September 17, 2007/Mid-Century Modern /by Mid-Century Mike

D.C.’s Kreeger Museum to Hold Exhibit on Phillip Johnson

The Kreeger Museum, designed by Phillip Johnson and Richard Foster, will host the exhibition Philip Johnson: Architecture as Art next year from March 15 through July 31. The exhibit will showcase the relationship between art and architecture as seen by Philip Johnson in his late works. Johnson and Foster designed the building at 2401 Foxhall Rd., NW, in 1963 for David and Carmen Kreeger. The structure, all 24,000 square feet of it, was designed as a residence, gallery and recital hall and completed in 1967. Design Within Reach in Georgetown is holding a fundraiser for the museum.

September 15, 2007/Mid-Century Modern /by Mid-Century Mike

A Federal Case: Classical vs. Modernism

Washington Post columnist Roger K. Lewis writes about the federal courthouse design debate: Classical vs. modernism.

September 8, 2007/Hugh Newell Jacobsen /by Mid-Century Mike

Baltimore’s Bolton Square Celebrates 40 Years of Modernism

Bolton Square, a complex of 35 mid-century modern townhomes designed by D.C. modernist architect Hugh Newell Jacobsen, is celebrating its 40th anniversary today with home tours and an opportunity to meet with Jacobsen and developer Stanley Panitz. Jacobsen’s design for the townhomes is a streamlined take on the 19th century rowhouses in nearby Bolton Hill. The event costs $15 per person. Here is more info from the hosts, today’s Washington Post story and one from Baltimore’s STYLE magazine.

September 6, 2007/Mid-Century Modern /by Mid-Century Mike

Where’s the Love for MCM?

Musings by the Wall Street Journal’s Terry Teachout wondering why more people don’t like mid-century modern homes.

September 5, 2007/Bethesda Maryland, Preservation /by Mid-Century Mike

Whither Bradley Park?

I was looking at this 1963 home in Bradley Park the other day when I came across this lot. For the most part, the original California contemporary homes by Ken Freeman remain. Some have been modified while others have met the wrecking ball to make way for homes that, to say the least, do not fit in with the rest of the community. Unfortunately, the home I linked to above, (which has dropped $100K by the way), sits on a cul-de-sac right near a brick McMansion monstrosity. Without community covenants restricting what types of homes can be built, I fear more of Freeman’s MCM homes will disappear.

Month: September 2007