Nice zig zag roof on the sidewalk overhang at the Concord Center located in Bethesda. Looks like the the mid-century school building houses various Montessori and nursery programs and is used for community events.
The Gazette takes a look at Carderock Spring’s effort launched fours years ago to be placed on the National Register of Historic places. “In the 1960s, Bethesda’s Carderock Springs neighborhood was lauded with national attention in the architecture world because of its contemporary design and incorporation of homes into the natural landscape,” Bradford Pearson writes. “It is now in the final stages of completing the approval process for being named to the National Parks Services’ Register of Historic Places.” The community was built by developer Edmund Bennett and the architectural team of Keyes, Lethbridge & Condon, AIA.
Pearson notes that “if approved, the neighborhood would join other county neighborhoods, including the Garrett Park and Kensington historic districts, on the historic register.” Correct, but he fails to mention the three other modern Montgomery County communities already on the register: Charles Goodman’s Rock Creek Woods, Hammond Wood and his five Takoma Avenue homes in Takoma Park.
Following up on an item I did about River Park, the City Paper’s Angela Valdez writes a short update, saying Charles Goodman’s contribution to urban renewal in Southwest during the ’60s is safe for now.
Here are a couple of modern-related activities for next weekend, June 21-22.
Take the whole family to the National Building Museum for ARCHitecture Family Day on Saturday, June 21, from 10 am to 4 pm. The free event will celebrate Eero Saarinen’s iconic works, including models of the architect’s structures made out of Legos by the Washington Metropolitan Area Lego Users Group. You also can take a free docent-led tour of the museum current exhibit on Saarinen.
If you’re looking for mid-century modern furniture, check out the 2nd Annual Antiques & Modernism Show & Sale at the Thomas Jefferson Center in Arlington. There will be several dozen dealers displaying art deco and mid-century modern furniture. The event, which will take place on Saturday and Sunday, supports the Kiwanis of Arlington. The $7 tickets are good for both days.
In an short interview with the Washington Post Home section, Bethesda-based modern architect Mark McInturff discusses how he blends traditional architecture with modern additions and says modernism has gained more of an acceptance here in the last decade:
“It’s much more desirable and accepted than it was five or 10 years ago,” McInturff says. “People want contemporary, but they say, ‘We don’t want cold.’ In magazines and newspapers, they now see it can be warm and soaring, light and airy, in so many directions that they embrace it. Modernism has become much more varied and user-friendly.”
Read the full interview.
The Design Within Reach Adam Morgan Studio will hold a screening June 19 of seven of the more than 100 films Charles and Ray Eames produced between 1950 and 1982. (See the short film the couple produced showing their Lounge Chair being assembled. It was shown on NBC in 1956 to help launch the now iconic chair.) The featured films range from one to 30 minutes and “cover topics from toy tops to the world of Franklin and Jefferson, from simple sea creatures to the explanation of advanced mathematical and scientific concepts,” the DWR announcement notes. You can even enter a raffle to win an Eames® Plywood Lounge Chair (LCW). Beer and popcorn will be served.
RSVP to adamsmorgan@dwr.com by June 16.
Thursday, June 19, 7 p.m.
DWR Adams Morgan Studio
1838 Columbia Rd. NW
Washington, DC 20009
Phone: 202.265.5640
This 1967 expanded Clubview model in Carderock Springs in Bethesda will be auctioned at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, June 10, at the property location. The home needs an estimated $150,000 to $200,000 worth of work, according to Realtor and community resident Mary Lou Shannon. She says neighbors are concerned that a developer will buy the house and tear it down. This Redfin listing says the suggested opening bid is $534K. This could be a good opportunity for an MCM fan to buy low in Carderock and redo the interior of the house exactly how you want.
There is one sad note about the house. Here is a link to a story about Brad Bishop, who was accused of killing his family in the home in 1976, as a few posters noted.
1965 3/1.5 – $339K – An end unit carriage home (see pictures below) on Maple Ridge Road.
Check out this picture of the Hickory Cluster townhomes being built in 1964.
The Post highlights architect Andrew Rollman of the SmithGroup and the transformation of his own living space, which is now very white and decked out with the designs of Bertoia, Knoll and Saarinen. Here’s a slideshow of images.
michael@moderncapitaldc.com
Cell: 301-503-6171
Direct E-Fax: 253-369-5843
Modern Capital
5471 Wisconsin Ave, Suite 300
Chevy Chase, MD 20815
