Cleveland Goes Modern
Cleveland Artists Foundation’s Cleveland Goes Modern III modern home tours 6/6/10
Cleveland Artists Foundation (CAF) has unearthed a secret curiosity among lovers of all things modern. In a midwestern world of Early American inspired surroundings, modern structures are few and far between, but for the past few years CAF has been hosting house tours of these streamlined gems.
Have you ever driven by a home at night and been tantalized by the warm glow from a window that seems to draw you inside, to see how these people live? Even more intriguing is a modern home, where people have chosen uncommon surroundings, complimenting their unique lives.
So inside we went! First to the Greisinger home in Gates Mills. Perched on the western slope of the Chagrin Valley, the home’s wall-of-windows look east over the Valley. Architect Robert A. Little built this long and low house for the current owner’s parents in the early 1950s, and it is mid-Century modern in all its glory – deep over hangs, sunken living area, long horizontal lines and all. The current residents have furnished it to their liking and comfort, but not with a strict modern vision. Much of the modern bones remain, such as the extensive collection of built-in cabinets and cupboards, aluminum and frosted glass interior sliding room dividers, kitchen cabinets that seem to float, suspended between two rooms and much more. They have also extensively upgraded and renovated the home with energy efficient and environmentally friendly materials in the 1990’s which was before the current tax incentives.
Now on to the second home where floor-to-ceiling horizontal windows blur the lines of where the inside becomes the outside and visa versa (pictured). Interior Designer John Koncar and partner Claudio Caviglia have furnished and landscaped this modern treasure stunningly consistent with the structure’s mid-Century modern lines. Built by Carl Droppers in the middle 1950s, the modern renovations are a seamless improvement. This home too was upgraded with energy efficiency as the goal, and because of this both homes we toured cut their cost of energy consumption in half. The most amazing feature of the home is the clearstory windows throughout the house which let in natural light, significantly reducing the need for artificial lighting during daylight hours.
If the two homes featured in this year’s Cleveland Goes Modern tour have not satisfied your need for locally grown modern and you cannot hold out until next year’s tours, CAF has published a book entitled Cleveland Goes Modern, Design for the Home 1930 – 1970 which can be purchased at their Gallery in the Beck Center in Lakewood or online at http://www.ClevelandArtists.org
So if you are like me and you find yourself watching old movies from the 1950s just to get a glimpse of the furnishings in the room behind the Jimmy Stuart, if your idea of a one tank trip is a car ride to Ikea, if you’re proud of your fabulous fifties furnishings bought from garage sales, you’ll want to watch for next year’s Cleveland Goes Modern home tour which promises to satisfy the most curious modern mind.
Cleveland Artists Foundation, Cleveland Goes Modern III – Modern Home Tour, Sunday, June 6, 2010. CAF is reprising its tours of mid-Century modern homes in the greater Cleveland area this summer. Tour two magnificent examples of modern residential architecture that were in the Cleveland Artists Foundation exhibit Cleveland Goes Modern. http://www.ClevelandArtists.org
Carol Drummond has been a professional designer for 25 years. Prior to starting her award-winning graphic design studio 15 years ago, Drummond Design, she graduated from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, worked at a graphic design studio, a video production company, and a consumer products company. She has been an art docent for Mayfield City Schools and currently serves on the COSE Arts Network Advisory Committee. http://www.DrummonDesign.com