Mid-Century Modern

[waynesb]

Glen, This is NOT the Mesa thread.... I started it to get away from that. Anyway, it has developed perfectly!

If you live in HSRE, you can't have chickens, and then who will eat the cocqui?

FLW's Marin Civic Center also had horrible leaking.

[Carolann R]

...or the pedes, yeah?

Carrie

"To be one, to be united is a great thing. But to respect the right to be different is maybe even greater." Bono
http://www.hellophoenix.com/art/dreamhawaii.Cfm

[punagirl]

OK, so here is punagirl, being a smart aleck. Actually, you guys aren't really discussing MCM in this thread. Just my opinion. FLW, a visionary indeed, is not really part of MCM as it is known today. The style of FLW has become known as organic architecture. FLW did inspire many of the MCM architects though.

The Breeze House is awesome and we have looked into it as well as many other pre-fabs. None of them are really MCM. Most think of these as Organic Modern. A new fangled term you might hear a lot is "Dwell Modern" for this style. This is an ode to Dwell Magazine that has really put a spot light on timeless classics and modern design. However, you must be a gizillionaire to do anything in this mag where the average front door ranges from $3500-8500+. Some great ideas in there though. And speaking of Dwell, they did a great piece on Craig Steely and his homes in Puna Beach Palisades last year.

Incidentally, there is a FLW on the Kona side. It is my understanding that he did not design this specifically for this site. It used to be a vacation rental but I can't seem to find a link to it.

MCM is generally associated with Richard Neutra, Cliff May (these designs would work very well in Hawaii), Eichler, Alexander (love the leaky Butterfly roofs) and numerous other designers. Think George Nelson, Charles & Ray Eames. Schindler, one of my favs, did at least one house in Hawaii (Oahu). These post war homes were designed with families in mind. Many featured atriums, carports (no garage - just a carport) terrazzo floors (David M knows I have a little jar I am socking away quarters in to have a terrazzo kitchen floor - donations appreciated because the husband refuses to compromise on the cost . High class MCM would be Frank & the rat pack. Imagine their lush pads. Tikiyaki, help me out here. You know MCM pretty darn well. There are many subsets of MCM just like there are subsets of McMansion: the fake Italian villa, the fake colonial etc

The MCM style is found in areas that experienced much growth in the very late 40's - late 60's. Some homes built in the early 70's still not to this. You see a lot of MCM in Southern California (Long Beach & San Fernando Valley full of them), Portland, Florida (especially Sarasota, Tampa & Orlando) and Palm Springs is quite the mecca for MCM. Most of the MCM for the everyday family were nothing more than tract homes in their day. Feel lucky when you find one today that hasn't been "McMansionized" or had the simple siding replaced with stucco or some idiot with a Home Depot credit card replaced the door with one with beautiful brass lined faux leaded glass. These homes were designed to live in!

There were tons of MCM style hotels in Waikiki but they are all being torn down to make way for the ugly glass buildings.

If you are interested in MCM check out lottaliving.com It is a great resource the the genre.

Sorry, I had to get uppity. I am no expert on the subject but just had to chime in and be opinionated. I haven't gotten all opinionated since the legalize marijuana thread.

Atlanta/Pahoa

[mella l]

So does MCM go more with the Eichler trend of housing?


mella l

[jdirgo]

Um, I like cheese.

Sorry, that's all I can say at this point. In terms of architectural knowledge, you all have not just left me in the dust, but I'm boldly exploring the county of clueless without a map, compass or guide.

John Dirgo, RA, ABR, e-PRO
Island Trust Properties, LLC
808-987-9243 cell

[Carolann R]

I don't know squat. Just I like FLW and you all were mentioning him...thought I'd throw in a pix of the Gammage Auditorium...hard for me to stay on track in the best if situations LOL!! Anyway - it's Puna, right?!

Mahalo Nui Loa!!!

Carrie

"To be one, to be united is a great thing. But to respect the right to be different is maybe even greater." Bono
http://www.hellophoenix.com/art/dreamhawaii.Cfm

[Kapohocat]

WOW Puna Girl! You covered all the bases.... ! Great to find a thread on one of fav's - architecture!!!

And yes the SFV has a ton of MCM houses... all built for like $9000 or something... whole tracts of them...And lets keep them out of Puna....

What would Eichler or FLW or Mies or any of the others mentioned have designed if they had lived here a spell?

-Cat



Catherine Dumond
Blue Water Project Management
808 217-7578
http://bluewaterpm.125mb.com/index.html
"We help make building your dream home a reality"


Edited by - kapohocat on 09/17/2006 17:19:49

[Rob L]

I grew up in a MCM house, but I didn't know it at the time because it was mid-centruy. Before I bought in Hawaii I check out Palm Springs. A lot of homes there are advertized as "Mid-Century Classics". Well, I thought, I'm a mid-century classic. I guess it will never seem all that special because it was just ordinary when I grew up. The first home that I owned was a Meis Van Der Rohe apartment in Chicago. Now that was a modern "classic" as far as I was concerned. But, he used single paned glass windows and when it got real cold, as Chicago does, they frosted up on the inside. The home owners association had to forbid people from installing double glazing because they were afraid the building wouldn't support it.

Aloha,
Rob L

[Hotzcatz]

Well, I dunno about Mid-Century Modern, but how about Modern Hawaiian? These guys seem to be making some nice designs:
De Reus Architects They are a bit too upscale for most people, but some of the design concepts such as moveable walls might be nice in other houses. They seem to have large portions of the wall as moveable doors which disappear into "door barns" at the corners. I've only done one house which had those and the people seemed to enjoy it but they used it as a vacation house and not their primary residence. For a full time home, I'd be tempted to have two sets of doors, one solid for weather and one screened for everyday use, but at this moment, none of my clients are "door barn" kinda people, they are horse barn kinda people. The De Reus folks also do nice things with the interaction between interior and exterior space, pools and interior ceilings.

I wonder how Mid-Century Modern would do if it were mixed with Hawaii Library? The Hilo library has a lovely indoor garden area surrounded by large interior lanais and it would work well with the MCM building style. Add in some moveable doorwalls from the De Reus architect designs and you'd have a lovely house.




Edited by - hotzcatz on 09/19/2006 15:02:21

[waynesb]

There were some houses in a neighborhood of Fresno (adjoining the one my parents bought a new house in) that had windows high in the eaves and exposed wood structure where proper ceilings would be. Gravel roof. I thought they just looked cheap. That's about the time I was ashamed of my parents' ancient '48 Studebaker Champion. Now I think they'd be classed as MCM.
Here in Castro Valley there's a neighborhood of Eichlers. I'm ashamed to say I haven't ever gone up to see them.

Dwell.... I subscribed to it for a time. Is there such a thing as TOO modern? That was my impression of just about all their featured buildings. Modern and expensive!

We're going to have to change the nomenclature... Mid-Century Modern? Which Century?