American School team members Angela Person and Stephanie Pilat recently had the opportunity to tour Bruce Goff’s Sam and Ruth Van Sickle Ford House in Aurora, Illinois.
Completed in 1950, the Ford House is owned by Sidney K. Robinson, who graciously hosted Person and Pilat. It was first introduced to the American public in a 1951 Life magazine article entitled “The Round House,” which included six pages of color photographs.
Angela Person with Sidney Robinson, the owner of the Ford House.
In 2023, the house became a National Historic Landmark because of its unique architecture, which features Quonset hut ribs arranged in the shape of dome. Most of the dome is covered with shingles, but the southeast side is left open to create outdoor rooms. There are two smaller domes attached to the south and northeast sides of the main dome, which are used for bedrooms. Intricate rope patterns cover portions of the ceiling.
The interior of the Ford house.
According to Person, “The home is a stunning example of Goff’s resourcefulness, repurposing everyday objects to create a magical set of spaces unlike anything seen before.” She continued, “The way Goff blurs inside and outside, particularly with the plantings and the visible structure, is masterful.”
Robinson has lived in the Ford house since 1986. He is an author, architect, and emeritus educator at the University of Illinois at Chicago and Taliesin. His articles and books include Architecture of Alden B. Dow, Life Imitates Architecture: Taliesin and Alden Dow’s Studio, and Inquiry into the Picturesque.
Petya Stefanoff, Chair of the Educational Committee with the American Planning Association, Oklahoma Chapter (APA-OK) and Gibbs College PhD candidate, has developed a new training program for local government officials. The program, focused on land use, zoning principles, and land development, recently certified its first graduates with Certified Citizen Planner status.
Gibbs Construction Science and Architecture students recently traveled to Dublin, Ireland, to compete in the Associated Schools of Construction (ASC) Region 8 Student Competition. The team partnered with Czech Technical University and secured third place in the Design-Build category.
Gibbs College is pleased to present the exhibition Vollendorf in Oklahoma: The Architecture of Dean Bryant Vollendorf during the Spring 2026 semester. It will be on display in Gould Hall, on the OU-Norman Campus, from February 16, 2026 - March 13, 2026.
