Mid-Century-Modernism is enjoying a bit of revival, with shelter mags like "Atomic Ranch" and "Modernism", books like "Palm Springs Weekend" and the various "retro" fads. But this is more a coastal thing, I think and hasn't reached the Midwest yet.
When it does, Dayton would be a good place to look for houses in this style as there are some quite nice ones here. This collection is from the northwest side of the city, and the suburbs just northwest of the city limits. Not a fashionable area any more, and these houses are appraised at around $200K or less. Also some aparments which are quite high-design for Dayton.
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First, two “proto-modern” houses, being a sort of stripped classicism/art deco thing, mixing some modernist details in one (band windows, corner windows, flat roofs, porthole windows, glass block, etc).
The second house as some great subtle detailing, like he scallops over the canopies and entrance, and the deco patterns flanking the doorway. I talked to the owner and he said that the original owner had built two others, one in Oakwood and the other in Florida.
This style reminds me of a certain “30s” sensibility, a la Noel Coward, old cars, champagne and tuxedos…modern but stylish and classic…..
The landscaping is great on this one, forming an outdoor room around the terrace. There is a little roof terrace above, too.
Moving on to true modernism. First a small house, then two that are in sort of a California “Bay Region” style, the last one reminds me a bit of Joe Eshrick’s early houses in the Bay Area. I believe it was the home of the architect developer who built the Miami Valley Tower downtown (33 W Fourth?).
Then this rather large house with the interesting monopitch/butterfly roof, nice stained wood siding, and the neat carport with the wrap-around windows.
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Two commercial buildings. The second one is a particularly interesting composition using different colored brick and a composition of planes, around a courtyard. It seems like a real free adaptation of Miesian style.
The low curvy knee wall articulates entry, conducting one into the courtyard space
…which has this planting bed and some accent lights and that blue wood thing, maybe a signboard at one time. Fenestration is a mix of window walls and band windows.
Views from the rear showing on the brick walls are used to compose the space,
Decorative metal grilles over the windows on the side
….this is one of the cleanest high-modern designs I’ve seen in Dayton.
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Now some houses, including starting with two very high-style high-modern ones, then a few large ranches. The ranches have some great nice entry features…
This one has a grand staircase leading up to the house from the carport, which is about all that is visible as the house is mostly hidden by landscaping.
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Apartments. Starting off with this fourplex. This is a mix of modern styling, but its clean lines and especially the composition with the entry and garages on a sloping site reminds me a bit of Craig Ellwood and some of the CASE Study things, and a bit of Breuer in there too, and maybe Kahn.
This is perhaps the best high modern multifamily building in the Dayton area.
Really nice clean detailing, including wrapping the siding into the stairwell…which has a skylight and wall-washer wall-mounted spots….the place probably looks great at night too.
And the sloping site. One can see balconies and the start of wraparound windows (start of a window wall) near the front)
Across the street a fairly nice modern apartment building with huge balconies
Then more apartments, some fairly large. Lots of fun mod detailing here, as the big emphasis is on the doorway, lobby, and stairwells. But in this case the windows are large compared to other Dayton apartments
I hope the shutters are not original, but the entry is nice.
Another entry. Grilles were popular in some 60s design.
Playing around with modernist patterns and 60s kitsch
Another entry showing how a bit more attention was paid….and the nice light stairwell “bringing the outside in”
This multifamily building is interesting as it looks like a very large house. The detailing is exquisite and simple, with the vertical wood screens, the brick wall along the walk, with revels worked into it, the concealed entrance, overhang detailing on the gable end, and so forth.
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Finishing up with some houses. Starting off with this nice ranch in white brick…
But what’s up with that French Provincial door? Sort of an icon of 1960s bad taste, almost campy. Like that headboard in the Valley of the Dolls still, Liberace style, and certain furnishings of the era it says “Deluxe” , but not really.
A more Wrightian/Prairie School inspired ranch,
And perhaps more “West Coast” inspired things, reminding me a bit of the Bay Region style, but also those Eichler homes. East Coast architects were doing things like this too, to some degree.
I just got a glimpse of this one driving by A lot of these are “windshield tour” pix
Two houses on a cul de sac….
…which ends in this little modernist courtyard and gate. Beyond is a small estate with a
huge two-story modern house, a mansion really, that doesn’t look like any of these houses. Since the gate had a security cam on it I didn’t take any pix.
Finishing up with this simply excellent high modern house, which looks more like a Marcel Breuer/Gropius-TAC influenced design than what we’ve seen so far. East Coast modernism.
Some details to admire,…the corner with the wrap around windows, stone walls, perhaps a fireplace, and the entrance, with the outriggers on the second story
Linear Mode
