Dallas Center for Architecture
They had their walking tour today but the next one is February 20th but they have a special All-Star Weekend tour next Saturday the 13th.

They are on Facebook here and you can find out more.

I’m going to update the Events calendar here so that I can promote some of the Modern specific.

However I was over at Urban Reserve today. They have moved their real estate firm to Joan Cole Real Estate and as part of that they got them a great little URL for two of their homes.

Check out 22 Vanguard web site. Pretty neat huh. (The music is kind of not needed but I’m biased). I’ll post the other one as well and I need to get some pics up. I have a few of a house going up over there. I don’t know the exact address off the top of my head but I have a before and I want an in between. The after will be amazing!

For now, I’m off but plan on more updates soon!

I also am going to be updating the site with some Modern Homes in Dallas. I’m going to start with Urban Reserve because I have access to them and they are an awesome community. Once I have it up, I’ll let you know.

If by chance, you schedule a showing over there and you found them via this site, be sure to let me or them know. I want them to know ya’ll are coming to them via this blog.

I hope your summer is off to a great start. I know mine is!

National Trust for Historic Preservation Launches Modernism + Recent Past Initiative

Initiative Will Partner with National and Local Organizations to Save Significant 20th Century Resources

The National Trust for Historic Preservation (www.PreservationNation.org) is a non-profit membership organization bringing people together to protect, enhance and enjoy the places that matter to them. By saving the places where great moments from history – and the important moments of everyday life – took place, the National Trust for Historic Preservation helps revitalize neighborhoods and communities, spark economic development and promote environmental sustainability. With headquarters in Washington, DC, nine regional and field offices, 29 historic sites, and partner organizations in all 50 states, the National Trust for Historic Preservation provides leadership, education, advocacy and resources to a national network of people, organizations and local communities committed to saving places, connecting us to our history and collectively shaping the future of America’s stories.

Washington, DC (April 15, 2009) – The National Trust for Historic Preservation today announced the launch of its Modernism + Recent Past Initiative with the hiring of Christine Madrid French as the director of the program.  The Modernism + Recent Past Initiative, housed in the Western Office in San Francisco under the guidance of regional director Dr. Anthea Hartig, focuses on significant buildings, structures, and landscapes of the modern movement,  as well as places of social, economic, and cultural importance that were built within the last fifty years. Primary funding for the Initiative was generously provided by the Henry Luce Foundation.

With this initiative, the National Trust for Historic Preservation plans to elevate public appreciation for both modern and recent past resources and demonstrate the significance of these buildings in the history of American architecture and culture.  ”The National Trust is fully committed to preserving modern heritage,” said Richard Moe, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, “and this initiative will foster the partnerships necessary to build awareness and support for modernist resources.” Development pressures, the vagaries of the economy, and aging infrastructure put thousands of homes, office buildings, schools, libraries, and airports in jeopardy. Although the historic significance of these places may not be commonly recognized, many clearly contribute to community life and have enduring worth. And while all of these resources may not merit full protection, none should be destroyed without careful review.

“Under this program, we hope to broaden the national conversation on historic preservation of twentieth-century resources and articulate to a wider audience practical approaches to saving modernist and recent past buildings,” said French.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation brings broad organizational capacity, deep technical resources, extensive public policy expertise, and a broad national perspective to this issue. As the owner of the Philip Johnson Glass House and Mies van der Rohe’s Farnsworth House, the National Trust for Historic Preservation already serves as a major curator of Modern masterpieces. As a part of the Initiative, Philip Johnson Glass House, under executive director Christy MacLear, will act as a center for modernism providing leadership for the preservation of modernist architecture and landscapes. The National Trust for Historic Preservation has also issued numerous publications focused on the study and preservation of the recent past and frequently covers the subject in the print and online versions of Preservation Magazine.

The Initiative’s goals include:

• Engage national and local partner organizations to build consensus and create a shared policy agenda for modernist and recent past resources; establish a strong national network to strengthen partners’ work.
• Provide high-quality educational programming, technical resources, and research for local organizations working to save, maintain, and reuse modernist and recent past resources.
• Advance policies that support Twentieth-Century architectural and cultural heritage in collaboration with national, regional, and local partners; integrate efforts with the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Sustainability Initiative to ensure that older and historic structures, including modernist and recent past resources, positively contribute to sustainable development plans at all levels of government.
• Engage individuals and targeted audiences across the country in modernism and recent past issues.
• Create and implement a comprehensive communications strategy that raises public awareness and galvanizes support for M+RP.

About Christine Madrid French:

Trained as an architectural historian at the University of Utah and the University of Virginia, French is a co-founder and past president of the Recent Past Preservation Network, the first national non-profit organization dedicated to saving resources built during the last fifty years. French is a member of the 20^th Century Heritage Scientific Committee for the International Council of Monuments and Sites, and previously worked as an historian with the National Park Service in Washington, D.C.  She has contributed to numerous architectural books and magazines and consulted on modern visitor centers for Ken Burns’ upcoming documentary about the National Park system.

The Henry Luce Foundation (http://www.hluce.org/) was established in 1936 by Henry R. Luce, the co-founder and editor-in-chief of Time Inc., to honor his parents who were missionary educators in China. The Foundation builds upon the vision and values of four generations of the Luce family: broadening knowledge and encouraging the highest standards of service and leadership; and, operating as a not-for-profit corporation under the laws of the State of New York, aims to exemplify the best practices of responsible, effective philanthropy. The Henry Luce Foundation seeks to bring important ideas to the center of American life, strengthen international understanding, and foster innovation and leadership in academic, policy, religious and art communities.

And I’m going to contact them to find out what I can do and we as a Dallas Community of Modern Home appreciation can do to support this effort. I like that this is where preservation meets modernism and we do something that helps educate and extend appreciation around homes that need it.

“The client desired a house that felt as if it were isolated in the forest and that would allow him to hear the songs of birds.” says Robert Harvey Oshatz Architect on Wilkinson Residence.”

Wilkison Residence

The detail of the house and it’s layout is pretty amazing with the way it blends into it’s environment and the detail that went into it to make the form fit the environment is admirable.  The comments on metafilter run the gamut from commenting on the beautiful design to the nightmare of having to clean the windows at the top and leaking issues.   They also bring up the lack of architect-designed homes for under $1 million.

Brings up thoughts to consider when facing bring the modern to reality when building.

That said, enjoy the pictures though.

Key links for further exploration:

• Robert Harvey Oshantz – The Architect
• Wilkison Residence Large Photos
• Wilkison Residence Coverage at Architecture.com

Wilkinson Kitchen

I saw this link from a friend of mine Dennis Convington. I don’t think he has a blog or I would link to him and give him some search juice but for now. LOOK AT THIS CHAIR.

This is from the site.

Designed by Isamu Kenmochi for Tendo Japan in 1961. The Kashiwado chair was actually created for a famous Sumo wrestler named Kashiwado from that time. This chair is truly a work of art. Craftsmen first cut out several blocks of the bottom roots of a Japanese cedar (Sugi) and then carefully select the best wood with the most tree-rings. The blocks are then carved and layered on top of each other by hand then polished and coated.

If you are a chair aficionado- check these links out.
Chair Blog
And the
Contemporary Australasion Chairs – Awesome chairs.

Enjoy.

My dear friend Nicole drove me around Oak Cliff in and around Kessler Park and I showed her the homes that I had seen at the Modern Homes Tour last year.  She pointed out quiet a few, I had never seen.  None were for sale that I could see, although many of the ones in Urban Reserve are available for purchase.

If you want a fun activity for a weekend when the weather is nice.  I recommend printing out the map and going for a drive.  These are tucked up in a gorgeous area of Dallas and worth the time.

Speaking of feedback. I got some from the owner of Zuri Furniture. I don’t want to quote the whole e-mail because I haven’t asked if it’s cool to but I think that based on the e-mail that if store reflects the owner ya’ll are in good hands. Good, sassy, comfortable but amazingly fresh design hands.

Some additional facts. They have TWO locations. I’ve conveniently put them below with links to the maps. Cause I’m helpful like that.

4880 Alpha Road / Dallas, TX 75244 – Click on the Zuri Furniture to the left and see more information
7884 S.H. 121 / Frisco, TX 75034

Also I would like to quote one little itty bitty snippet which I think reflects exactly what we want in Dallas and what we want in our homes.

“No one really understood what we Texans must have in our homes, unique style that doesn’t sacrifice comfort. We all want home to be where we can relax and find ease. That is the inspiration behind our entire product line. We look for one-of-a-kind pieces with clean lines and modern finishes but we never sacrifice on quality and comfort.”

That is what I’m talking about. One of the prime reasons I fell in love with Modern Homes and Modern Furnishings. Unique look, unique feel, total freedom and ultimately relaxation in our homes.

So there you have it. Go see the fine folks at Zuri Furniture and look for more information about Modern on the Move in Dallas here.

However, I really wanted to elaborate a bit more.  I have had some interesting conversations and thought  ya’ll might agree that it’s fast becoming a defacto issue with builders, home owners, designers, architects and vendors.

1. Modern Homes by our working definition is homes that represent what is modern to us. With trends to Green Living more and more on our conscious and we continue to descend into a compromised future based on a world where our foot print is heavy. That being said, homes being built today almost by default need to lesson that foot print and their are many many architects, designers and builders focusing on that.

2. Money. I was talking to Gregg Graham of Dallas Energy Efficient Products last week and he was relating to me that in energy efficiency, almost 53% of the energy loss in your homes comes from windows and doors. That’s astounding to me. And with the amount of technology going into windows with triple pain, krypton gas to prevent energy loss and reflect it back out into the environment, secure glass it’s no wonder that homes today are being built with this technology. It helps and it saves money and looks fabulous. Add to that my conversation with friends at Florida Landscape Lighting and their observations about LED lights and the future of lighting both inside and out and it’s more and more becoming a matter of money savings as well as environmental necessity.

3. Which is I think another factor. Design. Many of the features that you want to make your house look artistically pleasing can be custom. Windows that are built custom are usually made to LEED standards. Same goes for doors, lighting, water and energy features. Unless you are taking a Mid-Century modern and keeping it “as-is” many of the houses you find that are Modern were built recently and with quality in mind, custom. Those 9 times out 10 are going to green inspired or at least better than standard non-Modern housing built today.

This is of course, my opinion.  If you know of any other reason why Green might be a factor, let me know.  I’m all about the discussion versus the pulpit.   I thought about the fact, that it’s a selling point but I think that can be boiled down to the three above in some fashion.  Thoughts?

My apologies, but a death in the family and the end of the year work obligations of my day job, held me up.

I have some great posts coming soon including more furnishings I have found, an update about a local modern furnishing store and lots more updates to the map of modern homes in Dallas.

Stay Tuned!