Author: modernist

UM film student is looking for a modern home for a film!

a2modern was contacted by Anna Baumgarten, UM student who would like to have access to a modern home for her film project. We asked Anna to write up a description of what she is doing and what she is interested in. If anyone is interested in being part of the project, contact Anna directly. Thanks!

“My name is Anna Baumgarten, and I am a Screen Arts and Cultures (SAC) student at UofM. I’m currently producing a short film for the University’s highest level production class, SAC 423. SAC 423 is an artistic collaborative effort between students from LS&A, Ross School of Business, Penny W. Stamps School of Art and Design, and the School of Music Theater and Dance, in which we create a 20-30min film which goes on to premiere at the International Traverse City Film Festival. From there, it will enter the global festival circuit.

The film is a coming of age story about a dangerously unhealthy friendship between two teenage girls, which deals with blackmail and bullying.

When I discovered a2modern, I was thrilled! My production designer has been enthusing about mid-century modern architecture as the focal point of our film, and I’m hoping that the members of this community can help us out. We’re hoping to shoot several scenes of our film inside a modern home during a weekend in March or April (currently our preference is March 14th, 15th, and 16th or the 28th, 29th and 30th). We have a talented, experienced crew, that knows how to respect a space and capture it beautifully.

Here is what we’re looking for in a house more specifically :
– We would like to shoot interiors: a master bedroom (ideally with a walk-in or large closet), a living room, and a kitchen – open concept kitchen/living with a foyer area is ideally what we’re looking for.
– modern furnishings
– We’re pretty flexible, so even if you’re home doesn’t match our description perfectly, we’re still interested!

If anyone is willing to talk further with me regarding our film production, please feel free to contact me at BadGirlsProduction@umich.edu. I’m looking forward to hearing from you!”

Best,
Anna Baumgarten

George B. Brigham's Home and Architectural Studio: Statement of Concern from a2modern to Ann Arbor City Planning Commission

George B. Brigham, architect
515/517 Oxford Road, Family Home and Architectural Studio, 1940 (NEW DATES FOR PLANNING COMMISSION AND CITY COUNCIL as if March 8th)
Planning Commission April 15th
First reading City Council April 21st
Final decision City Council May 19th
[Note: These dates could change again]

NEW SITE PLAN SUBMITTED to PLANNING COMMISSION MARCH 2014: 20140310siteplan_brigham

George B. Brigham Home and Architectural Studio
515/517 Oxford Road was the home and studio of George B. Brigham, Jr. (1889-1977), the man who introduced Modernism to Ann Arbor. Brigham was recruited by the University of Michigan from Cal Tech in 1930 to teach in the school of architecture. In the last three years, there have been three major exhibits that have featured the work of George B. Brigham with a fourth to open in July 2014 at the U-M Museum of Art.

In addition to his work at the University, Brigham designed 40 modern homes in the area (see attached map). He was nationally recognized as an early pioneer in the use of pre-fabricated materials in residential architecture. Brigham’s efforts as an innovator expanded beyond structural architecture since he established one of the first architectural clinics in the country. At 515/517 Oxford Road, students under his supervision were able to supplement their training by gaining experience with actual design problems selected from Brigham’s architectural practice. This enduring legacy of mentoring the next generation influenced the work of many architects including Bob Metcalf. Metcalf notes that “I never go by the house at 517 Oxford without thinking of its generative function,” he says. “Many architects got their early training there. One or two were always working on the most recent idea Professor Brigham had for a new way of building. ”

a2modern, a homeowners group working to build awareness of and appreciation for mid-century modern architecture, considers this property a significant community asset. We urge that the planning commission support proposals that maintain the original design integrity instead of approving an exception to change it beyond recognition. The home’s historic character can be retained and any adaptive reuse should be sympathetic to the structure’s original intent while meeting existing planning codes and setbacks. This approach offers a win-win solution that balances neighborhood values with reuse needs. The adaptive reuse of 1917 Washtenaw Avenue in 1956 demonstrates the viability and longevity of the suggested approach. The architect was George B. Brigham, Jr.

George B. Brigham map

Respectfully submitted:
a2modern Board Tracy Aris, Nancy Deromedi, Linda Elert, Grace Shackman

RESOURCES FOR FURTHER INFORMATION (THESE DOCUMENTS ARE DOWNLOADABLE PDFs):
a. Ann Arbor Planning Commission Staff Report, 1/23/2014
b. George B. Brigham Fact Sheet

c. Brigham FAQ
d. Public Comment Opportunities (and copied below)

e. Rezoning Recommended for Delta Gamma Annex, Ann Arbor Chronicle, January 24, 2014.

Public Comment on Proposed Changes to George Brigham Home and Studio 515/517 Oxford Road, Ann Arbor Hills
On January 23, 2014, the Ann Arbor Planning Commission met to review proposed changes to the property at 515/517 Oxford Road. This site is the former home and studio of Architect George B Brigham, Jr. recognized for his substantial contributions to the community and modern architecture (see fact sheet). The Planning Commission accepted the Planning Department’s Staff Report that the area plan (which is basically a conceptual, here’s-what- we’re-thinking site plan) and rezoning request be approved. These actions will now move on to City Council for action.

The Site Plan
The two-story house at 515 Oxford includes two one-story wings. It is currently a rental property with three units – a studio apartment, one-bedroom apartment, and four-bedroom apartment – and a maximum occupancy of 8 people. One of the units is in a former garage. The proposed plan was to demolish a character-defining one-story wing on the north side and replace it with a new two-story addition in a different footprint. This would quite radically change the home’s appearance.

To Robb Burrough’s credit, he stated at the January 23, 2014 meeting that he wouldn’t be the architect who demolished George Brigham’s house! The site plan (which to date still shows substantial changes to the house) will be considered again at a later meeting. It’s likely that the new site plan will include a two-story addition to the rear of the two-story part of the house.

Rezoning
The owner, Dan Pampreen, of Dan’s Houses is proposing to alter the use of the house which is presently zoned R4A (Multiple-Family Dwelling District). He is requesting a special exception to have it rezoned to R2B (Two-Family Dwelling District and Student Dwelling District). This would allow the owner to convert the three-unit house as it exists today to a sorority annex with a maximum of 20 occupants. The rezoning does not require it to remain solely for sorority use in the future.
The Planning Department’s Staff report (see linked from the website) outlines why a special exemption is needed and being requested. The property owner’s existing proposal will not confirm to the area and placement standards of the R4A district and would result in a non-conforming structure. Meeting these requirements of the structure’s existing zoning places limits on its renovation as “group housing.“

The Area Plan
City Planning Staff recommended the area plan exception be approved since it meets legal, health and safety requirements. The city’s position is that the rezoning would more closely match the zoning of structures near the property and the proposed R2B zoning are compatible with its adopted plans and policies related to increased density and location of student housing.
.
Timing (subject to change)
There will be opportunities for public comment. Public comment should initially directed to the rezoning issues since that is the first item directed to the City Council.

Planning Commission April 15th
First reading City Council April 21st
Final decision City Council May 19th

Public input in important, please voice your concern!

Comments for Planning Commission can be mailed to 301 E. Huron Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48104, dropped off at City Hall or emailed to planning@a2gov.org.
Comments for City Council can be mailed to 301 E. Huron Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48104, dropped off at City at the Clerk’s office (2nd floor city hall) or emailed to clerk@a2gov.org.

Citation: Image from George B. Brigham Papers, Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan.
George B. Brigham map from Robert Metcalf, annotated and given to Nancy Deromedi in 2008.

At Home with David Osler Tour opens a2modern's 2014 Modern Living Series-now SOLD OUT!

mundus1_13 Regenta2modern opens the 2014 Modern Living Series with “At Home With David Osler”, a tour of the original William Mundus (I) home. Built in 1964, the home reflects the architect’s considerable abilities to design modern homes that reflect his minimalist views. a2modern is pleased to host this tour that offers homeowners and enthusiasts a rare opportunity to experience a David Osler residential work. It is planned that during the afternoon, both the original homeowner William Mundus and David Osler, architect will join us for questions and answers. Present homeowners Kenneth Wisinski and Linda Dintenfass will share results of their recent renovation by architect Stan Monroe, Wright Street Design Group, Inc. Stan Monroe will be in attendance to answer questions.

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Tour Details *THE EVENT IS NOW AT CAPACITY! We will be having another tour to coincide with the Robert Metcalf exhibit that will be at the University of Michigan Museum of Art sometime between April 5th and July 13th, so please continue to check out www.a2modern.org.

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DETAILS ON OSLER TOUR FOR REGISTERED PARTICIPANTS:

  • Light refreshments will be provided. A Tour Map and a handout of the home’s history written by Grace Shackman and a tour map of the Arb/Geddes/Ann Arbor Hills area will be available at the event free to all participants!
  • Registration will be checked at the door. Only registered participants will be allowed as this is a limited space event.
  • We will also ask you to take off your shoes so, please bring slippers or heavier socks if you will be cold!
  • Photography: No interior photography please.

Questions: Contact modernists@a2modern.org

"A star architect's vision Yamasaki's Chelsea High School"

Author: Grace Shackman

What was a star architect thinking?

When I worked at the Chelsea Standard in the 1980s, I often covered events at Chelsea High School. It was not a single building, but a campus of one-story structures that students scurried between in all types of weather. I was told it was designed by a California architect who didn’t understand Michigan winters.

Imagine my surprise to learn, years later, that it was actually the work of Minoru Yamasaki, the famous Modern architect who went on to design the World Trade Center. Born in Seattle, Yamasaki moved to Detroit in 1945, so by the time he designed the school in 1956, he had been through eleven Michigan winters.

But Yamasaki evidently wasn’t thinking about winter. In a 1957 interview with Architectural Forum, he explained: “We hit upon the idea that if the buildings could each express their individual character that we might be able to depict the quality of a small town. The auditroium, gym, homemaking area would symbolically and literally be the town center.”

Chelsea High School

Chelsea High School

Yamasaki was hardly the first architect to ignore practical problems. A janitor once broke a leg tending an elevated planter at Alden Dow’s Ann ARbor library. Frank Lloyd Wright’s eccentricities – leaking roofs, tiny kitchens – are well know. But Chelsea needed a new school – the high school population, then fewer than 400 students, was predicted to double in ten years.

Local architect Art Lindauer encouraged an innovative design. “I went to the school board and said, ‘Every school looks like each other,'” recalls Lindauer, the father of Chelsea mayor Jason Lindauer. “‘Why don’t you try an architect with a different approach?'” Asked for suggestions, he mentioned Yamasaki, who at the time was activiely pursuing school work. After interviewing a dozen architects, a citizen’s committee recommended hiring Yamaski, Leinweber, and Associates.

Peter Flintoff, whose father, Howard Flintoff, was secretary of the school board, recalls hearing that they felt lucky to get Yamasaki. Alyce Riemenschneider remembers that her parents and their friends were also excited to have someone so famous design their school.

Chelsea High School

Chelsea High School

People raised questions about the campus layout, but according to the Standard, school board members argued that the design would “provide the best building program at the most economical cost.” Outside walkways would to-ceiling windows [it] was much nicer than the traditional string of hallway lockers,” recalls Carol Cameron Lauhon, who also graduated in 1961. Covered walkways with brightly colored bubbles at building entrances served to unify the campus and afford some shelter as students passed between classes.

The main building, which Yamasaki called the “Town Center,” contained the cafeteria, library, gym, and auditorium. Circling the auditorium were six classrooms used for English and social sciences. A Central atrium was open to the sky and filled with planst and bushes. “For the prom, the junior class would decorate the atrium with flowers and green plastic truf and furnish it with a wooden bridge over a small pond. Couples posed on the bridge for their prom photos. Very romantic!” recalls Lauhon.

June Winans, who taught earth science and geology, shared the science building with biology, chemistry, and physics teachers. Shop classes, the Standard explained, also had their own building so that “noises made by operating equipment or hammering and sawing will not disturb other classes.”

Chelsea High School

Chelsea High School

The home economics and art building had a pitched roof to look more like a house. Riemenschneider recalls that the desks converted into cutting tables and that sewing machines were hidden in veneer cabinets. The kitchen had the newest stoves and refrigerators and an island, a novelty at the time. After preparing a meal, the students moved into a dining room and a living room.

At an open house, the Standard reported, “most people were impressed not only with the beautiful appearance of the new campus type high school but also with its very evident functional features.”

The students who made the transition still have fond memories of Yamaski’s school. “The exterior walkways between buildings felt less confining than the old school’s intererior hallways and multiple stairwells, some of them narrow and windowless,” says Lauhon.

“I was happy to walk outside,” says Brown, adding: “The teachers aid it woke the students up.”

“The breath of fresh air did them good,” says Bill Chandler, the school’s work-study coordinator. Sam Vogel, social studies teacher and later assistant principal, recalls that “the covered walkways developed leaks, but, unless it was pouring, it wasn’t a problem.”

Parents were less thrilled. Some thought it was ridiculous that their children had to go outside. One recalls her daughter tell her, “mom, we don’t need decent clothes to go to school. We just need a good coat.”

As enrollment grew, an auto mechanics garage was added, and a new bulding facing Washington for social studies. The cafeteria was enlarged by moving the library into another building.

But when the locker room got overcrowded and rowdy-the staff dubbed it “God’s Little Acre” – there was no way to expand it. Eventually the lockers were movied into the “town center,” but “then the halls were too crowded,” Vogel recalls. The atrium also became a problem, with maintenance issues and heat loss through the single-pane glass the surrounded it.

Yamasaki’s futuristic vision never caught on: the present Chelsea High, built in 1998, is again a single building. His campus, however, is still in use – its buildings now house the Chelsea Senior Center, school board offices, Chelsea Community Education and Recreation, and Chelsea Early Education. The roofs and bubble entrances are gone, the original large windows have been replaced by smaller ones, and the atrium has been filled in to create a windowless meeting room.

But students who went there still have fond memories of their school. “It seems to me that the Yamasaki design was a new way of imagining spaces for student life,” says Lauhon. “The school was a pleasant place to be. My sense is that this is what Yamasaki had in mind.”

Copyright
Copyright Protected
Rights Held By
Grace Shackman

A2MODERN MAP: a biking/walking tour of residential modern by Mid-Century masters

A2MODERN MAP: a biking/walking tour of residential modern by Mid-Century masters

map

Thanks to a very generous donation by Carolyn Lepard, Reinhart Realtors, a2modern was able to reprint the A2Modern Map which highlights a selection of 86 residential projects in the Ann Arbor Hills/Arboretum/Geddes area. This is the second printing of the a2 map. Carolyn also sponsored the first printing of the map. If you don’t have a copy of the map yet, we will have plenty of copies on hand to give away at all of our Modern Living program tours in 2014. We are also hoping to have an online version in the future.

Three Michigan Architects: Part 1—David W. Osler

OSLERhs8892small

December 21, 2013–March 30, 2014

David Osler’s domestic, institutional, commercial, and civic buildings represent some of the most distinctive and recognizable modern architecture in Michigan, predominantly in Washtenaw County. Born in 1921, Osler is an Ann Arbor native and graduated from the University of Michigan College of Architecture and Design in 1943. Returning to Ann Arbor after World War II, he worked in the architecture office of Douglas D. Loree, Architect, and in 1958 opened his own practice. While his earlier work was mostly residential, each decade saw Osler’s firm receive larger commissions until he retired in 2008. However, throughout his career Osler continually received commissions to design modern houses that reflected his minimalist sensibilities.

This exhibition presents eight domestic projects that span his five-decade-long career from 1958–2008, highlighting a minimal design aesthetic that features crisp, clean, impeccably composed geometric lines and forms. Each project exemplifies Osler’s modern mid-century architectural vocabulary, as he designed houses that physically and visually embrace their natural settings.

Three Michigan Architects: Part 1–Osler is the first in a series of three consecutive exhibitions, with subsequent presentations of domestic work by Robert Metcalf (April 5–July 13) and George Brigham (July 9–October 13). The series will culminate in Fall 2014 with a symposium, as well as the publication of Three Michigan Architects: Osler, Metcalf, and Brigham—both of which will explore the importance of this circle of Ann Arbor-based architects, situating their regional body of domestic work into the larger context of modern architecture in the U.S. that developed on the East Coast and West Coast from the 1930s–1980s.

This exhibition is part of the U-M Collections Collaborations series, which showcases the renowned and diverse collections of the University of Michigan. This series inaugurates UMMA’s collaboration with the Bentley Historical Library, and is generously supported by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Lead support for Three Michigan Architects is provided by the University of Michigan Office of the Vice President for Research.
Image citation: David Osler, architect, William Mundus residence (1978), Bentley Historical Library.

Note from a2modern
a2modern is very excited about the upcoming three exhibits that will be held at the University of Michigan’s Museum of Art starting this December 21, 2013. During each of the three exhibits, a2modern will be hosting an interior view and tour of one of the architect’s residential projects in Ann Arbor. These events will be part of our ongoing Modern Living Series. Stay tuned for more details of the Osler tour which will be in January!

Eastern Michigan Historic Preservation Class

Eastern Michigan Historic Preservation Class

This fall, a2modern partnered with Professor Ted Ligibel’s Historic Preservation class for the third time to suggest properties for further study. The assignment for the students is to research the property back to the original deed. For a2modern, this supports our mission to promote the awareness of modern architecture and design as we learn more about the built enviroment. This year, the properities selected are concentrate in the north side of Ann Arbor. All are welcome to attend the final presentations for the class. The presentations will be held in the Whiting room, Bentley Historical Library (1150 Beal Avenue, Ann Arbor) on:

December 12th 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
December 19th 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

JOIN US!

Detroit Art Deco Society: The Big Crush!

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Detroit’s BIG CRUSH!

The Detroit Area Art Deco Society will be hosting it’s third annual Wine Stroll with the theme of Art, Architecture and Great Wines at variety of Detroit restaurants and historic venues.

Saturday, October 26th
1:00 p.m. -5 :00 p.m.

The wine stroll will provide attendees several architecturally significant buildings, art and select wines paired with a food tasting from each unique venue. Venues include

  • Chez Zara (check-in)
  • Music Hall
  • Centaur
  • Angelina’s Italian Bistro
  • Rowland cafe
  • Grand Trunk Pub
  • Sky Bar
  • Small Plates
  • 24 Grille
  • Firebird Tavern

    Advanced tickets are $35.00 and available for purchase here.

    People of Palmer Park Architectural Tour October 5th

    Palmer Park Architectural Tour,
    Saturday, October 5, 11 am – 3 pm
    20130922palmerhouse

    Explore first-hand the architectural grandeur of the historic Palmer Park apartment district on SATURDAY, OCTOBER 5. Witness the progression of this unique enclave’s dramatic revitalization on this annual guided walking tour.

    Tours leave Detroit Unity Temple in Palmer Park (17505 2nd Avenue Detroit, MI 48203) every 15 minutes from 11AM to 3PM. Parking will be available near check-in. Proceeds will benefit the restoration of Palmer Park, a 296 acre city park located in northwest Detroit between McNichols and Seven Mile Road, and just west of Woodward Avenue.

    People for Palmer Park’s guided walking tour will lead you through an area that showcases some of Detroit’s best architects at different stages of their careers and their interpretations of differing popular styles. You will find the only authenticated work of some architects in this district. Built between 1924 and 1964, the apartment buildings reflect exotic architecture in the Egyptian, Spanish, Venetian, Moorish, Tudor, Mediterranean, Art Moderne, and Georgian styles.Few neighborhoods boast this kind of magnificent diversity. This annual tour shares the undergoing dramatic revitalization of this area with newly renovated buildings being added to the tour each year.
    This year’s tour-goers will experience structures built in the 20s, 40s, 50s, and 60s. Seven building interiors are included on the tour, including the newly renovated Palmer Lodge lobby. Our docents are encouraged to dress in period clothing reflecting the building’s era.

    The park’s 1880’s Log Cabin, the only surviving log cabin in city, will be open for the tour. Before or after your tour visit the 1880s Log Cabin in Palmer Park, and enjoy Segway tours of the historic trails on a first-come, first-served basis from noon to 3PM (for tour-goers only) experience a Segway tour of the historic trails, enjoy some live music and a sampling of classic cars, and partake of some delicious local food by Food Lab vendors.

    At the Cabin:
    Noon – 5 PM: Tour the Log Cabin
    Delicious local food from Food Lab by the Cabin
    1 – 3 PM: Live music from Behind the Times
    Noon – 3 PM by Cabin: Ride on Segways
    Noon – 4 PM: Classic Cars on Display
    BUY ADVANCED TOUR TICKETS to secure your departure time – $15 in advance and $20 at the door. Tour booklet is included in the ticket price, as well as a ticket to ride the Segway in Palmer Park.