Kugel/Gips Modernist Home Available for Summer Rental

Interior, Kugel/Gips House (c) k. schoenfelder 2009

Kugel Gips House Viewed from the Pond

Designed by Charlie Zehnder in 1970, the newly restored Kugel/Gips house is available for weekly rental during the summer 2010 season. Secluded in the privacy of the Cape Cod National Seashore, this significant example of the Outer Cape's modernist architecture is nestled in the pine woods, hovering above the private, Northeast Pond. The three bedroom, two bathroom house has a large fireplace, two decks with sunset views and is furnished with mid-century designer furniture. A short walk from Wellfleet's ocean beaches and a restaurant / bar, the house provides an ideal private spot for reflection and recreation.

Charlie Zehnder

Designer, Charlie Zehnder came to the Cape in 1957 to help a friend build his house in Truro. Settling into Wellfleet, he bought some land on the bayside and started an architectural practice that ultimately produced over forty-five, immediately identifiable houses. Zehnder creatively cross-pollinated with the European modernists who had settled in area before him while maintaining his own idiosyncratic approach to residential design. His restless experimentation with geometries and materials led to a body of work remarkable for its intimate relationship with the Cape’s terrain, climate and lifestyle of informal creativity. The Kugel / Gips House reflects Zehnder’s fascination with the work of Frank Lloyd Wright. Its corners dematerialize through butt-glazed windows, horizontal planes are emphasized, and long cantilevered decks and roof overhangs project the living spaces out into the landscape. The design demonstrates Zehnder’s great skill for inhabiting a site without overwhelming it.