AIA Detroit House Tour 2011

Blue Top Line Bar

AIA Detroit House Tour 2011 Poster

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) Detroit chapter invites you to join the 2011 AIA Bloomfield/Bloomfield Hills House Tour. Touring these homes, designed by AIA architects, will envelop participants in the rich history of residential design. From post-industrial through mid-century modern to the contemporary. Generations of cutting-edge design are on display combining famous names like Wright, Saarinen and Birkerts with local modern design pioneers McIntosh Poris, Wolk and Fanning Howey.

The tour starts at the Bloomfield Township Public Library on Telegraph and Lone Pine Road in Bloomfield Hills, MI (map). The tour begins at 11am. Tickets are $25 day of tour, $20 in advance. Tickets may be purchased in advance at several local businesses, www.aiadetroit.com or by calling AIA Detroit at 313-965-4100. Please make checks payable to AIA Detroit. Sorry, no refunds, cameras or children under 12.

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“An American Masterpiece”

Douglas House, Harbor Springs, Michigan

Douglas House, Harbor Springs, Michigan. Designed by Richard Meier and constructed in 1973.

Dwell.com recently published an article by J. Michael Welton that discusses the restoration of Richard Meier-designed Douglas House by the home’s new owners.

Constructed in 1973, the Douglas House is, as Lissa Edwards notes, a “daring, liberating engineering and design feat that resulted in the internationally acclaimed.” Paul Goldberger, then-architecture critic for The New York Times, wrote in 1974 that the house was “the best example yet of Meier’s evolving style–and it is perhaps one of the most skillfully wrought pieces of American housing design in years.”

Photographs of the restored home, taken by Dean Kaufmann, can be viewed at the Dwell.com site.

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General Motors Technical Center National Historic Landmark RFP

General Motors Technical Center, Warren, Michigan

General Motors Technical Center, Warren, Michigan. SHPO National Register of Historic Places file photograph.

The State Historic Preservation Office of the Michigan State Housing Development Authority has issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) to develop a National Historic Landmark nomination for the General Motors Technical Center in Warren, Michigan, designed by Eero Saarinen.

The 2000 General Motors Technical Center National Register of Historic Places Registration Form can be downloaded here.

The RFP is available on the Bid4Michigan website.

Proposals are due on September 15, 2011 at 4 p.m.

UPDATE 8/22/2011:

If your company is a non-Michigan (foreign) entity that wishes to submit a proposal in response to the RFP for the General Motors Technical Center National Historic Landmark nomination, you do NOT need to have an office in the State of Michigan as indicated on page 2, II. Required Qualifications (E) of the RFP. Your company does need to submit a Certificate of Status from the Michigan Department of Economic Growth that shows they are authorized to do business in Michigan.

Firms that have been approved for the MSHDA RCQ for Technical Assistance for Cultural Management 2011-2012 list DO need to file a Certificate of Status form for the GM Tech RFP.

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Taliesin, 1933

According to the descriptions, the two videos below were created by Alden B. Dow in the summer of 1933 at Taliesin. The narrator is William Wesley Peters.

The videos provide an intimate look into the casual side of life at Taliesin.

Note that the audio seems to go in and out on the Part 1.

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Identification and Evaluation of Mid-20th-Century Buildings Workshop

Identification and Evaluation of Mid-20th-Century Buildings
Campus Inn, Ann Arbor, MI — September 12-13, 2011

A workshop presented by the National Preservation Institute in cooperation with the Michigan State Historic Preservation Office of the Michigan State Housing Development Authority

Advance registration through August 1, 2011 $450; after August 1 $500.

William & Mary Shuford Palmer House, Ann Arbor, Michigan

William & Mary Shuford Palmer House, Ann Arbor, Michigan

A registration form is available at the NPI website. Registration includes the 2-day workshop, lunch, and an evening tour of the 1952 Frank Lloyd Wright-designed William B. & Mary Shuford Palmer House on September 13.

The Dahlman Campus Inn, centrally located in downtown Ann Arbor, was designed by architect R. Gould of the Detroit architectural firm King & Lewis in 1968. A block of rooms has been reserved at the inn under State Historic Preservation Office or Block #5463. Please call the inn directly at 1-800-666-8693 to reserve a room or visit their website.

Workshop
The workshop will provide an overview of the development of post-World War II architectural resources. Discussion will include property types from motels to suburban office parks; the variety of styles and character defining features of common Post-War house types such as the ranch and split level; modern materials and construction techniques including concrete, pre-fab, and Lustrons; and development trends from Levittown to Urban Renewal. Emphasis is on mass merchant designs as opposed to architect designed buildings. An agenda is available at the NPI website.

Who Should Attend
Architects; historic preservation consultants; historians; planners; federal, state, and local agency cultural resource managers; historic district commission members; students; professors or anyone interested in architectural history.

  • AIA/CES. This seminar meets the criteria for programs in the American Institute of Architects Continuing Education System and AIA members will receive 6 learning units each day.
  • The workshop will address the evaluation of post-war buildings in terms of their significance for listing in the National Register of Historic Places, with consideration of Section 106, Section 110, and Section 4(f) issues.

Instructors
James C. Massey, architectural historian and planner, former HABS chief, contributing editor to Old-House Journal, and historic preservation consultant with a particular interest in the mid-20th century.

Shirley Maxwell, historian, historic preservation consultant, contributing editor to Old-House Journal, and co-author of House Styles in America and other publications.

Questions?
Please contact the National Preservation Institute via email or at the address below.

Jere Gibber, Executive Director
National Preservation Institute
P.O. Box 1702, Alexandria, VA 22313
703/765-0100; 703/768-9350 fax

The National Preservation Institute, a nonprofit organization founded in 1980, educates those involved in the management, preservation, and stewardship of our cultural heritage.

The 2011-2012 National Preservation Institute seminar schedule is available online.

The 2011-2012 NPI News Release includes the calendar and seminar descriptions.

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John Lautner Exhibition at Northern Michigan University’s DeVos Art Museum

John Lautner

John Lautner

Beginning on August 19, 2011, the DeVos Art Museum at Northern Michigan University (NMU) will be holding an exhibition of the work of John Lautner, a Michigan native and NMU alumnus.

After graduating from NMU Lautner studied with Frank Lloyd Wright at Taliesin before moving to Los Angeles. “Considered one of the visionary architects of the twentieth century”, Lautner “became well known for designing innovative structures, particularly residential buildings that demonstrated a true sensitivity to location, space, structure and the wishes and needs of the clients he worked with.”

The exhibition features a number of lectures and film screenings.

For more information about the exhibition, please see the DeVos Art Museum website.

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NPI Modernism Identification & Evaluation Seminar

Edmund S. & Catherine Botch House, Ann Arbor, Michigan

Edmund S. & Catherine Botch House, Ann Arbor, Michigan. Designed by Robert C. Metcalf, 1957.

The National Preservation Institute (NPI) is offering a seminar on the identification and evaluation of mid-20th century buildings in Ann Arbor on September 12-13, 2011.

The seminar will “discuss how post-World War II structures fit into today’s and tomorrow’s historic preservation patterns. With an emphasis on the 1950’s and 1960’s, examine era-specific factors that help to identify and evaluate post-war buildings in terms of their significance for listing on the National Register of Historic Places, with consideration of Section 106, Section 110, and Section 4(f) issues.”

To register or for more information visit the NPI website.

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a2modern summer series: walking tour

What: a2modern walking tour

Where: tour will highlight fabulous mid-century architecture in Ann Arbor Hills

When: thursday, july 28, 2011 6:30

Cost: $10 donation to a2modern for future programming, $8 students

Note: due to the high response to the walking tour held june 22, we are offering this tour again!

Join a2modern for a walking tour of one of the cool concentrated pockets of mid-century architecture in Ann Arbor Hills.

Learn who designed what and for who circa 1950-1960

Architects featured include Robert Metcalf, George Brigham, William Muschenheim, Herb Johe, Edward Olencki and David Osler.

This tour will be an exterior housewalk and is limited to 20 persons.

Please rsvp to Tracy Aris.

Details on meeting place will follow with rsvp confirmation!

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DAADS presents “An Evening at the Turkel House”

Turkel House Invite

Join the Detroit Area Art Deco Society for an evening of architecture, music, and design.

Enjoy a lovely selection of hors d’oeuvres, hand-selected wines, beverages, and a silent auction.

The Wendell Harrison Swing Trio is ready to set the tone of this special evening for our members.

Valet parking included.

Turkel House, Detroit, Michigan

Tickets must be purchased in advance. There are a limited number of tickets available due to the home’s capacity. Tickets are first come, first served.

Please note: Members may purchase up to two (2) tickets at the $100 price by July 1st.

Tickets are available here.

  • $100 – Detroit Area Art Deco Society Member Ticket
  • $125 – Join & Go Ticket – this includes an individual membership to DAADS at a discounted rate (one time offer)
  • $150 – Champagne and tour with homeowners Norm Silk and Dale Morgan. Tour begins at 6:00 P.M.

Proceeds from this event benefit the Detroit Area Art Deco Society’s scholarship program. The Detroit Area Art Deco Society is a Michigan not-for-profit 501 (c) (3) organization.

Location: 2760 West Seven Mile Road, Detroit, MI (map)

Date & Time: Saturday, July 23rd, 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM

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George Nelson Exhibit at the McNay Art Museum

The McNay Art Museum in San Antonio, Texas, will be featuring a “comprehensive retrospective” of the work of George Nelson from June 8 until September 11, 2011.

As the San Antonio Current points out, Nelson had “one of the largest and most significant design careers of the 20th century”. This is due in no small part to his relationship with the Herman Miller company in Zeeland, Michigan. The Nelson-Herman Miller partnership produced such iconic Modernist designs as the Marshmallow Sofa, the Platform Bench, the Coconut Chair, among others.

To get a better understanding of their relationship and how it all began, check out the short biography about Nelson at the Herman Miller website.

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