Mid Century Monday: The Eames House
In the Pacific Palisades in Los Angeles, a marvelous mid century modern home resides. It was constructed by husband-and-wife team Charles and Ray Eames in 1949. The structure was designed to serve as their home, and the couple lived in the house until they died. The design of the house is simplistic and nature-oriented: two rectangular boxes with glass serve as the foundation of the house; 17-foot-tall mezzanine balconies overlook a large central room; the facade of the home is defined by colorful painted glass tiles and a series of rectangles. One rectangle served as the Eames’s studio, and the other rectangle was their living space. Additionally, the house was built into a hill instead of on it; Charles and Ray wanted nature to seamlessly flow into their home. They built the Eames House to specifically fit their needs. The…
Five Ways To Appreciate Architecture At Home
In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, it may seem difficult to feel connected to the world around us. At Histoury, one of our goals is to celebrate architectural heritage in communities through visiting historical homes; however, with stay-at-home orders across the nation, it’s impossible to safely tour the beautiful buildings we love. Today, we wanted to offer some five alternatives to architectural appreciation that you can do in your home. Connect with architects and designers virtually through social media! Architect Magazine recently shared this article with a list of 15 wonderful Instagram accounts you can follow to be inspired by architecture around the world. Scroll safely from the comfort of your couch! Watch webinars and interviews about architecture on YouTube. Some of our favorites are De Zeen, Architectural Digest, and Sam-E Studio. Read about how COVID-19 will change architectural…
Breuer New Haven Brutalist Building to Become Hotel
Celebrated architect Marcel Breuer (1902-1981) was well known for his Brutalist, Modernist, and International Style designs. The Hungarian-born architect was recently honored posthumously by the Metropolitan Museum of Art when they acquired the building that had previously been home to the Whitney Museum. Noting the building’s original designer, the Met named its new acquisition the…
An Interview with Architect William D. Earls
Recently, I had the honor of interviewing William Earls, an architect based in Wilton, Connecticut that specializes in custom residential, commercial, and municipal architecture. Earls has worked towards architectural preservation, something which awarded him a Preservation Award from the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation. In 2018, he completed his two-year-long partnership with the New Canaan…
The Fontainebleau – Miami Modernist Architecture and Architect Morris Lapidus
Happy Town Tuesday everyone! For this week’s post, I thought I would highlight a notable architectural style, figure, and site from my own hometown of Miami, Florida. A distinct offshoot of the Mid-Century Modern architectural style, Miami Modernist architecture (coined MiMo) developed in South Florida during the post-war period. Architect Morris Lapidus (1902-2001) greatly influenced…
An Interview With Robert van Summern
On a Wilton, Connecticut street filled with colonial homes, one very special home stands out: a towering, seven-level, mid-century modern masterpiece. Referred to as “Fort Apache” by The New York Times in the 1960s, the family home is one Robert van Summern’s most notable architectural creations. One week ago, we called van Summern and interviewed…
The History of Stony Creek’s Thimble Islands
Happy Town Tuesday everyone! We hope you are all well and staying safe. This week, we are discussing Stony Creek’s Thimble Islands! The Thimbles are an archipelago of 365 small islands off the coast of Branford, Connecticut. Did you know they were originally called the “Hundred Islands”? The size of the islands vary greatly, the…