Historic house museums aren’t just for Early American revolutionaries, pioneer settlers or Victorians any more. Yes, as appreciation for mid-20th century architecture has grown, so has the number of historic house museums. Kate and I have been working for several weeks to research and prepare what we believe is the first conclusive list of mid-century and modern historic house museums that you can visit and see. In the USA. In your Chevrolet, even.
Our list includes 59 mid century and modern house museums. A number of these are iconic, architect-designed “mid-century modern” masterpiece houses. But we also were somewhat liberal in including other early- and mid-20th historic houses that played key roles in the evolution of mid century residential architecture and the “modern” way we still live today. There are quite a few houses by Frank Lloyd Wright that fall into our “extremely influential” but not really “mid-century” category, for example.
Houses generally become “historic” for one of two reasons (or both): (1) Their architecture is special, or (2) Someone historic lived there. Reflecting this, the houses in our roundup are there for a variety of reasons — and we believe this diversity helps illuminate the story of mid-century America. In addition to the houses that are important examples of mid century and modern residential architecture, our list includes celebrity houses where Elvis, Sinatra, and Louis Armstrong lived… a number of “biographical” houses including from Russel Wright, Georgia O’Keefe, and Jackson Pollock and Louise Krasner… There are two presidential estates… and we dug and dug and dug to find two Lustron houses open to the public! We take the research all the way to one “post modern” house, a 1982 design by Frank Gehry. Don’t be harassing us, please, if you don’t like the way we sliced and diced the list; be nice; we were trying to show the love for 20th century modern and modern-esque houses that haven’t quite made it onto others’ formal lists yet. Also, we started to get cross-eyed after a while of hashing what’s “in” the list and “what’s out”. We kinda wanted to be done already.
If so, please let us know!
with lots of “bonus” photos you won’t find on the house websites
by clicking here.
Alexandra Perron says
Also the Medgar Evers house in Jackson, Mississipi. Built in 1957,he house is still like it was when Mr Evers was assassinated in 1963. There is a virtual tour on this website: http://www.everstribute.org/house_tour.php
Carolyn says
This is the most amazing, generous accomplishment…in a site full of such things. What a fabulous resource you have created, one that is generating its own creative momentum–like ‘wikiretrohomepedia’ : )
Ellie Smith MUA says
http://flwrightbeachhouse.com/
There is a Frank Lloyd Wright home (a hemicircle design called the Cooke House) in Virginia Beach on Crystal Lake. It is apparently for sale at $3.75 million.
Sarah says
Will Rogers home in Pacific Palisades CA is a little early but has a fantastic 1930’s kitchen and was one of the earlier examples of the “ranch-style” house. http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=626
pam kueber says
Thanks, we’ll check it out!
Lorina says
The McCormick Museum in Cantigny Park, Wheaton IL is a nice example of a mid 20th C. mansion, though most of it isn’t too modern. The best part may be the “gold theater” in the basement–very deco!
http://www.cantigny.org/museums/mccormick/whats_inside/lower_level.aspx
pam kueber says
Note to file, email from Illinois Preservation Agency:
….Firstly, I’d like to correct the date of construction of the Dana Thomas House in Springfield by FLW. It was built in 1904 not 1940.
I’d like to submit additional sites for your consideration:
The Park Forest (IL) Historic Society operates a 1950s house museum in one of the original 1948 townhouse units. Park Forest, IL is a nationally important postwar development.
http://www.parkforesthistory.org/museum-home.html
Connecticut College in New London, CT has two 1934 steel houses on its campus that it is in the process of restoring.
http://www.conncoll.edu/news/news-archive/2011/rusty-the-steel-house-is-being-restored.htm
The restored 1938 modernist Adlai Stevenson House and its 1937 service building in Mettawa, IL outside of Chicago are available for tours.
http://www.lcfpd.org/preserves/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.view&object_id=24353
This one probably doesn’t count, but I submit it anyway – there is a Futuro House (prefab fiberglass dwelling by Finnish architect Matti Suuronen, 1968) on the grounds of an antique mall in Livingston, IL. The shell remains, but the interior is gone. It’s publically accessible, at least.
http://thegrumpyoldlimey.com/pages/Futuro-Livingstone-Illinois-USA.html
Thanks for all you do to promote midcentury domestic architecture.
Illinois Historic Preservation Agency
Lori Crabtree says
Did anyone mention the Wescott House in Springfield, Oh? It’s designed by Frank Lloyd Wright – sitting inexplicably in the middle of a small town in Ohio. http://www.westcotthouse.org/
Devin says
Another one – the Moore/Andersonn Compound in Austin, TX. http://charlesmoore.org/index.html.
An incredible post-modern residence built on the site of a 1950s ranch, with the original 1950s bathroom still intact in the core of the house.
pam kueber says
Thanks, we’ll check it out!
Aleta says
Great list!! Thank you 🙂 I’ve been to Georgia O’Keefe’s place – serene and beautiful – take the tour if you can –
guess this list is just for MCM FLW? The Westcott House in Springfield Ohio is interesting, but it is Prairie Style, so…. My Hometown of Bakersfield Ca has a FLW house built in the late 1950’s and when I was about 8 yrs old we got to go on a tour – was PINK stucco ! of course I remember that 🙂 and was/is on a hill and had windows all around, with a ‘wing’-like roof structure. Built for a Doctor Ablin and his family.
pam kueber says
Aleta, the story explains our criteria for selecting houses to put on the list…
pam kueber says
Note to file: Ben sent email adding this FLW to the list: http://www.westcotthouse.org/