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Modernism Reborn: Mid-Century American Houses

Modernism Reborn: Mid-Century American Houses
By Michael Webb

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Product Description

In the first book of its kind, architectural critic Michael Webb and Esto photographer Roger Straus III examine 35 extraordinary modern houses that have been restored , enhanced, or extended by new owners who see them as timeless classics. Built in the heyday of modernism, from the 1930s through the early 1960s, these houses were designed by exceptional architects for themselves or for adventurous clients. A few were preserved as time capsules, but most endured years of neglect or abuse and might easily have been torn down.

Webb explores how these houses were created-- as daring experiments or as creative responses to site and climate-- and the research and effort that went into their restoration. Included here are villas that fuse craft and invention, machines for living, and residences that embrace the landscape. Here, too, are houses inspired by the purity of classical temples, and frugal dwellings that have been sensitively enlarged. After a long eclipse, these houses and the enlightened attitudes they embody are being rediscovered by creative individuals searching for distinctive, open, light-filled places to live. Modernism is a way of living, more than a style, and this book celebrates the architects and owners who respect its character and scale.

Also included are nearly 200 photographs taken by Roger Straus, all of which were specially commissioned for this book.

Product Details

  • Amazon Sales Rank: #2011108 in Books
  • Published on: 2001-07-20
  • Released on: 2001-07-20
  • Original language: English
  • Binding: Hardcover
  • 224 pages

Editorial Reviews

From Amazon.com
In the late '90s, publishers began to race to get a book out that would cater to the explosive interest in all things midcentury modern. There was Classic Modern, Naturally Modern, and Modernism Rediscovered, to name just a few of the better ones. With the publication of this volume by regular Architectural Digest contributor Michael Webb, we finally have a book that not only provides a plethora of design ideas we can steal for use in our very own living rooms, but also tells the often-captivating behind-the-scenes stories of each great home it showcases.

The focus here is on the saving of these houses, and Webb's text is wonderfully insightful. One of the 35 spectacular homes featured is celebrated architect John Lautner's Harvey House in Los Angeles, the very same once-dilapidated house (the book captures it in its newly restored state) over which actor Leonardo DiCaprio went head to head in a bidding war (and lost) with actress Kelly Lynch and her husband, screenwriter Mitch Glazer.

The house is a work in progress, full of difficult judgment calls. The expanded kitchen may be cut back and the original St. Charles cabinets reinstalled. The rotunda will be refined and there is a possibility of recreating the aluminum-framed glass breakfast nook--a kind of high-tech gazebo--originally located under the pergola. Meanwhile the owners and their small daughter adore living here. "At night, we can look all the way through and out at the lights of the city," says Lynch. "I find myself caught up in the spirit of the place, wander about, and forget I'm in the middle of watching a movie!"
Newly commissioned photography by Roger Straus, known for his panoramic shots of Frank Lloyd Wright structures, is another highlight. Designed and built in the 1940s, '50s, and '60s by architects such as Richard Neutra, Pierre Koenig, Philip Johnson, Eero Saarinen, John Lautner, H.H. Harris, Gregory Ain, Paul Rudolph, John Black Lee, Allyn E. Morris, and Ulrich Franzen, the 35 homes presented here are some of the most sought after in America. If you're into modern or want to know what all the fuss is about, this is the book you'll want to own. --Richard Olsen

From Library Journal
Thankfully, there is a great resurgence of interest in modern architecture, leading to restorations and hence life being lived anew in modern houses. This book gathers mid-century designs that are austere and simple, use natural materials, and address space as a positive and layers of furniture and trimmings as a negative. Modern houses are comfortable in their juncture of light and open floor plans; they yield timeless designs that remain "modern" 50 to 60 years after the fact when other designs are headed toward being "antique." This well-designed volume is as comfortable and straightforward as the modern houses it celebrates. Quality photographs of each house in its setting, as an interior, and as a tribute to a philosophy join with an informed and useful text that supports but never upstages the designs. As a result, readers get a very nice pairing of the Modern Movement and the houses it built. A good feature: if a house is managed by an historic trust and is open to visitors, its availability and its web site are included. Recommended. David Bryant, New Canaan Lib., CT
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Michael Webb began writing about architecture and design in London in the 1960s, and now does so in Los Angeles, working out of a classic Richard Neutra apartment that Charles and Ray Eames once called home. He is the author of sixteen books, which include Architects House Themselves, The City Square, New Stage for a City, and, most recently, Richard Sapper and Through the Windows of Paris. He also wrote Architecture + Design LA and is executive editor of the series based on this innovative guide. An Architectural Digest contributing editor, he also writes for A+U, Domus, Graphis, and the New York Times.

Roger Straus III, a photographer for the architecture photograph archive Esto, has had his work featured in the books US1: America's Original Mainstreet, Mississippi Currents, and Wright for Wright. He was principal photographer for the official Fallingwater calendar from 1994 through 1999.