Purchase and Preserve Miller House, Lexington, KY

***Please read the update posted below on 5/26/21***

There is a chance to create a new chapter in the story of an architecturally significant and beautiful house in the midwest — the Miller House of Lexington , Kentucky — and in the stories of many lives. 

Architect José Oubrerie , protégé turned partner of Le Corbusier, former Dean of the University of Kentucky, College of Architecture, and Professor Emeritus Knowlton School of Architecture, the Ohio State University, designed and built this house for Bob and Penny Miller and their family (Jennifer and Jonathan Miller) in the early 1990s with the assistance of José’s wife Cicely Wylde-Oubrerie, young architects Keith Plymale  and David Soka , and a team of other talented craftsmen.


The Miller House was the first project for Keith and David, who have worked tirelessly and optimistically as architects for different and beautiful ways of living. Keith went on to create an architectural practice and become faculty at the University of Kentucky and the University of California in Berkeley. David practiced architecture in New York City and Madison, Wisconsin before building Solstice Space , a home and studio overlooking the Hudson River. Tragically, David died before completing that work.

In the sad months that followed, the woman David was married to during his time in Wisconsin, Sara Soka , met Keith Plymale, David’s friend and colleague from the Miller House. Keith and Sara fell in love and now, with the Miller House set to go to public auction on May 26, 2021, they embark to purchase it and live there while they work to establish it as home to the José Oubrerie archive and research foundation to study and inspire regional architecture.

The team put together in the early 1990s by José and Cicely Wylde-Oubrerie worked hard, with so many people dedicating themselves to building the Miller House. Now it is time to complete a deep personal connection to the house, the land, and architecture. Keith Plymale and Sara Soka have purpose to save and live in the house.  With José and Cicely living in Lexington, there is a greater long term goal of curating the archive and foundation, which is the new vision for the Miller House 2021.


 
1. Importance: The Miller House has been called a masterwork of American architecture  by historian and critic Kenneth Frampton , and serves as inspiration to generations of students and professionals. The house is conceptualized as a city with three compartmentalized houses within.  As described by Evan Chakroff , “In addition to the deep understanding of historical precedent, the innovative planning for evolving usage, and the compositional joyfulness evident in every surface, the building is a treasure box of architectural details.”  [See excellent interior and exterior photos of the house taken by Samuel Ludwig .]

 
2. Urgency: On May 26, 2021, the Miller House will be sold at the Kentucky Commissioner's Auction.  A starting bid of $490,000 has been set, though the final selling price is likely to be much higher. Media have also called attention to the risk of the house being torn down by developers. We will not let that happen.



3. Purpose and Legitimacy:  The fundraising effort is to buy and protect the Miller house as a national and international historic landmark. With your help, belief, and involvement, Keith Plymale and Sara Soka will secure the Miller house and give it new life as an architectural destination and home to the José Oubrerie Architectural Archive.

By establishing the José Oubrerie Architectural Archive, a public research foundation for architectural drawings and models, the Miller House will become more than a place to live. The Miller House you donate to will become a space of exhibitions, events, archival research, and architectural retreat.

 
4. Financial Goals of GFM:  Donations, modest or large, from the legions of architects, students, and friends involved in the house over the years would establish the base for this endeavor.

An initial $10,000 has been promised by an anonymous couple, calling themselves “A Generation Indebted to Oubrerie.”  The first goal is to match that promised donation to achieve a $20,000 base to kickoff fundraising.

The second, urgent goal is to raise funds totaling $100,000 to be used to partially subsidize the downpayment due on Thurs. May 27, 2021, and begin funding repairs on the property.  To assure access to funds in time for the downpayment, donations should be made by Wed. May 19, 2021.

Keith Plymale and Sara Soka will combine what’s raised through this Go Fund Me with their own savings and a bank loan to present a bid to buy the Miller House at the May 26 auction. If they win, they will secure the house, make repairs, live in it for some time, and establish it as an historical American landmark of architecture.  Every donor and all of those who have worked on the house will be listed and acknowledged on the historical certification of the house. If the auction is not won by the Plymale | Soka team, donations will be returned to the donors (minus GoFundMe fees) and we will have tried.

Fund raising will continue after the auction is won to establish the initial maintenance budget for the residence and the Oubrerie Architectural Archive and foundation. A guest house for visitors and researchers will be reserved within the three boxes in the house.



Please donate now to help us save, preserve and establish The Miller House in Lexington Kentucky, as a historic landmark and a foundation for the José Oubrerie Architectural Archive and Foundation.

Photo credits: Samuel Ludwig for ArchDaily and Keith Plymale