ROGER W. MARGERUM
The G.A.R Limited Partnership
African American AIA Fellow
SAY IT LOUD - Washington DC Exhibitor
Michigan Based Designer
Bio:
He also designed a prototype of an affordable home, which was a 1,000-square-foot, movable, 45-degree angle house, for office workers moving to the city. "I've proven that you can go beyond the square-modular design we've used for 100 years," said Margerum.
ROGER W. MARGERUM
Bio:
Roger Williams Margerum was an African American architect who worked primarily in Michigan. Margerum's designs were like architectural Rubik's cubes — midcentury modern structures twisted into geometric shapes that are visual delights. Born in Chicago, Illinois, Margerum earned his architectural degree at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. He began his career with Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, where he was a member of the design team that created modernist buildings for the Air Force Academy campus in Colorado Springs. Nine years after Margerum opened his architectural firm in 1974, the designer had construction projects totaling around $35 million. His clients included Detroit Public Schools, the State of Michigan, Ford Motor Company, and United Air Lines. To complete his design of an auditorium and performing arts facilities addition to Kettering High School on Detroit's east side, Margerum placed a 14 foot, 15-ton reinforced concrete letter "K" at the entrance of the school. In the mid-2000s, after living mostly in apartments, one of Margerum's last projects was to design his residence. The house is set at a 45-degree angle on the lot and emphasizes geometry and simplicity. He also designed a prototype of an affordable home, which was a 1,000-square-foot, movable, 45-degree angle house, for office workers moving to the city. "I've proven that you can go beyond the square-modular design we've used for 100 years," said Margerum.
Year of Elevation:
1984
Featured Project Name:
45-Degree Residence
Featured Project Location:
Detroit, MI
Featured Project Completion Date:
2005
Role in Featured Project:
Architect
Featured Project Description:
The home is essentially a cube deconstructed (diagram) then reconfigured in a series of 45-degree triangles. Its angular and airy great room spills out onto an outdoor deck (below) facing the Grayhaven Marina. Airy and angular, the home’s second-floor great room is filled with natural light and a variety of comfortable spaces. “The area affords general circulation and, instead of going from room-to-room, you’re going from space-to-space,” Margerum says.
