TMH To Host Public Tour of The Larson Residence

Late architect Jon Condoret’s favorite project will be open to the public for the first time.

March 20, 2013 (Durham, NC) – Triangle Modernist Houses (TMH), the award-winning non-profit organization dedicated to documenting, preserving, and promoting Modernist residential architecture, will host a tour of the unusual 1973 Arthur and Florence Larson Residence in Durham on Saturday, April 13, from 9 a.m. to 12 noon.

Originally designed by the late Chapel Hill architect Jon Condoret, the Larson home began at 4825 square feet. When the Larsons sold the house, the new owners engaged California architect Fu-Tung Chung to design the renovation, which was built by Landmark Renovation with the late landscape architect, Judy Harmon, designing an entrance path and garden. A further 2011 addition expanded the house to 6040 square feet.

“Jon Condoret considered the Larson house his favorite project,” said George Smart, TMH Executive Director. “It’s easy to see why. The expansive walls and ceilings, combined with exposed beams, echo the angular exterior.  The house is filled with natural light and views of the wooded surroundings. We are very grateful to the current owners for opening it on April 13 to the public.”

According to the Durham Herald’s 1993 obituary, Arthur Larson joined the Duke faculty in 1958 and became only the second James R. Duke professor of law after having served as Undersecretary of Labor, Director of the U.S. Information Agency, and as special assistant in charge of speeches for President Dwight E. Eisenhower. He also served as consultant on international affairs to President Lyndon B. Johnson, the U.S. State Department, and the United Nations.  While the Larsons lived in their Modernist home, they frequently entertained friends and fellow Duke Faculty, often holding classical music concerts in the large two-story-clear living room.

Tickets to the tour are $6.50 in advance or $10 at the door. (Advance sales close a week before the tour.) Admission is on a timed-entry basis every 30 minutes. Photography is allowed anywhere inside and outside the house. Architects can earn continuing education credits for attending the tour if arrangements are made with the American Institute of Architects in advance.

To order tickets, select an entry time, get directions to the house, and for additional information, go to www.trianglemodernisthouses.com/tour. Proceeds benefit TMH’s ongoing mission. Call George Smart with any questions: 919-740-8407.

 

House Tour: “Modernism in Duke Forest” To Take Place In September

Duke President’s House

Triangle Modernist Houses, Preservation Durham present a six-house tour.

August 14, 2012 (Durham, NC) – Triangle Modernist Houses (TMH) and Preservation Durham have announced “Modernism In Duke Forest,” a tour of six modernist houses in Durham’s Duke Forest neighborhood, to be held on Saturday, September 15, from 1-4 p.m.

Duke University originally developed the Duke Forest neighborhood, just south of Duke University’s campus, faculty and staff. Many of the homes are still owned by their original occupants.

Huttemeier /Benveniste House

Architecturally, the Duke Forest is an eclectic mix of styles, including mid-century modernist houses. In fact, there are more mid-century modern homes in Duke Forest than anywhere else in Durham, according to local realtors.

Triangle Modernist Houses, an award-winning non-profit organization dedicated to documenting, preserving, and promoting modernist residential design, has teamed up with Preservation Durham, a non-profit organization that promotes the restoration of historic homes and commercial properties, to present the September tour.

Kaufman House

Houses on the tour are:

1.    The Knight house/Duke University President’s House designed by Alden Dow.

2.    The Kaufman House designed by Brian Shawcroft, who will be on hand to answer questions.

3.    The Schanberg House designed by Jon Condoret. Condoret’s daughter, architect Audie Schechter, will be there to answer questions.

4.    The Crovitz House designed by Frank DePasquale.

Obrist House

5.    The Obrist House designed by Walter Obrist.

6.    The Huttemeier /Benveniste House designed by Keith Brown.

The tour will start at the Judea Reform Congregation parking lot at 1933 West Cornwallis Road, Durham, where free parking will be available. From there, shuttle buses will run to the houses every 10 minutes throughout the afternoon. Tour-goers may choose to bike or walk to the houses from the parking lot, but automobile traffic is seriously discouraged.

Crovitz Housoe

Advance tickets are $19.95 per person and are available online only at www.trianglemodernisthouses.com/tour, where more details about the tour can be found. Day-of tickets, if available, are $25. Children carried or in strollers are free.

“Best of all, for those new to Preservation Durham, each ticket comes with a free full year membership in Preservation Durham,” noted George Smart, founder and director of Triangle Modernist Houses.

Schanberg House

Proceeds from ticket sales benefit both Preservation Durham and Triangle Modernist Houses.  “Modernism in Duke Forest “ is also part of the DOCOMOMO 2012 Fall Tour Day Network.

For more information on Triangle Modernist Houses, visit www.trianglemodernisthouses.com. For more information on Preservation Durham, go to preservationdurham.org.

Triangle Modernist Houses Announces Spring Homes Tour

Featuring four unique Modernist houses in Durham’s Hope Valley neighborhood.

February 20, 2012 (Durham, NC) — The 29^th Triangle Modernist Houses tour of modern homes will be

The Patel House

held Saturday April 14, 1-4 p.m., in the Hope Valley neighborhood of Durham, NC.

The tour will feature four unique homes: one brand new, one four years old, and two mid-century moderns that have been renovated. The houses on the spring tour are:

• The Miriam and Henry Nicholson House, designed by architect Robert (Judge) Carr.  Renovated and currently for sale.
• The 2008 Monica Hunter House, designed by architect Bill Waddell.
• The 2011 Patel House, designed and built by architect Sanjeev Patel.
• The Chute Residence, a mid-century modern ranch currently under renovation and expansion by architect Ellen Cassilly.

Architects Waddell, Cassilly, and Patel will be at the houses to discuss any details or questions from the public. Photography is allowed and encouraged inside and out.

The Hunter House

Tour-goers may park for free at St. Stephen’s Church on Rugby Road. From there they can walk, bike, or take one of two free shuttle buses to the houses. (Please do not drive directly to the houses.)

“We’re super green,” said TMH founder and board chair George Smart. “Think of all the carbon saved by shuttles versus driving hundreds of cars from house-to-house individually.”

Tickets are $14.95 per person in advance for the general public, $11.95 per person in advance for Mod Squad members, and $20 per person on the day of the tour. Children carried or in strollers are admitted free.  Tickets are available at www.trianglemodernisthouses.com/tour.htm.

Since 2008, no organization in North Carolina has hosted more Modernist house tours than TMH. Support from thousands of homeowners, architects, builders, and members of the community allow TMH to bring the public exclusive access to modernist residential architecture. Proceeds from tour ticket sales benefit TMH’s ongoing documentation, preservation, and promotion projects.

Sponsors for the April 14 tour, who will also be on hand at each house, include: L.E. Meyers Builders, The Kitchen Specialist, Studio B Architecture/BuildSense, Go Realty, Anchorage Building Corporation, Nowell’s Contemporary Furniture, Byrd Tile Distributors, and Tonic Design/Tonic Construction.

Contact George Smart at 919-740-8407 with questions about the Durham tour.

For more information on Triangle Modernist Houses, visit www.trianglemodernisthousescom.

TMH Takes Its Mission To Real Estate Agents

Founder George Smart Addresses the Durham Regional Association of Realtors.

June 8, 2011 (Durham, NC) — George Smart, founder and director of the award- winning non-profit Triangle Modernist Houses (TMH), will present “Mayberry Modernism: North Carolina’s Modernist Legacy” to a meeting of the Durham Regional Association of REALTORS® on Thursday, June 23, at 2 p.m.

“Mayberry Modernism” showcases the state’s surprisingly large collection of Modernist residences from the 1950s through today, particularly those in the Triangle region. The Triangle has the third largest concentration of Modernist houses in the nation, bested only by Los Angeles and Chicago. Smart’s presentation includes photographs over 50 award-winning homes from the 1935 Gamble House in Durham designed by Green and Rogers to the 2010 Bugg House, also in Durham, designed by Kenneth Hobgood, FAIA.

Triangle Modernist Houses’ Summer Doubleheader Tour Sells Out Quickly

July 22, 2009 (DURHAM, NC) – Triangle Modernist Houses has sold out its first August tour, a “Behind-The-Scenes” look at the Durham Performing Arts Center in downtown Durham and architect Phil Szostak residence in Orange County. The tour will be held on Saturday, August 1, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.

Durham Performing Arts Center

Phil Szostak, FAIA, principal of Philip Szostak Associates in Chapel Hill, designed both structures and will be on hand to conduct the tour.

“It’s an honor to have people want to come see our work,” Szostak said. “I have always enjoyed sharing stories about the projects and how they developed versus just showing the end product. In this case, I think it offers a more rounded understanding of the DPAC and our home.”