Kansas City Modern Icon ranks #18 Worldwide

Steven Holl's Bloch Addition to Kansas City's Nelson-Atkins Art Museum just made Vanity Fair's list of of the 21 best structures built in the last 30 years!

Vanity Fair asked 52 "experts" to choose the five most important buildings since 1980. The team named 132 different structures. Kansas City's relative new Modern Icon ranked number 18 in the world with 3 votes!

Slide Show

Who voted and for what buildings
(and see who voted for themselves)

Read the entire article

So long White Haven Motor Lodge - Modernism at Risk on Metcalf

I am ashamed to say that I have had a series of posts planned about the Metcalf strip that included the White Haven Motor Lodge for over a year. Time and energy have worked against me lately on getting these posts adequately researched and photographed.

Unfortunately it is now time to say goodbye to the White Haven Motor Lodge. The sign and all of the contents of the motel will be sold this week at auction. Demolition of the motel is probably inevitable at this point. Sad to think that in this economy demolition will happen so that a vacant lot can sit there for another five years or more.

I wonder if any traction can be gained to purchase this sign and keep it in the area where it belongs!

Katz Hall Preview - 1965 Building by Architects, Kivett and Myers

Join KCMODERN in celebrating a successful Mid-Century Modern adaptive reuse.

Tuesday June 15, 2010, 5:30 to 7:00 PM at UMKC Campus
Katz Hall-UMKC Grand Re-Opening

5005 Rockhill Road KCMO
Tour Katz Hall, formerly Katz School of Pharmacy, built in 1965 by architects Kivett and Myers. The Mid-Century Modern building has been renovated to house the UMKC Department of Architecture, Urban Planning and Design.

MODERNISM 1.1: Modern Interior Design that Endures Sponsored by Knoll Studio, Knoll Textiles and Hudson Home

Please Join us for

MODERNISM 1.1: Modern Interior Design that Endures
Sponsored by KnollStudio, KnollTextiles and Hudson Home

Presentations on the history of Classic KnollStudio Furniture and KnollTextiles.

See and experience Twentieth Century Modern Masterpieces.

Learn about designs by Eero Saarinen, Florence Knoll, Harry Bertoia, Warren Platner and Jens Risom.

Touch and hear about KnollTextiles designed in the 1940's and 1950's that are still in production today.

See Twenty-First Century design pieces that will be the classics of tomorrow.

Free Admission, Door Prizes, Food and Drink to be provided by Knoll Studio, Knoll Textiles and Hudson Home.

Sunday, June 6, 2010, 2:00 to 4:00 PM
Hudson Home
1500 Grand Boulevard
(2nd Floor above Retro Inferno)
Kansas City, MO 64108-1404
(816) 421-3629

We request that you please RSVP by clicking on the link below.

RSVP HERE

CHARLES PHOENIX SLIDE SHOW IN KANSAS! - June 4, 2010

CHARLES PHOENIX SLIDE SHOW IN KANSAS!

KCMODERN regulars will be making the trek down to Newton, Kansas for the Show.

Charles Phoenix’s Retro Slide Show will be the keynote address at this year’s Preservation at the Crossroads of America Conference in Newton, Kansas.

Check out Charles as he super-charges the classic living room slide show into a live, laugh-out-loud celebration of mid-century American life and style … car culture, space age suburbia, fast food stands, drive-ins, theme parks, local landmarks and legends and much more! Festive dress is always encouraged but not expected!

Friday, June 4, 2010 at 6:30 p.m.
Preservation at the Crossroads of America Conference
Lindley Hall in Newton, Kansas

Price $50, includes social hour, banquet and Charles’ slide show performance

For tickets call Billi Jo Wilson, The Newton Chamber of Commerce, 316-283-2560

Save the Date for KCMODERN June Events

June is proving to be a big month for KCMODERN. We have partnered on a couple great events and we are planning a wonderful roadtrip. Please join us for:

Friday June 4, 2010, 10:00 AM in Wichita, Kansas
In-Depth Tour of the Allen-Lambe House by Frank Lloyd Wright

Tour to be given to KCMODERN enthusiasts by Howard Ellington, Executive Director of the Allen-Lambe House Foundation and Architect of the Allen-Lambe House Restoration.

Friday June 4, 2010, 6:30 PM in Newton, Kansas
Charles Phoenix Slide Show in Kansas
Roadtrip with us to see this great show.


Sunday, June 6, 2010, 2:00 to 4:00 PM at Hudson Home

Modernism 1.1: Modern Interior Design that Endures
Sponsored by Knoll Studio, Knoll Textiles and Hudson Home


Tuesday June 15, 2010, 5:30 to 7:00 PM at UMKC Campus
Katz Hall-UMKC Grand Re-Opening

5005 Rockhill Road KCMO
Tour Katz Hall, formerly Katz School of Pharmacy, built in 1965 by architects Kivett and Myers. The Mid-Century Modern building has been renovated to house the UMKC Department of Architecture, Urban Planning and Design .

Kansas City Star Magazine does feature on 60's Modern Architecture

photo by shane keyser | the star

Kansas City Star Magazine Editor, Cindy Hoedel has written a great cover story article about 1960's architecture in this past Sunday's newspaper. Two of the three KCMODERN founders, Scott Lane and Robert McLaughlin were quoted in the article, Saving the '60s: Modern buildings become eligible for historic preservation.

Ms. Hoedel outlines some of the difficult issues in preserving these "hard-to-love," buildings from the 1960's with her astute observations. "The problem is, the simple geometry and unadorned surfaces of modern buildings show neglect more readily than brick or stone buildings that have lots of ornamentation to distract the eye. So mid-century buildings that have fallen on rough times are more likely to be viewed as eyesores."

If you love Modernism you owe it to yourself to check it out.

Read the entire article here

Visit photo gallery here

KU Studio 804 Open House Presscott Passive House

KU Studio 804 Open House

Presscott Passive House

Saturday May 15, 2010 10 AM-3 PM

32 South 16th Street Kansas City KS 66102

Do You Remember...?

Do you remember this unique home? Loved it or hated it, it became a modern landmark for over twenty years...while driving on Hwy I-35 just west of downtown, you could see this modern house that for many years stood sentinal over the city's westside. I met the owner back in 1980-81, but cannot remember his name. I recall it being said that he was the designer/builder...does anyone know the name of the architect, designer, etc? I would love to hear from you...
The ground floor was a garage, support plinth was storage on different levels with a staircase and elevator for more convenient access to the living spaces. The roof top deck was breathtaking to me probably because of the "open" feeling, especially prior to the railing installation...I'm weird about heights and though I loved the interiors and could imagine a winter evening inside looking at the distant traffic and Christmas lights, I found it unsettling on the rooftop deck, like being on a heliopad on top of a building.

These photos were taken when the property had changed hands to developers and they were using the house to market the views and intending on demolishing the house. It was torn down a couple of years ago to make way for a five house development of "historic styled" city homes. I may be wrong about the details but for years not many developers would invest in this area. In the last 10 years the area has had renewed interest with many people seeking an urban lifestyle. The Westside area has some very unique architecture, from century old small brick homes, looming shingle style mansions to "Dwell" style houses. This house as a landmark has been replaced with a large, less dramatic modern house just to the south.

Below: Looking south, Crown Center on the left, the World War I Memorial and Skidmore, Owings and Merrill designed BMA Tower (now One Park Place Condiminiums) and so much more were easily seen from what was truly a viewing platform.

Here's to people with an idea and the guts (and money) to get it realized!

Bob Wendt- House Designer/Builder "What's the Story on That House"

Located near 67th and Nall in Prairie Village, KS a fine group of three mid-century modern houses was planned for construction at this site, a former apple orchard. The planner,designer and builder was Bob Wendt. To connect some dots, Bob was Don Drummond's first foreman. Educated as an engineer, Bob was fond of post and beam construction., precision was his hallmark. In 1967 he was building this house when Dean Graves, architect FAIA approached and inquired about buying the home and incorporating some of his ideas. To the west of this house on a small culdesac, Jim and Myra Morgan, art collector/gallery owner, bought the mirror image of this house. The homes sit far from the street down a long driveway and many people will remember the monumental sculptures the Morgans displayed in the vacant lot on 67th St. The third house planned for that lot never got built. The lot and Morgan's house were sold after her death a few years ago.
Dean and Ginny Graves house. This photo shows the car court featuring stainless steel art.

The stone wall on the right hid the side entry carport, now repurposed as an office, an adjoining garage was constructed. Note the unusual sidewalk aggregate/brick design.

Below you see the door to the office and the garage addition. The original siding is hardwood board and batt, with the batts on end instead their slab sides, very distinctive with great shadow lines.

Rear of house...

Living Room with danish fireplace and semi-circular stone wall...Lots of floor to ceiling windows
provide natural light and sweeping views of the parklike rear yards.

Bob often used stone aggregate slabs as a dramatic visual effect. This house served the family well for over 40 years and the Graves have recently decided to move. Bob Wendt's work is worth further study and I plan to feature him in an upcoming post...he designed and built some great modern houses during his career. These houses in this post represent the last homes he ever built...

Robert Harvey Oshatz- Architect Part Three

Some random photos of Bob and guests enjoying the architecture...some interesting detail pics...

This series of images does not compare to the images found on Bob's website. He opened his architectural firm in 1971 and has done some distinctive work...

Check out his website to see green sustainable/organic architecture:

http://www.oshatz.com/

To learn more about organic architecture go to:

http://www.friendsofkebyar.com/

Robert Harvey Oshatz-Architect Part Two

I mentioned in Part One that my friend David had sent photos of Bob Oshatz's work he photographed while in Oregon...I thought you would enjoy these pics of "floating houses"...In Part Three, I'll be posting some photos of houses by Oshatz. Enjoy!

Robert Harvey Oshatz- Architect Part One

A good friend of mine David Milstead, architect and Director on the Board of Friends of Kebyar, recently went to Oregon to work with Bob Oshatz on some models for projects in the works. He sent me these photos. I don't know the various projects but I do know Oshatz's work is provocative, exuberant and just downright eyecatching...Influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright and Bruce Goff, he has assimilated ideas to create his own unique brand of Organic Architecture. His work is never dull and always cool.