Paul Rudolph’s Biggs Residence Reconstruction Completed in Florida

Paul Rudolph‘s 1955 Biggs Residence in Delday Beach has undergone a meticulous six-year reconstruction, blending mid-century modernist principles with 2020s coastal living standards.

Rediscovery of a Lost Archive

In 2018, designers Nina and Michael Marco purchased the deteriorating home, unaware of what they would uncover. During their initial walkthrough, Nina discovered a red velvet bag hidden in a bedroom closet containing Rudolph’s original hand-drawn plans and 1950s photographs.

“Upon closing on the property and taking a tour, we uncovered a red velvet bag within one of the bedroom’s closets,” says Nina. The unexpected archive became an invaluable guide for the $7 million reconstruction, providing both design intent and visual records of lost details.

Originally commissioned by art collector Sewell C. Biggs, the residence was completed in 1955 as a glass pavilion raised on exposed steel columns. Jalousie windows, constructed from tilting glass slats, allowed Atlantic breezes to move freely through the rooms—an essential feature in the pre-air-conditioning era. Its raised, rectilinear form and exposed structure reflected Rudolph’s early contribution to what would become known as tropical modernism. The Biggs Residence went on to receive a 1959 Merit Award from the American Institute of Architects’ Homes for Better Living programme. It was later designated a historic property and added to the City of Delray Beach Local Register of Historic Places in 2005.

Bridging Two Eras

Working with architect Jeffrey Silberstein of Silberstein Architecture, Casa de Marco Design faced the challenge of updating the structure to meet modern hurricane and flood codes while preserving Rudolph’s vision.

The original steel framework was rehabilitated and raised to comply with current coastal regulations. Key elements like exposed beams, expansive glass, aluminum louvers, and tongue-and-groove hardwood siding were carefully recreated. “Every decision, from the aluminum louvers to the terrazzo underfoot, was an act of translation,” Nina explains.

The original two-bedroom, two-bathroom configuration was retained, preserving the proportions and character of Rudolph’s design. Among the biggest challenges was reconciling the house’s historic integrity with the demands of 2020s living, particularly Florida’s stringent hurricane and flood regulations.

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Inside the New Old House

Beneath the raised structure, originally an open-air entertainment area, expansive sliding glass panels now enclose a transparent living, dining, and entertaining space opening onto terraced grounds and a swimming pool.

A two-story glass-enclosed breezeway connects the original residence to a new addition, allowing old and new to meet physically. “The past should not be roped off behind glass; it should be lived in, walked through, and built upon,” the couple notes.

The breezeway serves as the central junction where the original structure stands on one side and the new addition on the other, joined seamlessly by glass. Concealed behind the historic façade, the addition respects the requirements of the property’s historic designation while introducing the amenities of contemporary living.

A Palette Drawn from Nature

Interiors reflect the surrounding environment with warm neutrals, natural stone, and nut-tree wood tones. Materials like terrazzo, including custom flooring with oyster pebbles imported from Italy, and aluminum echo 1950s aesthetics while enduring Atlantic conditions.

The kitchen features locally crafted Poggenpohl cabinetry with a floating island reminiscent of Rudolph’s raised forms. Throughout, contemporary pieces blend with family heirlooms and vintage Lalique glassware, creating a lived-in rather than museum-like atmosphere.

White exterior surfaces allow the original steel structure to read like sculpture against the environment, while interior materials were chosen with both the period and the coastal environment in mind. Terrazzo, aluminum, glass, natural stone, and warm timber echo the material language of the 1950s while offering the durability required for life beside the Atlantic.