Mad About Modern, a mid-century home tour for nerdy architecture people like me, will host its sixth annual home showcase on Saturday, Sept. 9, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
According to the Charlotte Museum of History, the home tour “features seven privately-owned homes in the SouthPark area, all designed and decorated in the mid-century modern style popular from 1935 to 1965.”
Tickets cost $25 and you visit the homes at your own pace. For people looking to party and talk mod design, there’s also a MOD VIP Party at Hans Krug Thursday, September 7 (tickets).
“Many of today’s ‘must-have’ home features were born from the midcentury design aesthetic,” says John Kincheloe, architect at LS3P and board member of the Charlotte Museum of History. “Each home on the tour has a story to tell, whether it’s about the influential architect who designed it, the people who lived there or the neighborhood around it.”
[Agenda related guides: Best builders in Charlotte and best architects in Charlotte]
All proceeds of the tour are used to support preservation and education mission of the Charlotte Museum of History. A spokesperson for the museum told me, “The museum believes when people see how beautiful and functional these homes can be, they will want to live in them and save them.”
7 homes will be featured on the 2017 Mad About Modern tour.
Langdon Home, 2236 Ferncliff Road
Neighborhood: Foxcroft
Year Built: 1955
Size: 4bd/5ba, 3,253 square feet
Description: “Built in 1955, this home is filled with uniquely midcentury modern elements, including a distinctive fishbowl living room and a Japanese soaking tub. Front transom windows give the illusion of a floating roof. Renowned North Carolina architect Louis Asbury Sr. designed the Langdon home. His other works include the old Mecklenburg County courthouse and various homes throughout Myers Park, Eastover and Wesley Heights.”
Allen Home, 5322 Finsbury Place
Neighborhood: Sherwood Forest
Year Built: 1963
Size: 4bd / 3ba, 3,168 square feet
Description: “Architect Eugene Warren designed and owned this California-style ranch, built in 1963. The open floor plan, skylights and vaulted-beam ceilings make this home feel spacious, defying what you might expect from a ranch. The home features interesting artwork and eclectic design elements, including a walk-through shower in the master bath, a pool room and an original cone fireplace.”
Baker Home, 6827 Folger Drive
Neighborhood: Lansdowne
Year Built: 1962
Size: 4bd/3ba, 3,612 square feet
Description: “Nestled in the hillside, this split-level home has unique architectural details, including the rectangular trellis and horizontal bricks with offset masonry, reminiscent of Frank Lloyd Wright’s prairie-style homes. The open floor plan includes a wall of floor-to-ceiling glass connecting the living room and kitchen. Filled with modern and Asian furnishings and modern artwork, this home, built in 1962, features a medallion-designed fireplace and newly renovated kitchen and bathrooms.”
Sykes Home, 3517 Johnny Cake Lane
Neighborhood: Mountainbrook
Year Built: 1966
Size: 5bd/5ba 4,249 square feet
Description: “This Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired, prairie-style home was designed by architect Andrew Hearn and built in 1966. Inside, floating kidney-shaped stairs lead to a unique circular kitchen and open den. The homeowners have preserved many of the home’s original modern details, including 1960s James Bond wallpaper in one of the bathrooms.”
Mod Designer Showcase Home, 5668 Lansing Drive
Neighborhood: Lansdowne
Year Built: 1965
Size: 3bd/2ba 2,100 square feet
Note: It’s pretty cool, designers and builders chose this home as an incubator for their ideas. Over the summer, they’ve transformed it into a showcase home for the tour.
Backstory: “Hans Krug Fine European Cabinetry, a major tour sponsor, owns the home and has collaborated with the area’s top design talents on its furnishings. Attendees can meet some of the celebrated designers and vendors involved in the project who can answer questions about this stunning midcentury rehab.”
Olson Home, 2208 Thetford Court
Neighborhood: Myers Park
Year Built: 1991
Size: 4bd/6ba, 5,003 square feet
Description: “Built in 1991, this home illustrates the staying power and influence of the midcentury modern aesthetic and shows how designers can respectfully evolve and echo that style in new structures. Charlotte contemporary architect David Furman included classic midcentury elements in the home’s design, such as asymmetrical structures, an open floor plan and expansive windows. The home’s multiple levels and abundant natural light create intriguing sight lines. The ingenious library wall is a movable bookcase.”
Bruns Home, 6508 Trenton Place
Neighborhood: Olde Providence South
Year Built: 1969 4bd/3ba 5,600 square feet
Size: 4bd/3ba, 5,600 square feet
Description: “Influential and award-winning Charlotte architect William Crutcher Ross created this home in 1969. It is the quintessential midcentury modern design, a home you’d expect to see in 1960s Palm Springs. Today, it features an eclectic mix of vintage midcentury modern and contemporary furnishings, as well as an extensive collection of original art and dynamic sculpture. Sadly, one of Ross’s other iconic midcentury modern homes — the Bernstein home at 5300 Hardison Road — was demolished in 2016. This treasure is among the few preserved Ross homes in the region.”
[Agenda related story: Charlotte’s iconic modernist “house that fell to earth” was demolished last week]
All photos via Mad About Modern
