381 Fairview

381 Fairview is the newest house on this tour and is representative of a more recent architectural style. This modern home is one of the most interesting structures built in Winnetka in the latter half of the 20th century, not only for its unique style but also the personal home of noted architect Joseph Fujikawa.

Fujikawa was born in Los Angeles in 1922. In 1939, he began studying architecture at the University of Southern California. His studies were interrupted in 1942, however, when he was relocated to the Granada Relocation Center in Colorado due to his Japanese ancestry. He was in the relocation camp for 3 months until he was admitted to the Illinois Institute of Technology, which had just been formed in 1940 when the Armour Institute merged with the Lewis Institute.

Fujikawa finished his studies at IIT and earned his bachelor’s degree in 1944. That same year, he joined the army to work as a Japanese translator until the end of the war.

While at the IIT, Fujikawa clearly made an impression on the school’s Dean of Architecture, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe or “Mies” as his colleagues called him. After the war, Mies hired Fujikawa to work for him.

He had a hand in a number of notable projects credited to Mies, including the Promontory Apartments at 5530 S. Lake Shore Drive. While working, Fujikawa also completed his Master’s degree in architecture in 1953.

In 1968, Fujikawa was named a partner in the Office of Mies van der Rohe alongside Bruno Conterato and Dirk Lohan. Mies died the following year and a few years later, in 1975, the firm’s name was changed to Fujikawa Conterato Lohan Associates.

In 1982, Fujikawa left the firm to form the Fujikawa Johnson firm. Two of Fujikawa Johnson’s biggest projects were the Chicago Mercantile Exchange Center at 20 South Wacker, which was completed in 1987, and the Ralph H. Metcalfe Federal building at 77 West Jackson, which was completed in 1991.

Back while he was working as a partner for Mies van der Rohe’s firm, Fujikawa began designing a house for himself and his family. After living in an apartment in Hyde Park with his wife Grace and children Liz and Steve, Fujikawa was drawn to the North Shore for the schools, accessibility to the city, and proximity to Lake Michigan. In 1971, he built his family’s home at 381 Fairview in Winnetka.

While Fujikawa had decades of experience building complex high rises, he reportedly found designing his own home to be quite challenging. In an oral history interview with the Art Institute, Fujikawa referred to the process of designing 381 Fairview as a “traumatic experience.” To overcome such challenges, it seems that Fujikawa relied on his typical less-is-more aesthetic in his design, utilizing clean lines and solid materials like glass and steel, which are reminiscent of the work of his mentor, Mies.

Structurally, the original portion of the house remains in-tact. The current homeowners made a few recent updates – in addition to cosmetic alterations on the façade, they also added a one-car garage, mudroom, and storage room to the right side of the house.

Thankfully, much of the original design remains as a testament to Joseph Fujikawa’s incredible talent and lasting legacy.