Site overview
The Cecil and Hermione Alexander House is a modern hosue with a circular plan designed by Atlanta architect Cecil Alexander as his family’s residence. Completed in 1957, the house is located on a hilltop site in northwest Atlanta between the Chattahoochee River and interstate 75. The Alexander House is among the first modern houses in Atlanta and has curved brick walls, a flat roof, and no references to past architectural styles. The house is organized around a central court and covered with an accordion roof, which floods the interior with light. The court is ringed with metal posts that support the roof. According to Alexander, the circular plan “is so arranged that the family at least once or twice a day has to get together, just by necessity.” The living and dining rooms arc across the north side of the house and are lined with floor-to-ceiling plate-glass windows. The kitchen, entry hall, bedrooms, and children’s playroom are pie-shaped rooms of varying sizes. Interior walls are clad with walnut panels and red-brown brick, which forms the exterior walls. The landscape plan, prepared by Atlanta landscape architect Edward Dougherty, uses trees, shrubs, and rock outcrops to create a naturalistic setting.
