modernist houses

James Taylor’s Modernist Childhood Home in Chapel Hill Will Open for Second Public Tour

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1952 Taylor Home_sm

After the first tour sold out, NCMH has arranged a second opportunity for Taylor fans and Modernist design enthusiasts.

By popular demand, North Carolina Modernist Houses (NCMH) will host a second tour of singer-songwriter James Taylor’s classic mid-century Modern childhood home in Chapel Hill on Saturday, July 2, from 9 a.m. to noon.

Tickets ($7 each) for admission by specific time slots are on sale now at http://www.ncmodernist.org/jt.htm and are expected to sell out quickly.  Nine-hundred people attended the first tour on June 4.  “I can’t tell you how many phone calls and emails I’ve received from folks who didn’t secure tickets for the first tour before it was sold out,” said George Smart, Executive Director of NCMH. “James Taylor is such an iconic figure, locally and nationally. So we’re delighted to be able to offer a second opportunity.”

Modernist architects George Matsumoto and John Latimer designed the three-level house, which was built in 1952 for Dr. Isaac Taylor — then-dean of the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Medicine — his wife Trudy and their five children: James, Livingston, Hugh, Alex, and Kate. James lived there until he graduated from high school.

In the 1960s, James and his siblings played music in the two-story guesthouse nearby, which is included on the tour. Participants will see where James carved his initials on the railing around the guesthouse deck.

The house will be auctioned on June 29.

Proceeds from ticket sales benefit North Carolina Modernist Houses, a nonprofit dedicated to archiving, preserving, and promoting Modernist residential design across the state. For more information: www.ncmodernist.org.

redchair smAbout NC Modernist Houses:

North Carolina Modernist Houses (NCMH) is an award-winning, 501C3 nonprofit organizations established in 2007 and dedicated to documenting, preserving, and promoting Modernist residential design. This year, the American Institute of Architects awarded NCMH founder and director George Smart its Collaborative Achievement Award for his work with NCMH. The website www.ncmodernist.org is now the largest open digital archive for Modernist residential design in America. NCMH also hosts popular architecture events every month and frequent home tours, giving the public access to the most exciting residential architecture, past and present. These tours and events raise awareness and help preserve these “livable works of art” for future generations. For more information: www.ncmodernist.org. Find NCMH on Facebook. Follow NCMH on Twitter and Instagram.

2016 Matsumoto Prize Online Voting Now Open

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Recognizing excellence in North Carolina Modernist residential design

Online voting for the 2016 George Matsumoto Prize: Recognizing Excellence in North Carolina Modernist Residential Design, begins today at:

https://ncmhcompetitions.squarespace.com

Matsumoto Prize 2016
Composite of the 2016 Matsomoto Prize nominees.

The 2016 Matsumoto Prize, supported by the McAdams Foundation, includes public voting to determine three “People’s Choice” winners. Anyone may vote by email (one time per email address) for his or her favorite entry starting today and running through June 29.

The Matsumoto Prize is named for George Matsumoto, FAIA, an eminent Modernist architect well-known for exceptional residential designs.

Matsumoto also serves as Honorary Chair for the Prize’s blue-ribbon jury of professional architects who select the Jury Award winners of cash prizes from a pool of $6000.

“These entries inspire people dreaming of a Modernist house to know Modernist design is affordable, efficient, sustainable, and most importantly, a house their families will love for decades,” said NCMH executive director George Smart. “We’re looking forward to record-breaking participation in this year’s online voting.”

Online voting ends at 5 p.m. EST, June 29.

For more information about the 2016 Matsumoto Prize, go to www.ncmodernist.org/prize2016.

redchair smAbout North Carolina Modernist Houses: 

North Carolina Modernist Houses (NCMH) is an award-winning, 501C3 nonprofit organizations established in 2007 and dedicated to documenting, preserving, and promoting Modernist residential design. This year, the American Institute of Architects awarded NCMH founder and director George Smart its Collaborative Achievement Award for his work with NCMH. The website www.ncmodernist.org is now the largest open digital archive for Modernist residential design in America. NCMH also hosts popular architecture events every month and frequent home tours, giving the public access to the most exciting residential architecture, past and present. These tours and events raise awareness and help preserve these “livable works of art” for future generations. For more information: www.ncmodernist.org. Find NCMH on Facebook. Follow NCMH on Twitter and Instagram.

Homes Tour: NCMH Presents Eight Modernist Houses April 2nd

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The Cherry-Gordon House in Raleigh's HIstoric Oakwood neighborhood is among the houses on NCMH's spring tour.
The Cherry-Gordon House in Raleigh’s HIstoric Oakwood neighborhood is among the houses on NCMH’s spring tour.

Eight exemplary Modernist houses will be open for one day only during North Carolina Modernist Houses’ Modapalooza Mobile Modernist Spring Tour around the Triangle on Saturday, April 2, from 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m.

North Carolina Modernist Houses (NCMH) is an award-winning non-profit organization dedicated to archiving, preserving, and promoting Modernist residential architecture from the 1940s to today. The annual Modapalooza tour is a full day of visiting new, mid-century, and recently renovated Modernist houses around the Triangle region aboard a luxury shuttle bus. Breakfast, snacks and beverages aboard the bus and a catered lunch are included with a purchased ticket.

The private homes on this year’s tour are…

In Durham:

In Chapel Hill:

  • The 1957 Van Wyk House designed by Jim Webb and renovated by John Lindsey

In Raleigh:

  • The 1973 Kebschull House designed by Harv Kebschull
  • The 2015 Hurt-Manzi House designed by Louis Cherry
  • And the 2014 Cherry-Gordon House, also designed by Louis Cherry — made nationally famous by a neighbor’s attempt to stop it from being built in Raleigh’s Historic Oakwood neighborhood. (For more information on the controversy: http://www.ncmodernist.org/2014oakwood.htm.)

The Modapalooza tour starts and ends in the Sheraton Imperial Hotel off I-40 in Durham. Tickets are $119 per person for the general public and $99 per person for NCMH’s Mod Squad members. NCMH tours tend to sell out quickly, so those interested are encouraged to purchase tickets soon at http://www.ncmodernist.org/palooza16.htm. Proceeds benefit NCMH. For more information on NCMH, visit www.ncmodernist.org.

redchair smAbout NC Modernist Houses:

North Carolina Modernist Houses (NCMH) is an award-winning, 501C3 nonprofit organizations established in 2007 and dedicated to documenting, preserving, and promoting Modernist residential design. The website is now the largest open digital archive for Modernist residential design in America. NCMH also hosts popular architecture events every month and frequent home tours, giving the public access to the most exciting residential architecture, past and present. These tours and events raise awareness and help preserve these “livable works of art” for future generations. For more information: www.ncmodernist.org. Find NCMH on Facebook. Follow NCMH on Twitter and Instagram.

Oysters & Architecture: Eidolon Designs Hosts February’s “Thirst4Architecture”

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EidolonAd-2

Eidolon Designs in Raleigh will once again host “Thirst4Architecture,” a networking event sponsored by North Carolina Modernist Houses (NCMH) and Emilie Huin of Triangle Modern Homes on Thursday, February 18, from 6-8 p.m. Free and open to the public, this month’s T4A event also includes Eidolon’s annual Oyster Roast.

T4A events are opportunities for architects, artists, building managers, contractors, engineers, furniture dealers, realtors, and anyone else interested in Modernist residential design to connect and create strategic alliances in a casual environment. The hosts provide refreshments and other entertainment while introducing T4A participants to their businesses.

Located at 414 Dupont Circle in Raleigh’s historic Boylan Heights neighborhood, Eidolon Designs handcrafts fine furniture, architectural millwork, doors, kitchen, bath, and office components, media integration pieces, and sculpture.

According to owners Ann Cowperthwaite and Mike Parker, who have supported NCMH events for many years, Eidolon team members “are artists and craftsmen, not manufacturers” and the company is “committed to environmental sustainability,” sourcing hardwoods from certified tree farms, sheet woods that are formaldehyde-free, and using only non-toxic finishes.

Those attending the February T4A can tour Eidolon’s workshop and speak with the owners and other Eidolon craftsmen while enjoying the annual oyster roast, soup, and other side dishes. For more information on Eidolon Designs visit eidolondesigns.com.

For more information on NCMH and the locations for future Thirst4Architecture events, visit www.ncmodernist.org.

redchair smAbout NC Modernist Houses:

North Carolina Modernist Houses (NCMH) is an award-winning, 501C3 nonprofit organizations established in 2007 and dedicated to documenting, preserving, and promoting Modernist residential design. The website is now the largest open digital archive for Modernist residential design in America. NCMH also hosts popular architecture events every month and frequent home tours, giving the public access to the most exciting residential architecture, past and present. These tours and events raise awareness and help preserve these “livable works of art” for future generations.

 

For more information: www.ncmodernist.org.

Find NCMH on Facebook. 

Follow NCMH on Twitter and Instagram.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Educating The Next Generation of Modernist Architects

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BauHow Logo

Over the past two weeks, North Carolina Modernist Houses’ Project BauHow gave away 200 CAD systems to rural high school students – powerful desktop computer and monitors they get to take home and keep. As a result, students can practice CAD all they want. Later, with class instruction, they will test their knowledge through an NCMH design competition featuring a Modernist house project.

Winners at each BauHow school also receive a scholarship to the NC State University College of Design’s Design Camp next summer.

“And, wow, are they ever pumped about NC State,” said NCMH executive director George Smart, who has posted videos of the students’ comments and excitement on the NCMH Vimeo site, with profiles on six of this year’s 11 Project BauHow Schools:

“High school drafting students are the future of North Carolina architecture,” Smart said. “it is critical that they get better opportunities to learn and master CAD [computer aided design] software. Up to 60 percent of rural North Carolina high school students are in families without the means to provide a CAD-level computer at home. Yet for students interested in a career in architecture, or any kind of professional design, high school drafting classes simply can’t provide enough class time to achieve the proficiency, or portfolios, required for college. This severely limits career opportunities especially in rural areas.”

Project BauHow provides computer and software access so that drafting teachers and give students meaningful homework assignments. “It also encourages and rewards the study and creation of Modernist residential design through the design competition,” Smart noted.

For complete information on Project BauHow, go to www.ncmodernist.org/bauhow. To see the list of schools participating in this school year’s initiative, go to www.ncmodernist.org/bauhow2016.

redchair smAbout NC Modernist Houses:

North Carolina Modernist Houses (NCMH) is an award-winning, 501C3 nonprofit organizations established in 2007 and dedicated to documenting, preserving, and promoting Modernist residential design. The website is now the largest open digital archive for Modernist residential design in America. NCMH also hosts popular architecture events every month and frequent home tours, giving the public access to the most exciting residential architecture, past and present. These tours and events raise awareness and help preserve these “livable works of art” for future generations. For more information: www.ncmodernist.org. Find NCMH on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

2015 Matsumoto Prize Honors Six Exemplary Modernist Houses

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NC Modernist Houses
Jury Awards First Prize winner: the Aiyyer House by CUBE design + research

North Carolina Modernist Houses announced the six winners – three Jury awards and three People’s Choice awards — for the 2015 George Matsumoto Prize for Modernist residential design during a special event at McConnell Studios in downtown Raleigh.

Houses submitted to the annual competition must be in North Carolina but designers may be based anywhere. A panel of distinguished architects including Jeanne Gang and Peter Gluck chose the Jury Award winners. The 2015 Prize was underwritten by Leland Little Auctions.

NCMH Founder and Director George Smart announced this year’s results.

The 2015 Jury winners are:

First Prize ($3000) — CUBE design + research, Chapel Hill, for the Aiyyer Residence in Carrboro, NC.  Photo at left by Richard Leo Johnson

Second Prize ($2000) – Tonic Design + Tonic Construction, Raleigh, for “Crabill Modern” in Hillsborough, NC.  Photo courtesy Tonic Desig

Third Prize ($1000) – in situ studio, Raleigh, for “Clark Court” in Raleigh. Photo by Richard Leo Johnson

Online public voting determined the three People’s Choice winners. With nearly 2000 votes cast, the 2015 People’ Choice winners are:

First Place: Kersting Architecture, Wilmington, NC, for “Waterline” beach house in Wrightsville Beach, NC. Photo by Rick Ricozzi

Second Place: Roost Homes, Asheville, for Peregrine #5 in Lakeview Park in Asheville, NC. Photo by Olivia Marone

Third Place: Ann Clark Architects, Chicago, for the Knight Howard House in Deep Run, NC. Photo by Stacey Van Berkel

The Matsumoto Prize honors George Matsumoto, FAIA, a founding faculty member at the North Carolina State University School of Design (now College of Design) who is well known for the exemplary mid-century Modernist houses he designed across the state. Matsumoto also served as Honorary Chair of the professional jury.

Sponsors of the award night included Palette and Parlor, Mitchell Restoration, and Paolo Tomasi Sales.

For more information on the Matsumoto Prize, the jury, and this year’s award winners as well as all the submissions, visit http://www.ncmodernist.org/prize2015.

North Carolina Modernist Houses

About North Carolina Modernist Houses: 

North Carolina Modernist Houses (NCMH) is an award-winning, 501C3 nonprofit organization established in 2007 and dedicated to documenting, preserving, and promoting Modernist residential design. The website is now the largest open digital archive for Modernist residential design in America. NCMH also hosts popular architecture events every month and frequent home tours, giving the public access to the most exciting residential architecture, past and present. These tours and events raise awareness and help preserve these “livable works of art” for future generations. For more information: www.ncmodernist.org.

McConnell Studios To Host Matsumoto Prize Presentation, Thirst4Architecture

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North Carolina Modernist Houses

McConnell Studios in Boylan Heights, Raleigh, will host North Carolina Modernist Houses’ 2015 George Matsumoto Prize awards for Modernist residential design on Thursday, July 23, from 6-8 p.m. Free and open to the public, the awards presentation will be part of a “Thirst4Architecture” design networking event.

Along with the awards presentation, entertainment for the evening will include free music, food, beer, coffee, and a chance to tour through

North Carolina Modernist Houses
Steel and glass “Dragon” by McConnell Studios for the NC State Bar Association

McConnell Studio’s sculpture, lighting, architectural elements, and other custom-fabricated products. A game of “Modernist Musical Chairs,” sponsored by Ivy Simon of Palette & Parlor in Chapel Hill, will give guests a chance to win a Modernist chair. Leland Little Auctions, this year’s Prize sponsor, will also auction off a chair and ottoman by Mitchell Restoration.

Now in its third year, The Matsumoto Prize is the only professionally juried competition with cash prizes specifically for Modernist houses. Over 1700 public votes have been cast for the three top People’s Choice awards, which will also be presented that night. (To see the houses, go to http://www.ncmodernist.org/prize2015.htm.)

“These entries inspire people to dream of having their own Modernist house,” said NCMH founder and director George Smart. “Most people are surprised to know Modernist design doesn’t have to be expensive.  It can easily be affordable, efficient, sustainable, and a house their families will love for decades. This year’s entries are terrific, and we’re looking forward to revealing this winners.”

NCMH’s monthly Thirst4Architecture networking events are sponsored by Emilie Huin/Triangle Modern Homes, specializing in the sale of Modernist homes throughout the Triangle.

McConnell Studios is located at 324 Dupont Circle, Raleigh. For more information and directions, go to http://www.mattmcconnell.com.

redchair smAbout North Carolina Modernist Houses: 

North Carolina Modernist Houses (NCMH) is an award-winning, 501C3 nonprofit organization established in 2007 and dedicated to documenting, preserving, and promoting Modernist residential design. The website is now the largest open digital archive for Modernist residential design in America. NCMH also hosts popular architecture events every month and frequent home tours, giving the public access to the most exciting residential architecture, past and present. These tours and events raise awareness and help preserve these “livable works of art” for future generations. For more information: www.ncmodernist.org.

2015 Matsumoto Prize Online Public Voting Is Now Open

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Public online voting for the 2015 George Matsumoto Prize, which recognizes excellence in Modernist residential design throughout North Carolina*, is now open at https://ncmhcompetitions.squarespace.com/vote.

The Prize, this year sponsored by Leland Little Auctions, includes public voting to determine three “People’s Choice” winners. *Anyone in the world may vote by email (one time per email address) after viewing the submissions at the link above.

The Matsumoto Prize is named for George Matsumoto, FAIA, a Modernist architect well-known in North Carolina for exceptional residential designs.

Matsumoto also serves as Honorary Chair for the Prize’s blue-ribbon jury of professional architects who select the winners for cash prizes from a pool of $6000.

“These entries inspire people dreaming of a Modernist house to know Modernist design is affordable, efficient, sustainable, and most importantly, a house their families will love for decades,” said NCMH founder and director George Smart. “We’re looking forward to record-breaking public participation via this year’s online voting.”

Online voting ends at 5 p.m. EST, June 30th.

To see the entries and vote, visit https://ncmhcompetitions.squarespace.com/vote.

For more information about the 2015 Matsumoto Prize, go to www.ncmodernist.org/prize2015.

redchair smAbout North Carolina Modernist Houses: 

North Carolina Modernist Houses (NCMH) is an award-winning, 501C3 nonprofit organizations established in 2007 and dedicated to documenting, preserving, and promoting Modernist residential design. The website is now the largest open digital archive for Modernist residential design in America. NCMH also hosts popular architecture events every month and frequent home tours, giving the public access to the most exciting residential architecture, past and present. These tours and events raise awareness and help preserve these “livable works of art” for future generations. For more information: www.ncmodernist.org.

Modernist Homes Tour in Charlotte, Plus Shopping at IKEA

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NCMH’s ModShop Tour is May 9th

The 1964 Mitchum residence is one of the mid-century Modernist houses on the tour.
The 1964 Mitchum residence is one of the mid-century Modernist houses on the tour.

North Carolina Modernist Houses (NCMH), the award winning non-profit dedicated to documenting, preserving, and promoting Modernist residential design, will be going on its semi-annual ModShop Tour on Saturday, May 9, from 7 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. This popular bus tour includes shopping at IKEA as well as visiting several Modernist houses and a church as part of Historic Charlotte’s Mad About Modern Tour.
Aboard a spacious, wi-fi-equipped bus, tour participants will be taken to five houses and one Modernist church:

  1. The 1964 Hugh C. Mitchum Residence, designed by the late Charlotte engineer Aubrey Arant (pictured above)
  2. 4642 Sharon View(architect unknown)
  3. 2434 Ainsdale(architect unknown)
  4. The Levinson House, 2827 Rothwood Drive, designed by Charlotte architect Stan Russell
  5. The McFarland House, 714 Larkhall Lane (architect unknown)
  6. The1957 Sharon United Methodist Church, which will be demolished within the next 12 months (architect unknown).

Mid Center Salvage, a Charlotte company that restores Mid-Century and Danish Modern Furniture from the 1950s to the 1970s, is sponsoring the tour. The bus will stop there mid-day for a tour and a catered lunch.

After touring more houses, the group will go to IKEA for two hours of imgresshopping before departing for Raleigh.

Tickets are $119 per person and $99 for current members of NCMH’s Mod Squad. The price includes transportation, all admissions, breakfast, lunch, and snacks. For more details and to purchase tickets, go to http://www.ncmodernist.org/modshop.htm. Seating is limited so those interested should secure tickets very soon.

Charlotte residents may purchase tickets to the Mad About Modern Tour atwww.historiccharlotte.org.

redchair smAbout NC Modernist Houses:

North Carolina Modernist Houses (NCMH) is an award-winning, 501C3 nonprofit organizations established in 2007 and dedicated to documenting, preserving, and promoting Modernist residential design. The website is now the largest open digital archive for Modernist residential design in America. NCMH also hosts popular architecture events every month and frequent home tours, giving the public access to the most exciting residential architecture, past and present. These tours and events raise awareness and help preserve these “livable works of art” for future generations.

Paul Rudolph Heritage Foundation Taps NC Modernist Houses’ Masters Gallery

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ncmhlogo-1

NCMH becomes the official archive for Paul Rudolph’s residential projects.

(New York, NY) — The Paul Rudolph Heritage Foundation (PRHF) in New York City has designated North Carolina Modernist Houses’ online archive as the official index for the residential work by the former dean of the Yale School of Architecture who inspired a generation of architects.

As the official archive, North Carolina Modernist Houses (NCMH) will maintain and update the Paul Rudolph section of its archive as houses are sold, changed, or threatened. NCMH has modified the page to add the PRHF logo, link, and connection. The Heritage Foundation is now directing visitors to the NCMH website exclusively for Rudolph-designed houses.

Paul Rudolph houses
Rudolph’s 1953 “Umbrella House” on Lido Key.

“This is an innovative and groundbreaking partnership between an architecture foundation and our Masters Gallery archives,” said NCMH Executive Director George Smart. “We are honored to be the official site for Paul Rudolph’s residential work, which will allow the PRHF to devote more of its resources towards protecting and saving Rudolph’s non-residential buildings across America and the world.”

NCMH is an award-winning non-profit organization dedicated to archiving, preserving, and promoting modernist houses and those who design them. Along with North Carolina houses and designers, the NCMH website includes an extensive Masters Gallery, featuring the residential work of national and international Modernist masters, including Paul Rudolph. As a result, the NCMH archive is the largest open digital archive of its type in the nation.

Paul Rudolph (1918-1997) is best known in North Carolina for his 1972

Paul Rudolph
Paul Rudolph

design of the former Burroughs Wellcome headquarters in Research Triangle Park. In Florida, however, he was one of the leaders of the Sarasota Style (1941-1966) that gave Florida’s central west coast its vast collection of Modernist houses designed specifically for that region’s climate and terrain. Large sunshades, innovative ventilation systems, oversized sliding glass doors, floating staircases, and walls of jalousie windows dominated many of these houses, including Rudolph’s 1953 “Umbrella House” on Lido Key (pictured above). By the 1970s that house succumbed to decay and storms.

PRHF Director Mark Medoff commented on the decision to make NCMH Rudolph’s official residential archive:

“The Paul Rudolph Heritage Foundation’s mission is to actively promote the heritage and legacy of Paul Rudolph’s work. Especially as we approach the 100th anniversary of Paul Rudolph’s birth, we are striving to find the best ways to make our Foundation a primary reference on Paul Rudolph-designed iconic buildings. The collaboration with NCMH allows the PRHF and NCMH to share responsibility in maintaining the most up-to-date repository for information on Paul Rudolph’s worldwide projects.”

For more information on the PRHF, go to www.paulrudolphheritagefoundation.org.

For more information on NCMH, visit www.ncmodernist.org. To view the Rudolph archive specifically: www.ncmodernist.org/rudolph.

redchair smAbout NC Modernist Houses:

North Carolina Modernist Houses (NCMH) is an award-winning, 501C3 nonprofit organizations established in 2007 and dedicated to documenting, preserving, and promoting Modernist residential design. The website is now the largest open digital archive for Modernist residential design in America. NCMH also hosts popular architecture events every month and frequent home tours, giving the public access to the most exciting residential architecture, past and present. These tours and events raise awareness and help preserve these “livable works of art” for future generations.

About the Paul Rudolph Heritage Foundation:

The Paul Rudolph Heritage Foundation’s mission is to preserve and protect Paul Rudolph’s work, to educate the public about the legacy of his philosophy, and to provide a gathering space for discussion and camaraderie. The Foundation is located in the iconic Modulightor Building at 246 East 58th Street, New York, New York.