Midcentury Modern

[iamshack]

For about 3 years now I have been obsessed with midcentury modern homes. The home I bought in Sept of '11 has some mcm characteristics, but isn't what I would call truly mcm. Vegas has a fairly rich history of midcentury homes, since the first large scale development took place in the '50's and '60's, but unfortunately, Las Vegas does not do a good job of respecting and restoring it's history. Many of them are in areas that are depressed or dilapidated.

 

Anyways, my girlfriend and I have begun researching potential homes and areas to buy into, as we expect to get engaged shortly (in a few months) and when we move in together will have outgrown our own respective homes. I've been doing a lot of scouting into a few of Vegas' nicer older neighborhoods (there are a few) in search of a really authentic example of midcentury modern. There are a few really great ones I have found, but unfortunately none of them are for sale. This is where I go into cyberstalking mode and begin tracking the owners down via the assessor's office and hitting them up to see if they would sell.

 

Is anyone else into this type of architecture? Anyone live in a mcm home in the Chicago area or another area? Or am I just weird?

[bmags]

When done well, I find them very interesting. I'd be nervous to own one just because I'm unsure I could pull it off, you really have to commit to that design in the interior as well.

[bigruss]

First off, this is about the least weird aspect of you Oh and congrats on the future engagment!

 

Personally, I like to look at pictures of these places, but don't know if I'd ever live in one. It'd really depend on the style, since this genre is pretty broad in that aspect. The biggest thing I have against the genre is that comfort is way distant to style, almost every single chair/sofa that gets put in these places looks like a back nightmare to me.

Edited January 8, 2013 by bigruss22

[iamshack]

First off, this is about the least weird aspect of you Oh and congrats on the future engagment!

 

Personally, I like to look at pictures of these places, but don't know if I'd ever live in one. It'd really depend on the style, since this genre is pretty broad in that aspect. The biggest thing I have against the genre is that comfort is way distant to style, almost every single chair/sofa that gets put in these places looks like a back nightmare to me.

Haha...some of the furniture is very interesting, that is for sure...I have liked the furniture as well, but tend to go with the more contemporary takes on pieces from that era. If you have grandparents that have furniture from this time period though, buy it all off them and put it in a UHaul and come out to California and sell it, because these pieces are going for mucho deniro right now.

 

I don't know about comfort being distant to style though...a lot of what drives the mcm philosophy is integrating nature into the home...lots of windows and natural light, clean lines, an emphasis on landscaping that includes the extensive use of trees and water. But I suppose you are right in the sense that much of the furniture from the era is somewhat spartan due to it's minimalist nature and straight lines.

 

 

[Kyyle23]

Come on shack, call up house hunters and have them tour you around Vegas looking for a MCM home.

[bmags]

Haha...some of the furniture is very interesting, that is for sure...I have liked the furniture as well, but tend to go with the more contemporary takes on pieces from that era. If you have grandparents that have furniture from this time period though, buy it all off them and put it in a UHaul and come out to California and sell it, because these pieces are going for mucho deniro right now.

 

I don't know about comfort being distant to style though...a lot of what drives the mcm philosophy is integrating nature into the home...lots of windows and natural light, clean lines, an emphasis on landscaping that includes the extensive use of trees and water. But I suppose you are right in the sense that much of the furniture from the era is somewhat spartan due to it's minimalist nature and straight lines.

 

It is broad, when I think of it I'm usually imagining the clean angles, metallic frames and big windows more likely to be found where you are talking about. When seeing homes that style in suburbs it's a little jarring. I like the prairie home style from FLW much more in the Chicago area.

[bigruss]

Haha...some of the furniture is very interesting, that is for sure...I have liked the furniture as well, but tend to go with the more contemporary takes on pieces from that era. If you have grandparents that have furniture from this time period though, buy it all off them and put it in a UHaul and come out to California and sell it, because these pieces are going for mucho deniro right now.

 

I don't know about comfort being distant to style though...a lot of what drives the mcm philosophy is integrating nature into the home...lots of windows and natural light, clean lines, an emphasis on landscaping that includes the extensive use of trees and water. But I suppose you are right in the sense that much of the furniture from the era is somewhat spartan due to it's minimalist nature and straight lines.

Yea it was more towards the furniture.

 

These are some examples that I would be down, taking advantage of the scenery with the large windows:

 

 

 

[iamshack]

Come on shack, call up house hunters and have them tour you around Vegas looking for a MCM home.

Honestly, I have probably seen most of them already with the exception of the gated areas that I can't get in to...and even many of those I have seen online...

 

The problem with most of them is that they were either horribly renovated by some idiot in the 80's or 90's, or are just so ravaged by neglect that they are beyond saving. Most of the really outstanding examples are outside our budget (I found an amazing one last week and looked it up online only to find out it sold for $1.2 million cash in '08).

 

The one I have a line on now happens to be located across the street from the Mayors Goodman...I am contemplating calling who I believe to be the owners to gauge their interest in selling, but am still trying to convince the girlfriend that the area is a good area to buy in.

Edited January 8, 2013 by iamshack

[bmags]

Come on shack, call up house hunters and have them tour you around Vegas looking for a MCM home.

 

Ha, to get on Househunters you'll need to have already closed on your house, they then show you other available houses you are not going to purchase.

[iamshack]

Yea it was more towards the furniture.

 

These are some examples that I would be down, taking advantage of the scenery with the large windows:

 

 

 

Yeah, those are absolutely gorgeous. I've read that Cameron's father's house from the Ferris Bueller movie is actually for sale.

 

It's difficult to capture the scenery concept in Las Vegas because there really aren't many areas that are wooded like that. However, we do have some beautiful desert views of the mountains and so forth. One of the things I have been interested in for a few years is an area called Cold Creek, which is about 45 minutes outside of Vegas and is situated at an elevation that is termed "High Desert." It experiences all four seasons, has incredible mountain views, borders National Forest land and has wild horses roaming the area. Unfortunately, it is off the grid, which requires solar power, propane tanks, and backup generators, which is a bit of a hard sell for most people. Land is still affordable there, and I would love to put a prefab on about 5 acres, but I can't convince anyone to live out there with me.

[southsider2k5]

I'm guessing with Chicago winters, there aren't a lot of places like that in this area of the country, no?

[iamshack]

I'm guessing with Chicago winters, there aren't a lot of places like that in this area of the country, no?

Well, Chicago, since the Great Chicago Fire, has been one of the architectural centers of the world, so there actually are quite a few examples. A lot of the MCM movement, especially the American MCM movement came out of the Bauhaus School in Germany. The center for the American take on the Bauhaus actually was Chicago. So a lot of the famous architects from the MCM era did work in Chicago and you can find a lot of MCM works there.

 

To your point though, not all of the MCM homes in the midwest feature such expansive use of glass as their western counterparts.

Edited January 8, 2013 by iamshack

[iamshack]

Here is a pretty amazing example from brothers Keck & Keck

[StrangeSox]

It is broad, when I think of it I'm usually imagining the clean angles, metallic frames and big windows more likely to be found where you are talking about. When seeing homes that style in suburbs it's a little jarring. I like the prairie home style from FLW much more in the Chicago area.

 

FLW owns

[StrangeSox]

I'm guessing with Chicago winters, there aren't a lot of places like that in this area of the country, no?

 

There's the Farnsworth House in Plano

 

 

edit: It's not MCM but it's pretty much all glass

Edited January 8, 2013 by StrangeSox

[iamshack]

There's the Farnsworth House in Plano

 

 

edit: It's not MCM but it's pretty much all glass

Oh it absolutely is MCM...Ludwig Mies van der Rohe is one of the most celebrated Mid Century Modernists...

[StrangeSox]

well wikipedia disagrees!!!! they called it the "International Style" but I don't know too much about architectural art history so maybe that's just a subset of mid-20th century modern style.

 

 

 

 

[iamshack]

well wikipedia disagrees!!!! they called it the "International Style" but I don't know too much about architectural art history so maybe that's just a subset of mid-20th century modern style.

Today MCM generally refers to the modernist movement that occurred between 1930 and 1967 or so...I am sure there are subsets with many different names that fall under the larger MCM umbrella.

[RockRaines]

Oh it absolutely is MCM...Ludwig Mies van der Rohe is one of the most celebrated Mid Century Modernists...

I do think his apt buildings in chicago are s*** though.

 

I have been house hunting since I've already torn through the 46 units available in my area and got a chance to look at a Frank Lloyd Wright home for sale in Oak Park. Man I would kill for one of those.

[knightni]

Unfortunately, it is off the grid, which requires solar power, propane tanks, and backup generators, which is a bit of a hard sell for most people. Land is still affordable there, and I would love to put a prefab on about 5 acres, but I can't convince anyone to live out there with me.

"Sign me up."

[iamshack]

I do think his apt buildings in chicago are s*** though.

 

I have been house hunting since I've already torn through the 46 units available in my area and got a chance to look at a Frank Lloyd Wright home for sale in Oak Park. Man I would kill for one of those.

Really? What was it priced at? Gotta be a pretty big deal when those hit the market...

[StrangeSox]

there's a couple listed here:

http://savewright.org/index.php?page=33

 

His stuff usually goes for 1M+. Considering the sizes of the homes, where they're located (e.g. Oak Park, Hinsdale), and that he's probably the most well-known architect, it's not surprising. One of my coworker's parents' own one of his homes.

[bigruss]

there's a couple listed here:

http://savewright.org/index.php?page=33

 

His stuff usually goes for 1M+. Considering the sizes of the homes, where they're located (e.g. Oak Park, Hinsdale), and that he's probably the most well-known architect, it's not surprising. One of my coworker's parents' own one of his homes.

The Martin house is so much better looking than the Gale house, Rock I'm hoping you were looking at the Martin one

 

 

[RockRaines]

there's a couple listed here:

http://savewright.org/index.php?page=33

 

His stuff usually goes for 1M+. Considering the sizes of the homes, where they're located (e.g. Oak Park, Hinsdale), and that he's probably the most well-known architect, it's not surprising. One of my coworker's parents' own one of his homes.

Yeah, Oak Park and River Forest Houses in general are going to cost a million if they are nice, as a FLW for sure 1 million and up. However my price range in downtown Chicago right now is laughable for what I am getting anyway.

[StrangeSox]

The Martin house is so much better looking than the Gale house, Rock I'm hoping you were looking at the Martin one

 

the Gale house is pretty much straight-up classic Victorian, it was the 1890's before he really started on the Prairie Style in about 1900.

 

There's an excellent, recently-restored example of the first of his prairie-style homes in Kankakee, the Bradley House. It was a restaurant for decades, became an architectural firm's office which ironically let it fall into disrepair, and was opened as a museum a couple of years ago.