Wilson House Fast Facts
The Ralph Sr. and Sunny Wilson house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Parks Service. One of the criterions of the National Register is that the site
be at least 50 years of age. Exceptions are made only for outstanding
circumstances as is the case with this house.
It is recognized as a significant structure on a national level
for these reasons:
- the extraordinary design of the interior which had an impact on
the design of subsequent structures
- the employment of cutting edge technology
Innovative technology is evident in the various grades of decorative
plastic laminate that comprise most of the interior surfaces.
Advanced technology was also employed in the way the material
was crafted into the interior.
- an excellent example of a ranch style house
Actually, the house is a hybrid of ranch and modern style houses,
incorporating elements of both – the pitched roof and clearly
defined front door of the ranch and the long narrow windows hung
below the roof line, a slightly flat, cantilevered roof and huge
back windows of the modern style house.
Important Facts
- The house was begun in 1958 and completed in 1959.
- Built under the direction of Ralph Wilson Sr. and his daughter
Bonnie McIninch.
Ralph Wilson Sr. was the founder of Ralph Wilson Plastics, today
known as Wilsonart International.
- Built by Lee Froebel, Wilsonart’s first factory and office manager,
who would later build many Wilsonart International facilities.
- Ralph intended that the house should serve as the first model
home for his products and as his private residence.
- Used as a “test lab” for experimental grades of laminate.
- Featured in the first Ralph Wilson Plastics advertisements and
in period trade magazine articles.
Modern Details
- Purchased from Mrs. Ralph Wilson Sr. (Sunny) by Wilsonart International in 1997
- Named to the National Register of Historic Places in November, 1998
- Currently serves as a museum and corporate archive