Mid-Century Modern

As the sun prepares to set on 2016, I wanted to wish everyone a Merry  Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and a happy and healthy New Year. I am very thankful for everyone who reads the site and follows the work I am doing here in DC. With the site now 10 years old, I am working on a complete refresh so stay tuned  for a brand new Modern Capital in 2017. As always, remember to follow on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for all the mid-century goodness here in the DC area and from my travels. The recent sunset over the Gulf of Mexico in the picture above is seen through the 1960 Siesta Key Beach Pavilion in Sarasota by Tim Siebert, a key member of the Sarasota School of Architecture.

 
To celebrate World Architecture Day on Monday, Oct. 3, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden is holding free architecture tours and giving away free donuts in the brutalist museum, which is shaped liked a donut.

“Tours by experts, including the Atlantic‘s Kriston Capps and Architect‘s Deane Madsen, will reveal the genius of the Hirshhorn‘s unique spaces and how the museum’s rebellious, modern style changed ideas of design,” the museum says. “Then, visitors can enjoy a delicious Hirshhorn-inspired donut from Zombie Coffee and Donuts, created especially for this day (while supplies last). … Affectionately nicknamed the ‘Brutalist donut,’ the Gordon Bunshaft-designed Hirshhorn, the Smithsonian’s museum of modern art, is one of the most celebrated examples of the Brutalist architectural style that flourished during the 1950s-1970s.”

Click here for a full schedule of the day’s events.

Thanks to George Smart of North Carolina Modernist Houses for the heads up on this endangered mid-century modern on Lake Holiday, which is is located near Winchester, Va. The house was designed by Henry Dole Norris and featured in a 1967 edition of Better Homes and Gardens. Norris was a plan book architect whose designs were built all over the United States. The owner is willing to donate the home to anyone who can move it within the next couple of weeks. The owner is also willing to let people disassemble pieces before demolition if the house is not moved.  Owner Joanne Kennedy can be reached at (703)727-2595. (The house is not on a public road and can only be seen by appointment.)

I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year. I also wanted to thank everyone for reading the site during the past eight years. I’m in Los Angeles this week so I thought the Christmas tree with palm tree  and Stahl House image below would be appropriate. Follow on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for mid-century goodness from California.

If you don’t follow architectural photographer Darren Bradley, you should. His photos of mid-century modern and modern architecture are just stunning. As someone who grew up in New Jersey and still goes up to the Jersey shore every summer, I had to link to Darren’s amazing photos and monumental post about the mid-century architecture in Wildwood, N.J. (I took the shot above of the Panoramic years ago.)
Less than 200 miles from Washington, the Wildwoods (Wildwood, North Wildwood, Wildwood Crest) at the Jersey shore have the country’s largest concentration of mid-century commercial architecture from the 1950s and ’60s. The architecture of the motels, diners, restaurants and vintage neon signs reflect the era’s fascination with the automobile, air and space travel and all things Tiki/Polynesian. The architectural style in Wildwood was dubbed Googie. Many of the Doo Wop motels in Wildwood were built by Will and Lou Morey.
With more than 100 Doo Wop buildings having been destroyed amid the boom in real estate, the National Trust for Historic preservation named the Doo Wop motels to its “Most Endangered” list in 2006.
If you plan to go this summer, check out the Doo Wop Preservation League for great information and a map to the area. Also check out this site and this one.

You will not experience any jet lag as you view some European modernism right here in Washington. The annual tour of European embassies is tomorrow (May 9) with the “Shortcut to Europe: European Union Embassies’ Open House Day.” Mid-century modern and modern embassies to focus on are the embassies of Denmark (above) and Finland, Sweden, the Netherlands and Germany. Enjoy the trip.

With the second of the last seven “Mad Men” episodes airing now, I wanted to make sure everyone saw this interesting piece by Andrew Romano,  the West Coast Correspondent for Yahoo News who lives with his wife in a 1946 Alvin Lustig-designed mid-century modern home in Los Angeles. He says the show’s true legacy will focus on the promotion and celebration of mid-century modern furniture and design. (You should follow him on Instagram here.)
“‘Mad Men’s’ influence on design preferences may well outlast its influence on menswear and cocktail menus. Sure, hard-core design types have already moved on — to 1970s decadence or 1980s Memphis,” Romano writes. “But normal human beings still prefer the Design Within Reach look, and this doesn’t seem to be changing. Enter the hashtag #modern on Instagram, and 2.45 million photos pop up. With more than 325,000 subscribers, Dwell, a monthly love letter to modernist design, is one of the most popular shelter magazines in the country.
“It’s a short leap from retro to retrograde, and surrounding ourselves with artifacts from an earlier age could easily seem weird, or suffocating, or just plain pretentious. I don’t want to ignore new design just because it’s new, and I don’t want my living room to look like a set. But true modernism protects against that. At its best, it doesn’t get old. That’s because it isn’t a historical style — a fad, a trend — like French provincial or Mission revival; it isn’t a predetermined look, Read More >

Finnish Embassy is the first LEED-certified embassy in Washington.
Happy birthday to the the Finnish Embassy, which turned 20 this month. Located on Massachusetts Avenue across from the Naval Observatory, it is the first LEED-certified embassy in Washington. The embassy was designed by Mikko Heikkinen and Markku Komonen and opened in 1994. The open, granite, steel and glass structure backs up to Normanstone Park and reflects the Finns commitment to openness, the arts and the environment.
“The architects chose to marry function with form and created a unique building which reflects some of the values that Finns hold most dear,” the embassy says in its history of the building. “The Finnish taste for modernity resulted in the building’s thoroughly contemporary design. Finland’s commitment to transparency is reflected in the embassy’s wide-open spaces and extensive glass surfaces. By blending harmoniously with the vines and trees of the neighboring park, the embassy reflects Finland’s deep respect for nature.”
Here are a few shots of the embassy.
Finland Hall is a multi-purpose cultural facility.
The soaring space of the hall.
A view from inside. The embassy backs up to parkland.
The glass-enclosed cantilevered balcony on the back of the building.
The balcony is surrounded by lush greenery.
Alvar Aalto stools out on the balcony.

If you are thinking about a pre-fab modern home, Modern Capital sponsor Blu Homes has a couple local opportunities to explore the firm’s designs. The company, based in Vallejo, CA,  focuses on green homes with foldable steel-frames that allow for easy transport and open floor plans. If you are out by the water this Memorial Day weekend, the firm’s first  Breezehouse in Maryland on beautiful Round Bay in Severna Park will be open Saturday, May 24 from 11 am to 1 pm. You can register here.
If you can’t make the open, join Blu Homes on June 12 from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm at the Westin Georgetown Hotel. Enjoy drinks and appetizers while learning about Blu’s unique design and construction process.  A local Sales Consultant will be on hand to answer questions you may have about building with Blu. You can sign up for that event here.
Enjoy the holiday weekend.

Sad news to report. Harold Esten, FAIA, one of Washington’s leading modernist architects, passed away in February at the age of 94. I was lucky to meet with Hal and his wife Alice before they moved to California to be closer to family. I was honored to list their house in Hammond Wood, which Hal was instrumental in designing when he worked for Charles Goodman.

The Esten family home in Hammond Wood. I listed the house in 2011.

Here’s a look back at Hal’s award-winning career, which thankfully left the Washington area with some very elegant and stunning mid-century modern design.

Esten, who was born in 1920 in Philadelphia to Russian immigrants, studied civil engineering at the University of Alabama and George Washington University before the World War II. After Pearl Harbor, he worked for the Civil Aeronautics Administration and the Coast and Geodetic Survey, identifying landing strips, landmarks and obstacles to aerial navigation until he was called up for active duty.

He served in the U.S. Navy from 1943 to 1946, on the USS Wasatch as a cartographer and photographer. He participated in the Battle of Leyte Gulf; in landing operations in Lingayen and Polloc Harbor in the Philippines and in Balikpapan, Borneo; in the Occupation of Japan; and in peacetime operations in China.
After the war, he entered the Institute of Design at Illinois Institute of Technology on the G.I. Bill. The Institute of Design was founded by Laszlo Moholy-Nagy in 1937 as the New Bauhaus, after the Nazis shut down the original Read More >

Danish mid-century design is hot. You can get a taste of it right here in Washington by touring the Danish Embassy on May 10 as part of the EU’s open house day.
The 1960 Danish Embassy is the first modern embassy in Washington. It was designed in 1947 by Danish architect Vilhelm Lauritzen and opened in 1960.
Lauritzen met with Walter Gropius, who, along with students, worked with Lauritzen on the project, which connected the ambassador’s residence to the embassy by a glass corridor. Henrik Kaufmann, the Danish ambassador after World War II, wanted a modern building rather than one of the existing mansions to serve as the office space and ambasador’s residence and to reflect the Danish ethos of modesty and equality. “If the different sections are gathered in one new and modern decorated building the work will be more efficient, several expenses will be reduced and some will even vanish completely,” Kaufmann said. ” The love of work will increase and the number of days lost through illness will go down.”
Leading Danish designer Finn Juhl was in charge of furnishing the interior, using such iconic pieces as Arne Jacobsen’s “Swan” and “Egg” chairs, the lighting of Poul Henningsen and some of his own furniture designs.
A glass bridge connects the ambassador’s residence to the right with the offices on the left.
Marble-floored foyer of the ambassador’s residence. The interior and exterior marble is from Greenland.
A view from inside the foyer.
Very rare Poul Henningsen lighting.
Designs by Arne Jacobsen, including this Egg Chair, and other Danish designers can be seen throughout the residence.
The dining room Read More >

A Feb. 25 Montgomery County Council public hearing on the early 1960s Wheaton Youth Center may be the last time for supporters to make a pitch to save the building from demolition. Montgomery County would like to demolish the building and construct a new library/recreation center facility on an adjacent parcel. Historic designation is supported by the Historic Preservation Commission and the Montgomery County Planning Board. However, the County Council has the final say on the building’s future.
While some are concerned that preservation of the historic building will prevent the planned new library and recreation center from being constructed, the Planning Board has found that it is possible for preservation and redevelopment to occur at the same time. The preservation community believes that a new use can be found for the Wheaton Youth Center, and the new library can be constructed on the site without any impact to the planned program for the new facility.
The award-winning Japanese-inspired design was done by Keyes, Lethbridge and Condon. The center is said to have served as a premier spot for concerts back in the day, including Alice Cooper, Bob Seger and Rod Stewart. Some even say that Led Zeppelin played a show there in 1969.
The Feb. 25 hearing will take place at 7:30 p.m. at 100 Maryland Ave. in Rockville. Written comments/testimony may be emailed to Council President Craig Rice at county.council@montgomerycountymd.gov and County Executive Ike Leggett at ocemail@montgomerycountymd.gov or by mail to the Council’s Office of Legislative Information Services, Read More >

Want to learn more about how and why Charles and Ray Eames had such an important impact on modern design? The design duo will be highlighted as part of the museum’s  upcoming Portraits in Design lecture on Saturday, Feb. 15, by Patricia Kirkham, professor at the Bard Graduate Center. Kirkham will examine the couple’s enduring legacy and how they “propelled modern design into the mainstream through their furniture, textiles, and architecture” and how “their Case Study House #8 stands today as an emblem of the southern California lifestyle, blurring inside and outside through a fresh, dynamic architectural composition.” You can buy tickets here for the 11 a.m. program.

River Road Unitarian Church by Francis Donald Lethbridge.
I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas. I wanted to take this opportunity to wish everyone a healthy and happy 2014. I also wanted to thank everyone for reading the site during the past seven years and for continuing to support my wonderful sponsors. During this time of year, I thought a collection of images of the varied mid-century modern church design seen throughout the country would be appropriate. Here’s just a few of the dozens and dozens of churches I have snapped during the past seven years. Enjoy and Happy New Year. Just click on each photo to view in a larger format.
1. Church near Joshua Tree, CA
2. St. Paul’s in Kensington, MD
3. Waikiki Baptist in Honolulu
4.-5. St. Mark in Honolulu
6. St. Mary’s in Rockville
7. Church near Alexandria
8. Fort Washington Baptist
9. First Christian in Columbus,  IN (By Eliel Saarinen)
10. North Christian Church in Columbus, IN (By Eero Saarinen)
11. Episcopal Church Center, University of Miami campus
12. St. Mary’s in Rockville
13. Church in Los Angeles
14. Cedar Lane Unitarian in Bethesda (By Pietro Belluschi with Keyes, Lethbridge and Condon)
15. Belle View Baptist Church in Alexandria
16. Church in Palm Springs

Finally. A taste of mid-century modern on Kensington’s Antique Row. I am excited to report that Doug Meyers of Modern Mobler (a Modern Capital sponsor) has opened up a second location at 3730 Howard Ave.  Named Mobler at Kensington, the shop will feature mid-century modern and Danish modern furniture, accessories and art among the more traditional shop offerings along the strip.  Doug’s new shop is in a new space that also includes Sage Style, which specializes in vintage clothing, jewelry and accessories from the 1930s to ’80s. Store hours are Monday through Saturday 10:30 am to 5:30 pm and Sunday from noon to 5:00 pm.

The film Led Zeppelin Played Here, which explores the debate about if the legendary band played a show in 1969 at the endangered Wheaton Community Recreation Center, will have a one-time showing at the AFI in Silver Spring on Aug. 30. The Keyes, Lethbridge and Condon-designed Wheaton Community Recreation Center, originally known as the Wheaton Youth Center, served as a venue for bands in the 1960s. The building was mentioned in the 1965 A Guide to The Architecture of Washington, D.C., which was edited by Hugh Newell Jacobsen, FAIA.
Montgomery County is planning to demolish the building and replace it with a new community center. The county’s Historic Preservation Commission will be evaluating the Wheaton Youth Center for potential historic designation on September 11.  The county’s Planning Board review is tentatively scheduled for Oct. 17.

The Hal Esten-designed Halex House at 814 Thayer Ave. in Silver Spring, which served as the headquarters of the National Association of the Deaf (NAD) for 35 years, is slated to become a four-story apartment building.

The NAD sold the building for $4 million in 2006. The Planning Board approved plans for the apartment building in 2008. The plans were revised last year after the property owner changed hands and partnered with Montgomery County’s Department of Housing and Community Affairs. The new owner is seeking  to develop the property as an affordable housing tax credit project. The original design for the proposed building looks very cool and modern; the new proposal not as much.

Esten, who worked for Charles Goodman before launching his own successful firm, designed many award-winning homes throughout the DC area. He not only designed the building but had an office there as well.

Here is a vintage shot from one of Esten’s marketing books that I received from the family when I sold Hal’s own house in Hammond Wood in Maryland.

I just watched the excellent documentary on Joseph Eichler, who developed more mid-century modern tract houses than any other builder in the country. During his career, he built more than 11,000 modernist homes, mostly clustered around the Bay Area.  The film, People in Glass Houses, was produced by Realtor Monique Lombardelli, tells the story of the Eichler phenomenon and interviews homeowners in various Eichler communities in California. In reading more about Eichler, I came across an article about three homes he built in Chesnut Ridge, New York. Three Eichlers in Rockland County, just north of New York City? Well, I had to go see them. Here they are, including one double A-frame design.

While recent stories about how the Washington Post is looking to sell its current home discussed the mid-century modern nature of the architecture, they did not discuss who designed the buildings or the interesting story of the headquarters that was never built. The original 1951 Post building at 1515 L St. was designed by the firm of Albert Kahn, who was the country’s foremost industrial architect of the early 20th century. He died nine years before the Post building was constructed.
The original 1951 Washington Post building on L Street was designed by the firm of Albert Kahn a number years after master industrial architect died. Photos by Agustin Cruz.
In the 1960s, as the Graham family was looking to construct a new building at 1150 15 St., they paid I.M. Pei $2 million for a design. Pei came up with a building shaped like a typewriter, but it was never built. (Read Carol Felsenthal’s good piece on this here.) The current 1972 building was eventually designed by the same firm who designed the original building, Albert Kahn Associates.
The 1972 Post building was also designed by Albert Kahn Associates.
With the location prime for redevelopment, local preservationists such as the D.C. Preservation League are raising concerns that the spot where the Watergate stories were produced could meet the wrecking ball.  Thanks to my friend Agustin Cruz for the pictures of the buildings.

Washington Post: Research, references are keys to finding a good real estate agent
Michael Shapiro is highlighted for his specialization in mid-century modern real estate.

Formica, the staple of mid-century modern kitchens and bathroom counterops is turning 100 and getting some notice. To celebrate its 100 anniversary, Formica has launched a new retro-inspired line. Retro Renovation has all the news and pictures here. The radio program Marketplace gave Formica  a shout out for being an affordable and green product for your mid-century restoration project. I know I always love seeing the vintage patterns when I am out exploring the mid-century modern houses in the area.
Vintage boomerang Formica for bathroom (top) and kitchen.
 
 
 

In Washington, tourists often take tours dubbed something along the lines of “Monuments by Night.” When I was in LA, I did the Schindler House by night. After a packed day, I finally made it to the house in West Hollywood on the way to the airport. Early modernist Rudolph Schindler built the house in 1922 after moving to Los Angeles to oversee the building of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Hollyhock House. A return trip during the day along with a visit to Schindler’s Mackey Apartments are in order. At night, the one-level home made of wood, canvas and poured concrete had the feeling of a Japanese lantern. The house was was  “designed as live-work space for two couples with a shared kitchen and an apartment for guests. Schindler’s work focused on the integration of interior space and exterior space using complex interlocking volumes and strongly articulated sections.” Here are a few quick shots.

Ray and Charles Eames’ “stuff” is almost all back in their house. The contents of the living room were famously removed last spring and displayed as part of LACMA’s  exhibit “California Design, 1930–1965: “Living in a Modern Way.” While the living room contents were on display in the museum, the Eames Foundation did some much needed preservation work. Herman Miller, the producer of the Eames’ furniture line, also used the empty living room as the perfect backdrop for a photo shoot of he couple’s designs. See if you can spot the house in these amazing photos. Or you can just take a peek at the pictures I took last month.

I just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. As you prepare to sit down for the holiday with you family and friends (wouldn’t it be nice to sit around this table in this house?), I am thankful to all of my wonderful clients and to Modern Capital’s readers and sponsors for supporting the site during the past six years. As you are traveling this week or as you are lying on the couch after all that turkey, check out all the goodies from out here in Los Angeles on Facebook and Twitter.
The Eames House

Huffington Post: Mid-Century Modern Homes For Sale In The D.C. Area
Michael Shapiro highlights mid-century modern homes for sale in the area and discusses the allure of MCM architecture.

Only a few more days until ‘Mad Men’ returns to the air. You can now vote for your favorite finalist in the Washington Post ‘s second ‘Mad Men’ Look contest. The winner will be revealed Monday, March 26, the day after the two-hour season premiere of the show. Want to learn more about mid-century style?  Two of the Post’s judges for the contest will host a live discussion at noon tomorrow (March 22) about interior design and the ‘Mad Men’ Look. Vern Yip, a columnist for The Washington Post Real Estate section and an HGTV star, will join an hour-long chat taking your questions with Post interior design writer Jura Koncius.

When most people talk about the 1964 Wheaton Youth Center (now the Wheaton Community Recreation Center), they are likely discussing the question of whether Led Zeppelin played a show there in 1969 or not. (The center is said to have served as a premier spot for concerts back in the day, including Alice Cooper, Bob Seger and Rod Stewart.) I was more interested in learning who designed the modernist rec center on Georgia Avenue, so I called Clare Lise Kelly, research and designation coordinator of  the Montgomery County Planning Department’s Historic Preservation Section.
Clare said the structure was designed by one of the area’s leading modernist firms: Keyes, Lethbridge and Condon. The team, which was responsible for Carderock Springs, Potomac Overlook, Tiber Island among others, won a local AIA award of merit for the design. I love the roof line of the main gym, with its aquatic feel. The same design is carried through in the covered walkway. Reminds me of the Marina-style Safeways, some of which still dot the area. The one a bit south of the rec center on Georgia was torn town. Could the rec center meet the same fate? It could. There is discussion now about combining the rec center with the nearby library in a new structure, although it looks like the County Council has delayed decision on the proposed $35.9 project for now.

A close up of the wavy window screens.
The side of the gym. Did Led Zeppelin play in there?
 

The Washington Post‘s new real estate blog did a nice post on some of the mid-century modern neighborhoods in the DC area. I love all the comments from people mentioning the many other neighborhoods that I try to regularly highlight that were not mentioned in the brief piece. While it is nice to see our local mcm hoods getting recognition, check out this listing a bit farther north near Baltimore. This flat-roof mid-century modern with a pool is on almost four acres in Owings Mills. The 5 bed/4.5 bath 4,100 square foot home is priced at $599K.  The listing says it is a “Classic Menefee-designed mid-century modern.” I found this obituary for Lawrence Ashton Menefee Jr., who died in 2005. He joined his father’s firm Menefee & Associates in 1964, 10 years after this houes was built so it looks like this home was designed by the senior Lawrence Ashton Menefee.

With the new season of ‘Mad Men’ kicking off next month, the Washington Post is celebrating by holding its second ‘Mad Men’ Look contest for D.C.-area residents. So do your spring cleaning, get your vintage mid-century modern furniture arranged just right and take some good pictures to submit for the contest last held in 2010. (No ‘Made Men’ season last year; no contest.) If you are picked as one of the top winners, you will be featured in the Post. (Here is the article from last time; my wife and I came in second place.) Good luck to all those who enter.

For those looking for mid-century modern homes near Baltimore, you need to check out these two new listings. While some of the interior updates to this 1969 Glen Arm mid-century might not be to the taste of many mcm fans, the flat-roof, cantilevered design should grab your attention. Did I mention it also has an atrium and sits on one acre? It is listed for $450K. This 1965 mid-century modern in Owings Mills is listed for $780K. The 4- bedroom home features lots of glass, wood ceilings and walls and a big stone fireplace. It sits on more than two acres and has a pool to complete that Californian modern vibe.

Edward Durell Stone (think Kennedy Center, MoMA, the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, Busch Stadium, the former Standard Oil building in Chicago (see above) among others) was an early and leading modernist architect and educator who later in life moved away from the strict International Style of his early work (I love his 1934 Richard Mandel House in New York). His later use of more classical inspirations and forms would bring scorn from the architectural elite despite his commercial success. Now Stone’s youngest son, Hicks Stone, himself an accomplished architect, has written “a  personal and authoritative biography of one of the most controversial figures of twentieth-century architecture,” publisher Rizzoli says about the 336-page tome.
If you want to learn more about Edward Durell Stone, head to the National Building Museum on Jan. 11 from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. for a lecture by Hicks Stone, who will be talking abut his new book and his father’s life and career. (Don’t see details online yet but price for members is $12; non-members are $20.)
Oh, and if you have $7 million you can by a home in D.C. designed by the elder Stone. The 1939 modern home with some traditional touches such as the roof line has been on the market for a couple years. The home was originally built by George Marshall, the then-owner of the Redskins, and his wife actress Corinne Griffith.

If you were not able to make it to the recent Apartment Therapy design evening on mid-century modernism, here is a link to AT’s write up. The panel discussion was lead by organizer Desiré Greene and featured Robert Chapman, owner of Modern Capital sponsor Archer, Suzanne McLees, former northeast director of Design Within Reach and chair of the 2012 Hollin Hills Home and Garden Tour (stay tuned for more details) and myself. We talked about the local mid-century modern architecture, real estate and furniture/design scene (the Esten House I sold, pictured above, comes to mind) with a good group of  modern aficionados.

Every two years since 2002, the U.S. Department of Energy has held its Solar Decathlon on the National Mall to challenge collegiate teams to design, build, and operate solar-powered houses that are cost-effective, energy-efficient, and attractive. One of the 11 teams competing in the competition is a team of students from two schools: Southern California Institute of Architecture and the California Institute of Technology.

The team’s design is known as CHIP, which stands for “Compact Hyper-Insulated Prototype.” CHIP, as you can see from the photos, is is a prefab, net-zero solar-powered house that the team says despite its futuristic look can be ” injected into the Los Angeles landscape after it returns from Washington, D.C.”  If you want to learn more about the project and meet those involved, please come to a special event sponsored by the Vinyl Institute at the Hirshhorn Museum next Thursday. See details below:
Thursday, Sept. 22
6:30-8:30 p.m.
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Lerner Room
RSVP to: rsvp@sciarc.edu
(213) 356-5385
Hope to see you there.
 
 
 
 
 

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.

During and after World War II, the population of the Washington area boomed. There was a great need, especially in the growing suburbs, for libraries, houses of worship and schools. Most of it was basic modern design of the time, or as one of my favorite sites calls it: mid-century mundane. One example of this 1950s public architecture is the former Rollingwood Elementary School in Chevy Chase. (It is now a private French International School.) I drive or cycle by this almost everyday. I finally got off my bike the other day to snap a few shots. I like the the Neutra-like raised metal letters and numbers and the screen block on the side of the building.

Here are a couple upcoming modern-related events that I thought might be of interest. On June 7,  Alexandra Lange, critic, architectural historian, and co-author of Design Research: The Store That Brought Modern Living to American Homes, and Russell A. Flinchum, Ph.D., archivist of the Century Association Archives Foundation, professor, and author of American Design, will discuss the rise of industrial design during the 1930s, its relationship to the democratization of “good design” in consumer products, and the contemporary version found in mass-market stores such as Target and IKEA. On June 9, you can head to the Room & Board store on 14th Street for a cocktail party and to see the short film, Powers of 10, by Charles and Ray Eames. The film will be followed by a discussion led by the Eames’ grandson, author and Eames Office Director, Eames Demetrios. RSVP here.

The annual week of embassy tours kicks of this Saturday (May 7) with the “Shortcut to Europe: European Union Embassies’ Open House Day.” Mid-century modern and modern embassies to focus on are the embassies of Denmark, Finland, Sweden and Germany. I saw Denmark and Finland last year and plan to see the mid-century modern German Embassy’s chancery this year. The 1964 building on Reservior Road was designed by renowned German architect Egon Eiermann.
On May 14, another 35 embassies are open to the public, including the Brazilian Embassy, which has been undergoing major work the past few years. I have not driven by in a while but I assume the renovations are done and ready for the public to see. I am excited to explore the 1971 embassy’s chancery (pictured above)  on Massachusetts Avenue. The Miesien floating box was designed by Brazilian architect Olavo Redig de Campos.

 

You can learn a lot from books even if you do not read them. I picked up a stash of modern architecture books at the annual Stone Ridge Used Book Sale. Many of the books I purchased were from the library of Alan Hamilton Rider. I had never heard of Rider so I did some research. I mean, I Googled him. Sure enough he was an architect who graduated with a master’s degree in design in 1953 from the Cranbrook Academy of Art.
Here’s from the Washington Post‘s obit in June 2010:  “Early in his career, Mr. Rider was an associate in the architecture firm of John Carl Warnecke. Among the projects he worked on with Warnecke, who died last year as well, was the memorial for President John F. Kennedy at Arlington National Cemetery. Mr. Rider also helped develop a master plan for the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis and the hangar for Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base.”
Rider, who retired in 1994, was also one of the designers of the brutalist Lauinger Library at Georgetown University. Ah, a library. Now if I could actually find time to read a book.
 

Congrats to Modern Capital sponsor Modern Mobler, which opened last May. Doug Meyers’ vintage mid-century modern shop on Georgia Avenue in Northwest was just picked by Washington City Paper as D.C.’s best vintage furniture store. So stop by to check out Doug’s latest finds, especially his Danish pieces by Arne Vodder and Jens Risom, who will turn 95 on May 8. I’ve been eying a few myself. (See a full list of Modern Capital’s sponsors. Please support our local modern businesses.)

Hoping these mid-century modern homes and the people who owned them have a better year in 2011. These foreclosures in and near Baltimore could be opportunities for others in the new year.  Here’s a 1958 mid-century with an asymmetrical gabled roof listed for $299K, down from $319K. This house, also from 1958, sits on nearly three acres in Caves Park in Owings Mills. It is listed for $577K. The Caves Park area features many mid-century modern homes on large lots.

Johnson's library/study. Johnson called it an "event" on the landscape.
Are you looking for a gift for the modernist who has everything?  The folks at the Philip Johnson Glass House have an idea. Think private tour of the Glass House and then dinner at the Johnson and Mies-designed Four Seasons in New York. The modernist experience is $400 per person. In August, I visited the Glass House for the first time. I went on the Modern Friends tour that allowed photography and access to more of the buildings on the 47-acre property. The tour was close to private; there was only two other people there on a weekday in August. And no Four Seasons for me. I had a veggie burger at a local burger joint.
The classic shot of the Glass House.
I know Johnson’s work had major influence on introducing the International Style to residential modernism,  but I did not have a strong reaction to the Glass House itself (or at least when compared to the feeling I had when I visited the Stahl House and Miller House.) Maybe I had seen too many pictures of it. Or maybe that is the really just the point of the minimalist design, with the house disappearing against the greenery of the property. Seeing structures I was less familiar with such as Johnson’s Library/Study (1980) and the Painting Gallery (1965), which was inspired by the Treasury of Atreus, a tomb in Greece, was more interesting. These had some more personal touches that allows a Read More >

With the Eero Saarinen exhibit running until Nov. 28 at the Finnish Embassy (I hope to go this weekend), I figured it was a good time to finally finish my trilogy on Saarinen’s mid-century modern designs in Columbus, Indiana. All three, North Christian Church, the Miller House and Irwin Union Bank and Trust were worked on closely with J. Irwin Miller, the town’s modernist patron. From the pictures I had seen of North Christian Church, I always thought the spaceship-like structure was in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by acres and acres of lush Midwestern land. It is actually just a couple miles north of downtown Columbus and surrounded by homes.
The 1964 church, Saarinen’s last design before his premature death in 1961, was crafted as a hexagon (reflecting the six-point Star of David) with a long spire, symbolizing Christianity’s roots in Judaism. Playing off  title of the Finnish Embassy exhibit, Eero Saarinen: A Reputation for Innovation,  Saarinen was very innovative with the design of the church, moving well beyond the constructs of the typical structure of the time. He spent so much time perfecting it that Miller and the rest of the church board grew a bit tired of his delays. In the end, he delivered a stunning building reflecting the individual congregation and religious history.
The church’s tapestry, candelabra and colors were the work of Alexander Girard. The landscaping for the church, a National Landmark, was done by Dan Kiley. Here are some historical photos from the church’s web site, Read More >

Dulles International Airport Terminal, Chantilly, Virginia, circa 1963. © Balthazar Korab Ltd.
To mark the 100th anniversary of Eero Saarinen’s birth year (Aug. 20, 2010), the Finnish Embassy is hosting a free exhibit at the embassy until Nov. 28. The exhibit, “Eero Saarinen: A Reputation for Innovation,” is free and open to the public from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday through Sundays. The exhibition is a tribute to Saarinen’s work in Washington, which began with the 1939 winning design (with Charles Eames and Ralph Rapson) for the Smithsonian Gallery of Art, a modern art museum on the Mall that was never built, and ended with the nation’s first jet airport, Dulles International Airport. Dulles was completed one year after Saarinen’s death on Sept. 1, 1961 at the age of 51. Saarinen also spent time in D.C. during the war years as the head of the Office of Strategic Services’ Presentation Division responsible for all exhibits work. One of his jobs while at OSS was designs for the Situation Room at the White House. Looks like a good opportunity to learn more about some of Saarinen’s less publicized work and to check out Finland’s modern embassy.

View from inside the Stahl House.
Julius Shulman was born 100 years ago today. The legendary photographer, who died last year on July 15 at the age of 98, played an instrumental role  in capturing on film the essence and beauty of mid-century modern architecture for all to see and appreciate. So to mark the 100th anniversary of his birth, I am picking some of my favorite shots where I tried to channel the spirit of Shulman. (See the film Visual Acoustics for more inspiration.) I think my favorite is the shot of the Stahl House below, which Shulman made famous with his iconic image of two young woman sitting in the corner of the cantilevered home dangling off a cliff high above Los Angeles. Just to note:  If you have $2 million, you can buy Shulman’s Raphael Soriano-designed home in Los Angeles, which has been on the market for almost a year.
The Stahl House by Pierre Koenig, Los Angeles.
The Eames House by Ray and Charles Eames, Pacific Palisades.
The Beverly Hilton by Welton Becket, Bevery Hills.
The Lever House by Gordon Bunshaft, New York City.
Irwin Union Trust by Eero Saarinen, Columbus, Ind.
River Park by Charles Goodman, Southwest D.C.

Summer time is for road trips. Cycling. Swimming. And eating lots of ice cream. In my book, seeing mid-century modern architecture is definitely part of the mix as well. So on the family’s recent trek north to Vermont and New Hampshire, we made sure to include some mid-century modern sightseeing to the typical summer itinerary. Beyond our main modernist destinations (Empire State Plaza in Albany and Philip Johnson’s Glass House; look for future posts), it was fun to spot mid-century modern architecture and design along the road in the small towns that we passed through. On my train up to meet my family at the beach in south Jersey where we would start the journey, I read a fascinating piece in the latest issue of Modernism on Milo Baughman and the sidebar on Hudson, N.Y., which has an extensive selection of mid-century modern vintage stores.
A shot from one of the mid-century modern furniture stores in Hudson, NY.
While prices were steep for the most part (the town is a haven for New Yorkers on the weekend), a few stores had some more affordable items. My wife and I picked up a vintage aluminum floor lamp with a Saarinen-style tulip base and globe top. We even at ate several mid-century diners, including Clark White Diamond for Jersey sliders (wish I had gone there when I was growing up in Jersey) and the Blue Benn Dinner in Bennington, VT, a vintage 1940s diner car from where else, New Jersey.
We had Read More >

Modern Capital Snags 2nd Place in Post’s ‘Mad Men’ Contest
Michael Shapiro’s mix of vintage and new modern furnishings takes 2nd place in the paper’s ‘Mad Men’ Look contest.

Still getting over some jet lag from my trip overseas, but the Post magazine’s extensive cover story this past weekend has helped perk me up. The effort to highlight mid-century modernism here in Washington got a nice boost with Annie Groer‘s piece about the updating of the home of the late modern architect David Condon.  Condon, who worked for Charles Goodman and was part of the firm of Keyes, Lethbridge and Condon that designed Carderock Springs among other modern communities, designed the article’s featured home in Chevy Chase for his family in 1965. Groer’s sidebar, “The Mod Squad: Local Resources for MCM fans,” notes my real estate efforts and work on this site and showcases a number of MCM furniture dealers, including three Modern Capital sponsors, Home Anthology and Millennium Decorative Arts and Modernicus.

Welcome to Modern Capital’s new home, moderncapitaldc.com. The goal of the redesign is to allow for an easier-to- navigate site and thus a richer experience for you, the site’s readers. I want to first thank my brother, Daniel Shapiro, an artist in Pittsburgh, for his original Modern Capital logo design, which juxtaposed a modern Charles Goodman home with the Washington Monument, an obelisk, which is a design first used in ancient Egypt.
The new logo, by graphic designer Nicole Parente-Lopez (former marketing creative director at Dwell), plays off that contradiction and the notion held by many that D.C. is a very traditional town with very few mid-century modern homes. The “Modern” in the logo is a Neutra typeface. The “Capital” is in a more traditional font that you might recognize from the pages of the Washington Post. While it is true that the D.C. area does not have the same amount of mid-century modern homes as LA or cities across the country, if you scratch below the surface, which I try to do here every day, there is a rich variety of mid-century modern real estate to be found.
The new site was designed by Nicole’s husband, Paulo Lopez, an award-winning interactive art director who used to work at Apple and is now at NPR. With Paulo’s expert help, I hope to continue to add more features to the site in the coming weeks and months.
I want to thank Daniel, Nicole and Paulo for all of their help. I Read More >

Being in the house since Friday except for a brief escape on Tuesday, my wife and I have been spending a lot of time in our den catching up on episodes of “Mad Men.” After several years, the space is finally at a point that I can show here as I have promised in the past. We still need to paint or change out the the brass-colored fireplace screen and want to add some greenery to the mix. From the “before” picture below taken soon after we moved in, you can see the wonderful ceiling fan/light, the berber carpet and our our mid-’90s Storehouse furniture (Umm, what were we thinking?)
Now for some plugs: Vintage Saarinen chairs are from Moderniucs, new Saarinen table is from DWR, Gus Modern Jane sofa is from RCKNDY, Knoll side-table is from Galaxie Modern and the Nelson lamp is from Modernica. I picked up the mid-century skyline print at an estate sale for $20. While we are working to rid ourselves of our Ikea furniture now that we are getting old, I have to admit that the TV stand, pillows and rug are from the College Park location.
If any Modern Capital readers have makeover’s they would like to share, e-mail me at moderncapital@gmail.com.

If you have read this blog for some time, you know I am no fan of the snow and cold. So here are a few more shots from Lincoln Road, the mid-century open-air pedestrian mall by MiMo master Morris Lapidus. Lincoln Road is celebrating its 50 anniversary this year and is being considered for the National Register of Historic Places. I love the various white concrete sun shelters that dot the eight blocks. Wish I was there right now. Stay warm.

The former Hine Junior High School near Eastern Market will be turned into a mixed-use complex. Here are the proposed plans for the mid-century school.

A view of Lapidus’ original Fontainebleau from the boardwalk.
I wanted to wish everyone a Happy New Year. I hope 2010 will be filled with health, happiness and lots of mid-century modern goodness. Here are just a few shots to help warm you up as we kick of the new year . I did a real quick tour this week of some of the iconic mid-century MiMo (Miami Modern) spots, including Morris Lapidus’ 1960 Lincoln Road pedestrian mall (see a great Wall Street Journal slideshow) and his 1954 Fontainebleau Hotel, which has gone under a $1 billion renovation and addition. More MiMo to follow when I get back to D.C. and am yearning for the beach, sun and warmth.

Compressed arches with “cheeseholes” on the front of the hotelwere added in 1958 by Herbert Mathes.
One of the building’s along Lincoln Road, redesignedin 1960 by Lapidus.

It’s cold and raining out. Here are few shots from my trip to LA in June to warm you up.

Saturated image of the Eames House in Pacific Palisades. Would like to be there right now.
Sign showing the way to the Welton Becket-designed mid-century modern hotel opened in 1953.
The 1961 Theme Building at LAX getting a facelift. Designed by a team at Pereira and Luckman.
One of the many modern residential designs at the beach in Venice.
Mid-century apartment building says what is on everyone’s mind in Venice.

Jameson’s Jigsaw Residence in Bethesda
Alexandria-based architect David Jameson, FAIA, will discuss his exploration of proportion, volume, light, and material in projects including the BlackWhite House, Jigsaw Residence (see the pic I snapped yesterday above), and Hooper’s Island House. The event, part of the National Building Museum’s Spotlight on Design series, will be held 6:30 to 8 p.m. You can buy tickets here.

I wanted to take this opportunity to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving and to say thank you for reading the past three years. I also want to thank my wife and kids for putting up with my obsession. I’ll try not to blog today, but I can’t promise.

Modern Capital’s friend Kacy from DWR Bethesda and The Inspired Office had her mid-century modern and Southeast Asian decorated pad in Silver Spring featured on Apartment Therapy. I really like the Nelson Bubble lamp sconces over the bedside tables. My wife and I have been thinking about doing that ourselves. Nice work Kacy.

The 1960s “Brady Bunch” House
https://www.flickr.com/photos/voteprime/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Whenever I see a home designed by Ken Freeman in Bradley Park in Bethesda, Mantua in Fairfax or Normandy Estates in Potomac, I can’t help think of the 1960s “California contemporary” home from the “Brady Bunch.” Unlike others, who use the comparison in a derisive manner, I make the connection in a positive way. The “Brady Bunch” house featured a sloping roof-line, that large open living room, extensive glass above the front door and how can you forget that cool staircase. Take a look at this 1965 Freeman in Lake Normandy Estates to compare. (It was listed five days ago and is already under contract.) Freeman was a New York clothing designer who moved his family to Maryland in the 196os to become a real estate developer. He briefly worked with his brother, Carl, presumably Carl M. Freeman, who introduced the “California Cottage” to East Coast when his company built an award-winning community in 1947 in Carole Highlands, Maryland.
Like his brother, Ken sought to mix things up here in Washington. “He was nontraditional. He didn’t like the brick Colonials in Washington. He said they all looked the same. He said they were boring, very closed-in, old ideas. He just liked houses being different . . . clean lines, simple and tailored. It was like a religion to him,” Freeman’s daughter, Judith O’Callaghan, was quoted as saying in this 2005 Post story on Read More >

Can’t wait for the movie to open here in D.C. for a one week run. Starts Friday, Nov. 6 at the E Street Cinema. Here’s a peek. (For those reading this on e-mail, here’s a link.)

Modern Capital Sponsor Chris Brown of Lost River Modern will be speaking from 3 to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24 at the DWR in Georgetown as part of the D.C. Design Week Lecture Series. Hear Chris describe how he and his family decided to build a Res4 modern prefab on 30 acres in West Virginia. There also will be an opportunity to win a free weekend at the house. (Here’s my post on my family’s visit.)
D.C. Design Week @ Cady’s Alley is being held alongside AIGA’s National Design Week.

The University of Maryland School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation will be holding an opening lecture and reception Friday at noon for a new exhibit on mid-century modern textile designer Ruth Adler Schnee. A documentary on Schnee’s career, “The Radiant Sun: A Portrait of Designer Ruth Adler Schnee,” by Terry Sarris will be screened at noon and 2 p.m. in the Architecture Building Auditarium. Both Sarris and Schnee will speak.” The exhibit will run through Nov. 20, 2009, in the Kibel Gallery.
After fleeing Nazi Germany in 1938, Schnee and her family settled in Detroit. After graduating from the Rhode Island School of Design and the Cranbrook Academy of Art, she worked in the New York firm of Raymond Loewy in the 1940s. Returning to Detroit, Schnee began creating original textile designs. She collaborated with Buckminster Fuller on the Ford Rotunda in Detroit (1952-53) and Minoru Yamasaki in specifying interior treatments for the World Trade Center (1970-77). In the 1950s, she operated Adler Schnee, a design store committed to bringing modern design to Michigan.
Now in her 80s, Schnee still lives and works in Michigan, designing building interiors and woven textiles for Anzea. She is active in the Detroit design community as a preservation advocate for the city’s Modernist history.