The Historic Landmarks Foundation is offering a peek into five mid-century modern homes in West Lafayette as part of its celebration of National Historic Preservation Month in May.
"Boxy modernist houses and low-slung ranch homes were the
height of hip when they were built, and they still have a cool factor
today," says a release about the event. "They’ve been around long
enough that some qualify as historic structures
– a point that sparks debate and causes us to view them in a new light."
Back to the Future: A Mid-Century Modern Home Tour will be held Saturday, May 30 from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. in West Lafayette. It features five houses built between 1955 and 1964.
"In ’50s and ’60s America, many people considered Victorian architecture dated and ugly. As a result, countless architectural gems were lost to the wrecking ball," a release from the landmarks foundation said.
"Historic Landmarks Foundation and its affiliate Wabash Valley Trust seek to protect Modernist Indiana architecture from a similar fate and foster appreciation for the Modernist style."
The tour showcases five houses in and near the Happy Hollow subdivision. The area is noted for its admirable collection of mid-century architecture, the result of a post-war residential building boom created when Purdue University’s faculty and staff swelled to accommodate returning veterans on the GI bill.
Four of the five tour homes represent the work of one architect. Robert Smith, a professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign who had 20 commissions in West Lafayette. The Smith-designed homes on tour feature his signature details - integration of the structure with nature, expansive glass walls, the use of natural materials, and louvered openings to enhance ventilation.
Lafayette architect Elliott Brenner designed the fifth tour
home in 1963 for Purdue agriculture professor John Hicks, his wife Swiftie, and
their seven kids. Sara Strickler lives there now. The house retains its
original freestanding fireplace, doors, light fixtures, and hardware.
“I had thought I would eventually replace the kitchen, but I’ve reconsidered," Strickler said in a release provided by the landmarks foundation. "The kitchen is laid out so well and the original cabinetry is now classic and retro.”
Residences open for the May 30 Back to the Future tour include:
- George Benda, 300 Hollowood Drive
- Janet and Arnold Sweet, 304 Hollowood Drive (see middle and bottom photo)
- Dick and Connie Grace,
2175 Tecumseh Park Lane (see top photo)
- Sara Strickler, 132 Mohican
- Sid and Phyllis Kilsheimer, 1607 Western Drive
Maps will be available at each tour home and a shuttle will circulate among the sites. Ticket holders may drive on their own among the homes or park and ride a shuttle that departs from Redeemer Lutheran Church, 510 Lindberg Avenue. Maps, restrooms and refreshments will be available at the church.
Tickets are $12 per person in advance and $15 on the day of the tour at each tour home. Call Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana 317-639-4534 or 800-450-4534, or check its website, www.historiclandmarks.org, for ticket sale locations.
In the Lafayette area, tickets will be sold in advance at the Wabash Valley Trust office, Art Museum of Greater Lafayette gift shop, Marsh stores, and Von’s Book Shop.
In Indianapolis, tickets are available at Form + Function and Historic Landmarks’ office (relocated for several months, following damage to its headquarters from the Cosmopolitan fire, to the second floor of the Chamber of Commerce building, 320 North Meridian Street).
Back to the Future is staged with support from the Lafayette-West Lafayette Convention & Visitors Bureau.
To find out about other Preservation Month events, visit www.historiclandmarks.org or call 317-639-4534 or 800-450-4534.
