Mid2Mod: The Wilson House

In 1959, Ralph Wilson, Sr., the founder of Wilsonart, designed and built a house in Temple, Texas. The house served three purposes:

It was the private residence of Wilson and his wife Sunny.
It was a model home for his then-new laminate company.
It was a lab where Wilson could personally test the durability of his products.

The Wilson House was a hybrid of ranch and modern styling. Its open interiors and U-shaped plan were reminiscent of the Case Study Houses being built in California. Laminate was a very new and popular product at the time, and the Wilson House made extensive use of the lastest technology, including some of the earliest undermount sinks.

The house was featured in Ralph Wilson Plastic Company ads and in the top trade magazines. It was an example of affordable and fashionable design and profoundly influenced the use of laminates in the future.

In 1997 Wilsonart purchased the house from Wilson's widow and restored it to its original appearance. In 1998, the Wilson House was placed on the National Register of Historic Places as a significant architectural structure.

The Wilson House is open for tours Monday through Friday by appointment.

From wilsonart.com