THE HOUSE WAS DEMOLISHED: AN ARGUMENT FOR PRAGMATIC AND PROACTIVE PRESERVATION OF MODERN RESIDENTIAL ARCHITECTURE A THESIS SUBMITTED ON THE NINTH DAY OF APRIL 2018 TO THE DEPARTMENT OF PRESERVATION STUDIES IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE OF TULANE UNIVERSITY FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF PRESERVATION STUDIES BY __________________________________ ANNA JACQUELINE MARCUM _______________________ John H. Stubbs, Director _______________________ Laura Ewen Blokker, Advisor Copyright 2018 Anna Jacqueline Marcum Acknowledgements My love of modern architecture began with visits to my grandparents’ organic, Usonian-inspired ranch home and evolved into this thesis, The House was Demolished: An Argument for Pragmatic and Proactive Preservation of Modern Residential Architecture. I would be remiss not to begin this letter by acknowledging my grandparents’ role in fostering my love of modern residential architecture. Thank you, Jack and Millie Wagner. I love and appreciate you for the impact you have had on my character and academic career. The core of this thesis was developed under the guidance of Carissa Demore and Sally Zimmerman of Historic New England. Thank you both for your commitment to education and supporting my work on the Massachusetts Modern Survey. I am so grateful for your direction, commitment to diversifying the history of residential architecture, and impeccable preservation ethos. This thesis truly would not exist without the work I did at Historic New England under your leadership. Thank you. The Master of Preservation Studies Faculty at the Tulane School of Architecture has been indispensable in this process. Thank you, Laura Ewen Blokker, for your thoughtful notes and counsel. You continue to inspire me to strive to be a better student, researcher, and writer. I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to work with you as my advisor on this project. Thank you, John H. Stubbs, for your steadfast support and encouragement. You have always made me feel as though I could accomplish any task I set my mind to. I sincerely appreciate your guidance throughout the program and in beginning my career. To my family, friends, and acquaintances: thank you all for listening to me ramble on about demolition, high modernism, ranch houses, Walter Gropius, and Eleanor Raymond. I could not have completed this thesis without the unwavering love and support of my parents, Katherine and David Marcum, and my sister, Mariel Marcum. To Rachel Mazur, Ann Elizabeth Allison, and Claire Crawford: I love you three dearly. Thank you for providing an outside perspective and giving love, kindness, and empowerment when I needed it the most. To Emily Butler and Brittany Foley: thank you for being the best modern preservation cohort EVER. I will be forever grateful to call you my friends. Table of Contents Introduction…………………………………………………………………….I ••• Chapter 1: The History of Modern Residential Architecture………………......1 Chapter 2: The History and Cultural Perception of Demolition……………...17 Chapter 3: Factors Increasing Demolition Risk……………………………....35 Chapter 4: Female Architects and Architects of Color……………………….63 Chapter 5: New Ethics and Methodology for the Preservation of Modern Residential Architecture……………………………....95 ••• Case Study #1: Northeast – New York City Suburbs: New Canaan and Darien Connecticut……………………….125 Case Study #2: Southeast – Hammond, Louisiana…………………………..143 Case Study #3: Midwest – Midland, Michigan……………………………...161 Case Study #4: West Coast – Palm Springs, California……………………..181 ••• Bibliography…………………………………………………………………197 Introduction In the summer of 2017, I undertook a survey of architecturally significant modern homes in Massachusetts and the surrounding area for the Preservation Services Team at Historic New England. The Massachusetts Modern Survey was conceived with the objective of selecting, locating, and documenting modern residential properties that are significant to the history of modern architecture and possess a high level of architectural integrity with the hope of advocating for the preservation of these homes. The properties were to be evaluated in relation to the modern residences managed by Historic New England’s house museum and preservation easement program. An array of residences built between 1930 and 1975 were evaluated in accordance with the following criteria: 1) residential property designed by an architect whose work is represented in Historic New England collections, either in its archives or as part of the preservation easement program and that: 2) retains integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association; 3) has no protective preservation designation (local historic district, other easement protection) currently in place; and 4) is or appears to be threatened with demolition, subdivision, or insensitive alteration. Properties not meeting Criterion 1) above, but that are secondarily associated with architects whose work is represented in Historic New England’s collections and otherwise meet Criteria 2)-4) were also considered for outreach, advocacy, and further documentation. Properties that fall outside of the aforementioned criteria but are designed by women, people of color, members of the LGBTQ+ community, are examples of vernacular modern architecture, or rare examples of mid-century I mass produced homes should also be considered to add diversity and varied perspective to the archive at Historic New England. My research revealed a series of characteristics that enabled modern residences to retain their architectural integrity. This pattern also revealed characteristics of modern homes that contributed to their insensitive alteration and demolition, regardless of their present condition or significance in architectural history. The majority of the homes destroyed or altered beyond recognition possessed at least two of the following characteristics: 1) High land value 2) Parcel size over two acres 3) Residence less than 2,500 square feet 4) Female architect or architect of color 5) Failure of modern materials 6) Bias against the aesthetic of modernism This thesis will analyze each of the characteristics that render modern residential architecture ripe for demolition. I will perform regional case studies of areas with high concentrations of modern residences and evaluate the successes and failures of modern preservation in those areas. The thesis will layout a more pragmatic approach to the preservation of modern residences taking into account the requirements of preservationists, homeowners, and the real estate market. Modern residences are more likely to be demolished because of the inherent features of modernism. The importance of efficient living spaces constructed in harmony with nature and the use of experimental materials in modern homes are in direct opposition to the desired characteristics of homes hitting the real estate market today. Pragmatic preservation methods should be employed through proactive advocacy and education in areas with a densely populated II with modern homes. One of the primary ways the preservation of modern residences could be rendered more feasible is through a more practical approach to the preservation of modern architecture. Many prospective homeowners are drawn to the aesthetics of modern residential architecture and want to preserve these homes but are overwhelmed with the financial burden of rehabilitating rare experimental modern materials prone to failure as opposed to replacing them with materials that are more practical to contemporary living standards. Several preservation- minded modern homeowners have had difficulty obtaining affordable homeowner’s insurance due to expense of replacing rare modern materials in kind. While standard preservation ethos urges us to retain the material at all costs, I believe that in the preservation of modern homes a certain flexibility is necessary to maintain the aesthetic and functionality of the structure in accordance with the tenants of modernism: 1) an interest in exploring new materials. 2) a rejection of historical precedents. 3) simplification of forms by a reduction of ornament.i Preservationists frequently attempt to apply the methods and ethics of preservation used on colonial barns and federal homes to modern buildings. This is a dead end. Modern materials were experimental and often used out of their accessibility and affordability. The aesthetics and functionality of modern structures take precedence over the materials and craftsmanship of the building. Modernism is completely unlike any preceding form of architecture; preservation of modernism must be as revolutionary as modern architecture itself to be effective. The first part of the thesis will examine historical factors that make modern residences less desirable for contemporary homeowners and put them at greater risk for demolition. The history III of modernism will be discussed from its birth at the Bauhaus to its arrival in the United States and eventual ubiquity in the residential architecture of post-war America. Modernism’s abhorrence of historical precedents, disregard for the preservation of historic buildings, and tendency to eschew architectural history have contributed to the public’s distaste for modern architecture. The indifference of many modernists to the demolition of historic buildings to clear land for their projects has been burned into the public memory and will be difficult to overcome in arguments to save icons of modernism. In addition to