Kendall House has been restored and enhanced with additional offices and collaborative spaces. The upgrades to the house were completed with sustainable building practices in mind. The mid-century modern style roof design of the addition allows for properly oriented site for photovoltaic and allows for passive ventilation within staff offices. In 2012, the house was awarded LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council for its energy saving measures, low resource consumption, educational components, and healthy workspaces.
The original house features numerous mid-century modern elements including the split level design, and large windows to allow for great views and bringing nature into the living space. The west side of the house has large fixed glass windows that do not open and provide an unobstructed view to the outdoors. Below the large windows are smaller windows with screens that allow for ventilation. This feature is replicated in several other locations in the building. The building has large eaves as well as wooden slats that provide shading for the large windows in the summer, but allow the winter sun to warm the house. The mid-century modern features of the house were designed to fit the site, the heating and cooling needs of the climate in Laramie, and bring the views of nature inside with the large windows.
The building materials are a mix of textures and materials and colors highlighting the architectural features of the house as well as creating “warm feelings” from the natural earth tones. The roof line is flat or low sloping, a common element in mid-century modern homes. The mid-century modern architecture of the Bim Kendall House aims to make a connection between the inside of the house and nature outside. The building elements address site and climatic concerns, putting emphasis on the siting and environmental constraints so as to make the house part of the landscape, a key mid-century modern element.
Now part of the UW Environmental and Natural Resources program, the Bim Kendall House has been restored and enhanced with additional offices and collaborative spaces. The upgrades to the house were completed with sustainable building practices in mind. The mid-century modern style roof design of the addition allows for properly oriented site for photovoltaic and allows for passive ventilation within staff offices. In 2012, the house was awarded LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council for its energy saving measures, low resource consumption, educational components, and healthy workspaces.
The original house features numerous mid-century modern elements including the split level design, and large windows to allow for great views and bringing nature into the living space. The west side of the house has large fixed glass windows that do not open and provide an unobstructed view to the outdoors. Below the large windows are smaller windows with screens that allow for ventilation. This feature is replicated in several other locations in the building. The building has large eaves as well as wooden slats that provide shading for the large windows in the summer, but allow the winter sun to warm the house. The mid-century modern features of the house were designed to fit the site, the heating and cooling needs of the climate in Laramie, and bring the views of nature inside with the large windows.
The building materials are a mix of textures and materials and colors highlighting the architectural features of the house as well as creating “warm feelings” from the natural earth tones. The roof line is flat or low sloping, a common element in mid-century modern homes. The mid-century modern architecture of the Bim Kendall House aims to make a connection between the inside of the house and nature outside. The building elements address site and climatic concerns, putting emphasis on the siting and environmental constraints so as to make the house part of the landscape, a key mid-century modern element.
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