Research
Residence No.1 was commissioned, designed, and built in 1924 by a
collaboration between the University of Illinois and the National Warm
Air Heating and Ventilation Association (NWAHVA). It was located at 1108 W. Stoughton St, Urbana, IL.
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| Research Residence No. 1, during construction, 1924 |
The
main goal was to create a space that could be used for research in
forced air heating for private residences. The dedication of Research
Residence No. 1 by Professor J.M White in December, 1924, was attended
by professors, heating professionals, journalists, and locals.
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| Dedication of Research Residence No. 1. |
The
team at Research Residence No. 1, led by A. P. Kratz, Vincent S. Day,
and Arthur Cutts Willard, conducted several tests of various types of
forced air heating systems. Each system would be installed, tested
vigorously, and ultimately replaced in favor of a modified, or, in some
cases, completely new, design.
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| Example of heater installed in basement of Research Residence No. 1, 1924 |
These
tests also included materials testing (which was a better metal for
pipe insulation? Copper or aluminium?), effects of a steam-heating
boiler verses a hot-water heater, and the effects of drops and rises in
barometric pressure. In order to accurately measure the effect of these
experiments, the team installed sensors in every room, often at multiple
levels. In a discussion of recent results from the Research Residence,
Arthur Cutts Willard bragged that “very few makers of steam and
hot-water heating equipment possess such complete data as represented by
these results”.
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| Vincent S. Day checking room sensors, 1924 |
The
previous quote sums up, quintessentially, what made Research Residence
No. 1 such a renown success, to the extent that three more Research
Residences were commissioned and built over the next three decades.
Homeowners would come from miles around to look at the heating systems
installed in the Research Residence in order to learn how to choose and
install such systems in their homes. The home was even featured during a
local “Better Homes Week”, a part of the Better Homes Movement. The
Better Homes Movement was a post World War I nationwide campaign
emphasizing home ownership, modernization, and beautification.
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| Cars outside Research Residence No. 1 during “Better Homes Week”, 1925 |
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Works Cited:
Research
Residence Reports and Photos, courtesy of Vincent S. Day Papers,
1918-1927. Series No. 11/8/23, Box 1- 2. Found in University Archives
March 6th, 2013.
Special Thanks to Susan Frankenberg for the story about her grandfather.
“Publication [Nos. 11-12]/ issued by Better Homes in America.”(2013). American Memory. Retrieved on March 6th, 2013 from http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/coolbib:@field%28NUMBER+@band%28amrlg+lg58%29%29
We Know That Research Residence No. 1 Was on Stoughton in Urbana. Do You Remember It?
