August 21, 2011/Mid-Century Modern /by Mid-Century Mike

Modern Snapshot: Davis Memorial Library in Bethesda

The mid-century modern Davis Memorial Library on Democracy Boulevard in Bethesda sits on what is left of the Davis family farm, once a 400 acre estate called Rock Spring. Designed in the mid-1960s by Bethesda-based modernist architect Stanley Arthur, the sprawling 16,000 square foot library features a side-gabled roof, extended eaves, clerestory windows and variety of brick and stone on the exterior. The extensive use of field stone evokes “the rural heritage of the property,” according to the library’s website. (The library sits just down the street from this church by Charles Goodman.)

Arthur, who passed away in 1999 at the age of 86, designed a number of area libraries, churches, office buildings and more than 60 schools, including Winston Churchill High School in Potomac and Cabin John and Pyle junior high schools in Bethesda. More to come on Arthur and his mid-century modern work.

The front of the library facing Democracy Boulevard. The large front lawn is a green reminder of the 400 acres Davis farm.

A shot of the right side of the building.

The back of the 16,000 square foot library.

The left side of the library. You can see the mix of exterior materials, including brick, large field stone and panels of smaller stones around the windows.

August 17, 2011/Mid-Century Modern /by Mid-Century Mike

Building Your Own Modern Home

A number of clients, friends and readers have been asking me lately about the process of building their own modern home, including prefabs. One of the best resources on the web for learning the ups and downs of building a modern prefab is the blog by Chris Johnson and Sarah Johnson, the owners of the modern vacation rental and Modern Capital sponsor Lost River Modern. Chris and Sarah documented the whole process of building a Res4 prefab (pictured above) on 30 acres in West Virginia. Go back to the beginning the read the whole site if you are thinking about buying land and putting up a prefab. If you are thinking of building a modern home from scratch and working with an architect, check out the new blog Minnesota Modern. The site is written by clients of mine who just sold their custom Goodman in Hollin Hills and are now building a modern home in Edina. They are just at the beginning so you can follow along to see how the entire process evolves.

August 15, 2011/Charles Goodman /by Mid-Century Mike

Two Charles Goodman Hickory Cluster Townhomes

With people away at the beach, it has been a bit quiet regarding new mid-century modern listings coming on the market. We’ll see if we see the same surge after Labor Day that we saw in the spring. Here are two Charles Goodman-designed townhomes in Hickory Cluster in Reston that have come on in recent weeks. Here’s a 3 bed/1.5 bath end unit that was listed three days ago for $372K. This 3 bed/2.5 bath has been on the market for several weeks at a listing price of $439K. When Robert Simon started developing Reston as a modern planned community in the early 1960s, he asked Goodman to design the first set of homes–90 International-style townhomes nestled into the trees just across the street from Lake Anne.

August 2, 2011/Mid-Century Modern /by Mid-Century Mike

Modern Capital in Chicago; Early Moderns in Bethesda, DC

I am exploring the modern architecture of Chicago (you can follow posts from the trip on Facebook and Twitter), but have been keeping my eye on activity back home. I found a couple of earlier modern style homes on the market. Take a look at this 1939 Streamline Modern house in Bethesda with its curved, shiplike form. View a slideshow of the house, which is listed for $995K. Also, check out this 1942 house in North Cleveland Park listed for $895K. It is open on Sunday from 2 to 4 p.m.

Month: August 2011