Born in Chicago in 1906, architect Joseph Albano studied at Northwestern University and later at the Illinois Institute of Technology under the modern architecture master Mies van der Rohe. Albano and his wife Emma (Krechefsky) arrived in Ann Arbor in 1947 when Joseph began teaching at the University of Michigan School of Architecture. Unlike other professors of the day who built homes in Ann Arbor Hills, the Albanos built theirs on the northwest side of town (now called Upper Water Hill). The previous year, Albano’s friend, colleague, and design partner Edward Olencki (see #42) had built his house around the corner on Mixtwood.

Joseph Albano designed his own home, possibly with Olencki’s help, and it stands in stark contrast to the more conventional mid-century ranches that surround it. The home features the characteristic blank front facade that offers privacy from the street, as does the brick wall that screens a side porch and patio. The carport is an extension of the exposed rafters, which also create very large overhangs. The window configuration is similar to Olencki’s house, with large plate-glass windows topped with smaller clerestory ones between the rafters. The flat roof and vertical cedar siding are typical features of the modern homes of the era.

Emma Albano was an accomplished photographer who studied under the influential American photographer Edward Weston and sold many photographs over her lifetime. The Albanos continued to live here following Joseph’s retirement in 1971 and left Ann Arbor in 1975. It has been owned by Steven Sivak since 1995.

Return to Miller Road/Water Hill/Sunset neighborhood from Historic Ann Arbor: An Architectural Guide