cincinnatimodern

form follows function

2012-02-16T21:46:58Z

We obviously love classic modern furniture, but one thing we have learned through the years is that furniture must be as functional as it is beautiful. I thought I would take this opportunity, right before the 20^th Century Cincinnati Show, to share a photo timeline of our now legendary 3/ $25 coconut chairs. It seems that they are as comfortable as they are functional and beautiful. Now that’s good design!

We 'found' three of these original early production George Nelson Coconut Chairs in a GTE office building in Lafayette, IN in 1986. New chairs were on order and they ‘sold’ them to us for a $25 donation to the American Heart Association. Right away, our cats took to them. This is the sweetest cat that ever lived, Tyler, taking a siesta on one of them shortly after we acquired them. Evidently word got our about how comfortable the chairs were, and our cat Ryan had to see for himself (circa 1986). The chairs had just been recovered in 1987 when our friend Jenny could not resist their particular charms at a New Year’s Eve party. Either that or we throw really bad (or good?!) parties……Tyler, again (circa 1988).Our 2 ½ year old son, Trent (now 23), taking a coconut nap in December 1991. Daughter Tenley, just shy of her 3rd birthday in 2000.Tenley showing that the chairs are comfortable so many ways!Daughter Tenley when she was 13 posing with her violin (circa 2010).Our family photo for Best Magazine with daughter Kirsten (then 18) in the chair in the foreground, and Tenley in the background (circa 2010). Our cat Harper circa 2011 proving that orange cats LOVE to nap on coconut chairs!

the wonder years

2012-01-28T21:37:41Z

my friend Jenny and I selling bugs in the neighborhood, circa 1969I grew up in Suburbia in the 1960’s and 70’s. It was an idyllic ‘Wonder Years’ kind of childhood, where there were 6 girls on my block, all the same age and we all went to the same school. We explored the woods, played on giant piles of construction sand from all of the new houses being built in our neighborhood, sold bugs, and rode our bikes forever. As long as we were home for dinner, all was good. But as I was reading the Cincinnati Enquirer this morning, I realized that something was missing from my childhood. There was a great article by Brent Coleman on identifying Rookwood tile, and I thought of all the Cincinnati homes I have sold, both modern and traditional, and all of the great architectural character and details they had.

And it hit me. Everything I grew up with was new. The house my family lived in when I was born was 3 years old. We moved to a brand new house when I was 6. My grade school was built 1960ish in a faux colonial revival style. My junior high was roughly the same age (although in a decidedly more midcentury modern style), and my high school…… built in 1976, let’s just say it was late 20^th Century penitentiary style. Very few windows, and the ones that were there were dark and did not open. What if there was a fire? Is that even legal?

Sylvania Southview High School, 1976I was born at the end of the baby boom and my Suburbia was hastily constructed to accommodate the burgeoning population. My schools were completely devoid of any kind of architectural detail. They were all slab on grade – no steps. None of my schools even had an auditorium! The only ‘character’ in my friends’ houses, (all built roughly between 1968 and 1972) were the different patterns of kitchen carpeting (yes, kitchen carpet was all the rage circa 1970 and my entire neighborhood was built with it). My very cool and cutting edge friend, Linda, had the most awesome 70’s wallpaper and furniture in her house, made even cooler by the fact that the whole family listened to Carly Simon on the Hi Fi. But surely none of this exists in these homes today.

that's me, second from the left, in my friend Linda's groovy kitchen, circa 1979Tile work, such as Rookwood and Wheatley in the early 20^th Century, and the more generic mosaics and 4x4 field tiles with decorative borders or accent tiles so popular in the 40’s, 50’s and early 60’s is a lasting testament to the era when these homes were built. A time when things were built to last, when craftsmanship was an art form, and before everyone was in such a hurry. The article in the paper this morning talked about a time when Rookwood tile fell out of favor, only to be fawned all over by today’s buyer. We often get feedback about our midcentury listings that the bathrooms are ‘dated’ or need updating. I imagine the 1950’s era buyer of a 1928 Cincinnati Tudor felt the same way about their Rookwood fireplace!

Rookwood bathroom in a Price Hill Tudor, circa 1928. Notice the relief tile (or plaster?) border at the top....Rookwood Fireplace in a 1926 Tudor in Clifton -Susan Rissover

it's new listing season!

2012-01-24T00:46:26Z

It's that time of year again, right before the 20th Century Cincinnati Show, when we get very busy with new listings. If you are considering listing, it is a great time. There are buyers in the market and interest rates are still fantastic! If you are in the market to buy, let us know and we'll keep you on our radar! We have an interesting new blog post in the works, but in the meantime, take a look at what we've been working on:

these are a few of our favorite things.....

2011-11-27T20:47:40Z

my parents and little brother, surrounded by the holiday booty of 1972

Since Oprah is not doing her ‘Favorite Things’ episode this year, I thought I would fill in with a list of our ‘Favorite MODERN Things.’ Here are some ideal gift ideas for the modern lover in your life – or some 'wish list' items for you! I am a sucker for good design, and many of these items prove that good design does not have to be expensive (some are priced as low as $5.99)! And in case Santa is reading this, I would still dearly love a piece of architectural pottery :) And please, use the comment option below to share your favorite modern things. Happy shopping!

-Susan

harper calendar

one of many charley harper calendars available. every well appointed home or office needs at least one!
atomic ranch calendar
and since you will probably need more than one calendar, this one is another great option. as an added bonus, the amberley village home of rick kay and jim kelly is again featured (april and september).atomic ranch bookthis is the original 'atomic ranch' book, chock full of inspiration and eye candyatomic ranch midcentury interiors – pre order

available for pre-order from amazon. target publish date is march 1, 2012. chapter 2 is all about our house!
miller house merchandise

these alexander girard design plates are just one of the many miller house inspired items available from the indianapolis museum of art gift shop.

aalto vase by iittala

every modern house needs at least one of these (originally known as the savoy vase).
modern address #s from home depot

we just love these clean line address numbers - and they are only $5.99 each (available in brushed stainless or black)! an instant modern touch to any abode!

chilewich spun vinyl abstract door mat

love this asymmetrical doormat. see another photo below of the mat in black with the home depot address #s.the chilewich door mat and home depot house #s in use - along with a remcraft bullet fixture and crestview door lite (other great gifts!).

harper books

no modern library would be complete without a selection of charley harper books. this one is the definitive work by todd oldham.

harper prints

i can't imagine a modern house without at least one harper print. this is one of our favs (whitecoat) - it hangs in our bedroom.harper coloring books and puzzles

and for the kiddies on your list, there is an ever expanding selection of harper kids books, puzzles and prints. this gorgeous coloring book would be inspirational for any budding artist

nelson ball clock

this iconic modern piece is more affordable than ever! originally designed by george nelson and manufactured by the howard miller clock company, it is once again being made by howard miller and is under $75 (the licensed design is now made by vitra and is way more expensive).

henny throw from ikea

ikea calls this a bedspread, but it is really more of a throw. we have it at the foot of our bed (similar to this ikea photo above) and it adds great color and texture. it is a nice soft wool with a great vintage pattern.
joseph joseph cooking utensils from sur la table

these kitchen tools are as practical as they are good looking with the built in rests to keep them off of the counter. as an extra added bonus, the spatula is ambidexterous for us lefties!
eames hang it all by herman miller

we love the whimsical usefulness of our hang-it-all. it's a wall sculpture the you can actually use! ours is the licensed herman miller version that we have a link to here, but i noticed while doing my research that like the nelson ball clock, there are less expensive versions out there.
365 oven/serving dish from ikea

just simple good design. i always get compliments when i use mine.
architectural pottery

love, love, love the shapes of this stuff! santa, are you listening? i'm pretty sure i'm not on the naughty list this year....

modern art jewelry

arlen gave me this pin over 20 years ago, and several aaron rubenstein pieces have followed through the years. each one is unique and beautiful and modern. he's a staple at summerfair & the hyde park art show, but you can catch him year-round in his little shop in deer park. it's chock full of amazing design at a reasonable price.

selling houses, cincinnatimodern style!

2011-10-26T23:00:14Z

Happy New Year! Not only does Rosh Hashanah ring in the Jewish New Year in the Fall, but the Cincinnati Real Estate New Year starts then as well. Not really sure why, but the annual ‘Circle of Excellence’ numbers are tracked from Oct. 1 of one year – Sept 30 of the next year. And I am happy to report that for 2011 we are once again in the Circle of Excellence, the top 10 - 14% of agents in the Cincinnati Area Board of Realtors and have been for 4 of the last 5 years. Not bad in this economy, especially since the qualifications have not changed with a declining market!

Also not bad since I got into the business of selling modern homes 8 years ago as a ‘part time’ gig. Little did I know when I started on this journey that there were SO many other modern aficionados out there – and so many homes that needed proper representation! Not only is it no longer part time, but is now a family affair with my husband Arlen adding his time and expertise to the team. But our team is actually much bigger than just the two of us – something I don’t talk about a lot but deserves not only recognition but explanation.

In the state of Ohio, a real estate sales person’s license must be held by a broker in a brokerage. We are real estate sales persons, or Realtors, and our brokerage, our larger team, is Keller Williams Advisors. So even though we have the sporty and very different green signs noting cincinnatimodern (our brand), we are Keller Williams Agents and very proud of it. Keller Williams is very unusual in that they not only allow (gasp), but encourage self branded agents.

Instead of pushing the company name like most other brokerages do, Keller Williams instead works very hard to attract top agents who already run successful businesses (all Realtors are independent contractors, working for commission ONLY) and give them tried and proven tools to grow their individual businesses. They are also forerunners in technology, the first national company to use a state of the art paperless contract system with electronic signatures. They did not get to be the #2 real estate company in the country by accident, and it is a pleasure to be associated with a company who is as dedicated to our success as we are.

Internet presence is far and away the #1 marketing tool when you are selling a house, and our listing system feeds our listing to literally hundreds of Real Estate portals all over the web. NO listings have a better web presence than ours do. This may be why that even though our Keller Williams Advisors office in Cincinnati, only 5 years old, is the #2 volume real estate office in the entire Cincinnati MLS, and our listings have the lowest days on the market of any top producing office. Can you tell I am proud to be associated with such a great company?

So in this NEW YEAR, the key to selling your house is to price it appropriately. Plain and simple, that is what it takes. The key to buying is to get yourself pre qualified by one of our recommended lenders (or one of your own) and take advantage of historic low interest rates and great home prices. We have had great success in this market and we want to help you be successful, too whether you are buying or selling!

-Susan Rissover

p.s. – if you are considering a career in real estate, give me a call – I would love to share my experiences with you.

semantics

2011-09-06T21:45:12Z

arne jacobsen designed vola faucet (1968)

What is MODERN and what is CONTEMPORARY? These terms are often used interchangeably but fundamentally there IS a difference, at least in the design & architecture world. If you look the terms up in the dictionary, you will be even more confused – they seem to be synonymous. So here is my 101 primer on design: Modern is a clean and unadorned style. With roots in the early 20^th century, modern is truly form follows function. Modern design does not change. If something is modern, it will always be modern. That is why the Saarinen designed Miller House and Garden or the Irwin Union Bank Building look so darn good today – because they are classic modern in design, and they remain unchanged. Contemporary, on the other hand, is what is hip and in and trendy at the time. It is a moving target. Perhaps MODERN was CONTEMPORARY in the 1950’s (a style now known as midcentury modern, which is kind of a ‘subset’ of modern), but flash forward to the 1970’s and 1980’s and contemporary had a whole new meaning. Picture avocado and gold shag carpet, and lots of teal, brass and mirrors.

irwin union bank building in columbus, in designed by eero saarinen 1954 (photo from 2010)

The modern homes that have managed to escape ‘contemporary’ remodels are highly coveted 50 years or so after they were built. New modern homes are almost non existent because of high custom building costs and lack of buildable land. But what about the truly contemporary homes? Homes that epitomize the era when they were built? The market is full of time capsule gems just waiting for a new lease on life, but buyers often overlook these homes. Look past ‘dated’ and look at the bones of these homes. Most were custom built for forward thinking clients, and were not ‘cookie cutter’ homes. And they all have modern elements incorporated in the design. I applaud the buyer who is looking for the time capsule and who is content to live in a home as it is because they love it. But what about the buyer looking for something new, or current contemporary, or modern? It’s certainly worth looking at contemporary homes!

rudy hermes designed 1978 contemporary home in delhi

A prime example is our newest listing in Hyde Park. This contemporary home was designed and custom built by the original owner in 1986. It last sold in 2000 for $624,500. We currently have this house, with one of the most sought after addresses in the entire city (Grandin Road) on the market for $415,000. Why, you ask? Is it in terrible condition? On the contrary – it is in excellent condition, but it has a strong color palette and an eclectic use of ‘contemporary’ materials. Some may say it needs design simplification and some may say it looks dated, but at the end of the day it is a whole lot of quality cool house for the money, and because of its location, there is plenty of room to add whatever touches you think it needs to make it your modern or contemporary dream home. It already has Arne Jacobsen Vola faucets (my personal fave - see above) – it doesn’t get any more modern than that!

1986 contemporary design on lower grandin in hyde parkgreat room of hyde park contemporary

what's happening?

2011-07-10T14:50:40Z

arlen, outside of one of our SOLD listings in pleasant ridgeWell, our lack of time to blog can only mean one thing. The market is busy! Thank goodness for a weekend at a swim meet for some forced computer time :) Some trends we have seen this year:

Valuations and appraisals continue to be the biggest issue. As a seller, you must be realistic about what the market value of your home is. As a buyer, you can expect to get a good deal on a property, but don’t expect to steal it. Low ball offers only create bad will and can set a deal up for failure. Sellers must forget what they think their house is worth based on sales from years past. Only market data from the past year is taken into account by appraisers, and your house must appraise at the agreed upon sales price for buyer to get a loan, plain and simple. We are trained to help buyers and sellers through this process, but all parties have to be realistic with their expectations.

Speaking of appraisals, the Hamilton County Tax Valuation letter that you just got from the county with your home’s projected tax value has little if anything to do with actual market value of your home. If the value came in higher than you expected, you can go to the county with relevant market data and request to have it lowered. But if you are like most homeowners and it came in lower, just sit back and relax. The worse case scenario is that you will pay less in taxes :)

Lending seems to have loosened up a little over the past couple of years. 203k loans continue to be a good option for buyers needing to finance renovations to a house they are purchasing. We have seen buyers with good credit obtain 95% conventional loans, and 3% down FHA loans continue to be popular. We have even had buyers obtain ‘bridge’ loans so they can purchase their dream home while marketing their current home – with little to no out of pocket. Looking to do something but don’t know if you can qualify? Hit our service providers link here or at the upper right and talk to our preferred lenders with no obligation.

We also have several new listings on the market worth noting:

JUST LISTED in Wyoming – awesome international style modern home in great neighborhood. I have always admired the simplicity of this house while driving by. It reminded me of a waterfront home by my Grandma’s house in Michigan. Turns out that the original owners of this home actually fell in love with the design while on vacation in Michigan and hired the architect, Alfred Tobocman, to design a similar house for their lot in Wyoming, OH. This home was completed in 1979 with classic modern design and materials – and none of the 70’s cliché trappings. If you are looking for a spacious home with plenty of bedrooms, office space, and room for entertaining, this is it! The killer wooded creekside setting doesn’t hurt, either!

Also recently listed is another ‘70s modern – this one in the popular MCM neighborhood of Turpin Hills in Anderson Township. The previous owners of this home completely remodeled it in the early 1990’s, resulting in a very clean and white color palette with a ton of custom built in ‘Techline’ style cabinetry throughout. The result is a spacious, contemporary feel and an awesome palette for displaying modern artwork. A huge benefit to this home – compared to most midcentury moderns – is the abundance of walk in closets. WOW!! If only I could bring one of them to my house…..

To complete our 1970’s trilogy, we also have a classic modern, international style 3 level in Gaslight Clifton. Designed in 1970 by UC Architecture professor Dick Peacock, it has been owned for the past 30+ years by DAAP professors from UC and it shows! Meticulously cared for and very cool and modern inside and out, this home is a wonderful contrast to its more traditional Clifton surroundings. In a beautiful neighborhood and walking distance to the Ludlow shopping and entertainment district. Perfect for the modern urban dweller!

On our PENDING list – our streamline art moderne (set to close this week), the Roush designed Ruth House (sorry to everyone who missed out on this one – the calls keep coming in!), and the midcentury ranch in Wyoming.

And last but not least……

Congratulations to Allie and Tyler Weaver on their purchase of an Abe Dombar time capsule in Amberley Village. There is nothing quite like the rush of finding a well built custom home in completely original condition. From the Italian glass tile baths, to the pink metal kitchen, to the Hollywood Regency style curved stairway, to the marble trimmed corner fireplace, this house is loaded with MCM Bling! This house was listed without photos because it ‘needs updating(!?)’ What a gem!

westward ho!

2011-05-24T12:41:53Z

The Ruth House by architect Ray Roush, currently on the market for the unbelievable price of $129,900

Once upon a time, in the early 1950’s, a group of ‘urburban’ pioneers, adventurous by nature, seized the opportunity to build their dream homes on a beautiful piece of land. Their first challenge was to get public water lines to the site. Their second challenge was to engineer their modest modern homes for some of the most difficult terrain in town (while taking advantage of the gorgeous wooded creek setting). The third and most arduous challenge was to fight ‘the man’ over the construction of the Cross County (later Ronald Reagan) Highway.

The pioneers were people like us - architects, designers, university professors, business owners and…..people who knew that cookie cutter post war houses were NOT for them. They either designed their own homes (in the cases of architects Robert Dayton, Richard Peacock and Ben Dombar), or hired modern architects to do it for them (Ben Dombar [x5], Tweedell and Wheeler, Ray Roush, Rudy Hermes and Dick Lakeman). These hearty souls hauled stone up from the bed of the beautiful Congress Run creek to build stairways, patios and in one case, even a bathtub! They were on limited budgets, but that did not stop them from building their dream homes. They pitched in on the building process wherever they could – in one instance even putting their own tar and gravel roof on to save money.

1960 Christmas card by Betty Dayton Cautley. The Ruth house was under construction at this time. Notice the Abbe house pirctured here (photo below) and the two other houses to the right, whidh were destroyed as the Cross County (now Ronald Reagan) Highway cut a swath right through Finneytown..

Imagine this today – an opportunity to build your dream home on an idyllic (albeit challenging) piece of land and only 15 minutes from downtown. Would you have the fortitude to do it?

50 + years later, the fate of these homes has been mixed. A couple are still in the hands of the original owners. Some have been sold, but lovingly cared for through the years. Others have not been so lucky as multiple owners, modifications and foreclosures have left them in near ruins. Luckily, two of the homes that went into foreclosure in the last year have been purchased by end users who are renovating them to their former glory.

Two of the homes are currently on the market – one is a tiny 1-2 bed MCM. The other, the Ruth House, is being sold for the first time. Kathleen Ruth was involved in every step of the design process of her dream home with architect Ray Roush. The collaboration resulted in a spectacular zig-zagged roof glass box nestled on a promontory 32 steps below the street level, but high above the creek. It looks every bit as fresh – and futuristic – today as it must have when it was built 50 years ago. It has been meticulously maintained through the years and although Kathleen admits it is modest in size (@ 1500 sq. ft) compared to today’s homes, she raised 3 kids in the house and credits the steps with keeping her young and active well into her ninth decade! Fortitude indeed!

This modern enclave is located along West Galbraith Road just east of the Galbraith/Winton exit off of the RR Highway and at the base of Wyoming's Congress Run Road. In all, 13 modern houses that were built mostly between the early 50’s and late 60’s are still standing. At least 3 more MCM homes that were built were destroyed to make way for the highway exit ramp. Some are in Wyoming, and some are in the Finneytown area of Springfield Township. All come with the challenges of steep lots and being on a busy road. No, you can't walk to a coffee shop. But the view out the back door, onto the creek and woods, is priceless. A little slice of nirvana, just off the highway - could it be your happily ever after?

Special thanks to UC professor Patrick Snadon and his students for sharing their research of the “Modernist Homes in the Ravine,” and to Kathleen + Randy Ruth for their historical perspective. Thanks also to Betty Dayton Cautley for sharing her fabulous Christmas cards!

R.I.P. Abbe house (by Rudy Hermes)......

Architect Ben Dombar's own house @ 601 W. Galbraith Road

Another Betty Dayton Cautley Christmas card. And yes, the waterfall is still there!

The Ruth house, by Ray Roush, which is currently on the market, looks every bit a good today as it does in this Cincinnati Enquirer article circa 1968. My family had to laugh when they read the article because the description of Kathleen sounds so much like me :)

-Susan Rissover

it's miller time!

2011-04-26T15:43:02Z

miller house by eero saarinen 1958. columbus, in For the past 10 months, I have been trying to figure out how to write about one of the most moving experiences of my life. I am rarely speechless, but this event was so deeply touching and personal, it rendered me completely ferklempt. I have eluded to my experience on occasion, but I have not written of it – until now.

What, you ask, could have affected me so? First, let me back up about 25 years. My early education on modernism was from a few books that I acquired beginning in the 1980’s – long before the internet and eye-candy laden periodicals such as Atomic Ranch and Modernism and Dwell. ‘Mid-Century Modern’ by Cara Greenburg was my modern furniture bible/wishlist. Various architecture books, including ‘Contemporary’ by Lesley Jackson, an old architecture textbook, and a book on the architecture of Eero Saarinen not only fueled my passion to learn more about architecture, but gave me inspiration for projects in my own house(es).

If you stare at a house in a book long enough, you can start to idolize it. My first love in architecture is undeniably Case Study House #22 (the Stahl House) by Pierre Koenig. Overlooking the Hollywood Hills, this house and the iconic photography by Julius Schulman is a study in modern perfection. A close second has always been the mystical ‘Miller House’ by Eero Saarinen, located in nearby Columbus, Indiana. Much less photographed and publicly known than the case study house, I was nonetheless particularly enthralled with the giant built-in ‘conversation pit’ in the living room. The architecture of my youth was heavily influenced by this pit – from a ‘groovy’ house in my parents neighborhood with its very own ‘mini pit’ to my high school, built in the 1970’s, with a huge carpeted ‘pit’ commons area for lounging. Hey, it was the 1970’s!

On our first trip to Columbus, IN three years ago, we casually asked the woman in the Visitor’s Center where the house was located so we could sneak a peek. She politely told us – as she obviously did to others countless times a day – that she was not permitted to disclose the location and that no, the house could not be seen from the street. Drats!

At that time, the house was still a private residence, the home of Xenia Miller (1918- 2008), widow of industrialist J. Irwin Miller (1909 – 2004). Mr. Miller was instrumental in bringing world renowned architects to his hometown by his formation of a foundation to pay architecture design fees for public buildings. As a consequence, the built environment of this little Hoosier burg reads like a ‘who’s who’ list of international architecture greats.

the miller house 'conversation pit' with textiles by alexander girardBut the Miller House held a particular mystique for me – from it’s perfectly designed minimal glass and steel frame to the marble floors to the Alexander Girard textiles (rugs, pillows, curtains) and the angular manicured gardens by landscape architect Dan Kiley. A sucker for details, I was also taken by all of the classic MCM furniture – Eames and Saarinen chairs and tables, both inside and out. At least in the photos, this house seemed perfect. At the opposite end of the modern design spectrum from a Frank Lloyd Wright style modern, this sleek international style modern house appealed to me from a design standpoint, using white, glass, marble and steel as a neutral backdrop for pops of color from modern artwork and textiles.

Fast forward to a very hot evening in June, 2010. I am actually standing in the living room of the Miller House, with tears streaming down my face. I thought I was going to pass out. I was going to blame it on the extreme heat and humidity outside, but in reality, it was just that moving of an experience for me. I had to remind myself to stop, breathe, and take in the moment. And I wasn’t just in the living room – I (and the others in this group of architecture bloggers on this private and unprecedented tour) had full access to the house. I was in the children’s quadrant, the master quadrant, the kitchen and the laundry room. I stood in the pantry. I was sipping wine on the patio!

I immediately realized that the photo of the kitchen that I had studied for years in my book was actually printed in reverse! But no matter. The house was just as perfect as I had hoped and so much more. While standing in the living room I looked up and saw others in the room having their own very personal reactions to this amazing house.

miller house kitchen detail. this kitchen is so simple and so cool, it could probably be duplicated today with ikea cabinets and ceramic or glass mosaic!

It is something you really need to experience for yourself. And now you can. Through the generosity of the Miller family, the house has been donated to the Indianapolis Museum of Art (IMA), and through our friends at the Columbus Visitors Center is open for public tours starting next month. This opening has created a media frenzy, and for good reason. A house that functioned so well as a family home for 50 years will now function to inspire a new generation to embrace good design.

cf3 has a private tour of the house scheduled for July 16. To find out more details, join cf3. The tour is limited to 39 people. Don’t want to wait or can’t make the 16^th? You can book one of the regular public tours by clicking here.

If you are like me and still want to know more about the house, attend the Miller House Symposium on May 20 at the IMA in Indianapolis.

This post is part 3 of 3 of my Columbus, IN chronicle. Check out my other Columbus posts:

Discovering Columbus

Giving Thanks to Columbus

-Susan Rissover

a funny thing happened on the way to a swim meet

2011-04-07T15:42:38Z

I'm pretty good at beating the odds. What are the chances that an ordinary person would name a Crayola crayon? Evidently it’s one in two million. Next time you pick up a fresh box of 64, look for the quintessential 90’s pink color. Yep, that’s mine – ‘mauvelous.’ Cut me some slack. It was a big contest for Crayola’s 90^th Birthday and it was, well, 1993. That is just one in a string of lucky events and coincidences that has defined my life since I won 100 pieces of bubble gum in a raffle in the 7^th grade.

My brother thinks I live a charmed life, but I’m just one of those people that (mostly good, but sometimes odd or strange) things tend to happen to. I have learned to expect the unexpected, and as my modern real estate life has flourished in these recent years, the interesting events and coincidences seem to be mounting.

I mean, what are the chances that my childhood BFF, Jenny Geiger, would be the Director of Retail Services for the Indianapolis Museum of Art and in charge of merchandise for (my all time favorite) the Miller House? Or that a spur of the moment letter to the editor of Modernism Magazine my first year in the business would launch me into a blitz of media exposure, including quotes in the Wall Street Journal, appearances on HGTV, and our house being published in the upcoming Atomic Ranch II book. Crazy!

yep - that's jenny and me circa 1969. I'm the one in the stylish saddle shoes.But this most recent coincidence was so amazing that I just had to share it with you. As many of you know, we spend several weekends, year-round, attending our daughters’ swim meets. For those who don’t know, swim meets are all encompassing 2-3 day marathon spectator events. It’s also a way of life. Arlen makes time pass by actually watching all of the kids swim. I, on the other hand, pull out my laptop and either write blog entries or update our website or search the MLS, looking up just in time to actually see my child swim for 26 seconds. It’s a crazy way of life, but it’s our life, and I know that one day I will miss it.

A recent high level championship meet took us to the far away land of Columbus, Ohio. We were so proud of Tenley for qualifying for this meet and really looked forward to checking out the new natatorium facility at Ohio State. Being the architecture junkies that we are, we decided a while ago that these travel meets need to be ‘dual purpose’ and include something business/architecture/modern related. On our way to YMCA Nationals in Washington, D.C. two summers ago, we took a detour through Pennsylvania and got to see (finally) Falling Water. Amazing!

me at falling water. no, this image is NOT photoshopped - we were actually in the woods at the overlook area and arlen snapped this cool shot.So our trip to Columbus (Ohio) was going to be our chance to see the mystical Rush Creek Village at last. I have heard people casually mention it for years, but didn’t know much about it. The only address I could find on the internet led us to the center of the hipster village of Worthington, OH – clearly not a woodsy 50 year old Frank Lloyd Wright inspired community. But Arlen used his modern ‘spidey sense’ and somehow led us right to it (if you want to find it, enter the intersection of South and Morning Streets in your gps). What we found is a wonderfully diverse collection of 49 modest sized FLW inspired organic modern homes, a ‘community within a community.’ It was a nice day and lots of folks were out walking, riding bikes, and working in their yards. Kind of a modern version of ‘Pleasantville.’

a pleasant saturday afternoon in Rush Creek

I was perfectly content to sit in the car, sneakily checking out each house and taking photos out the window. I felt voyeuristic but safe. But Arlen, being the sales person that he is, thought we should park the car and get out and talk to someone in the neighborhood. I reluctantly agreed and we approached a nice looking guy doing some spring yard cleaning near the street. When we introduced ourselves as Realtors from Cincinnati, he immediately said he was originally from Cincy. Turns out, his brother lives right here in Amberley Vilage in the Rosen House by Dick Calef– a house I sold to him! I have to say it – SMALL WORLD! What are the chances we would pick that guy (whose name, by the way, is Steve Guy) to talk to? Modern kismet, I guess.

Steve Guy's 'nonconforming' house in Rush Creek VillageSteve was friendly and gracious and showed us all around his beautiful yard which borders the Rush Creek. He told us that his house, although geographically right in the middle of the neighborhood, was not technically part of the neighborhood because it was built later in a non-conforming style. His house actually bears a striking resemblance to a John Garber designed house in Mt. Washington that sold last year. But I agree, it was the one house in the neighborhood that seemed ‘different.’ Still, it was in perfect context with the other unique moderns.

steve guy's house from the backThe neighborhood was conceived in 1946 by Martha and Richard Wakefield. Legend has it she was visiting Taliesin West when Frank Lloyd Wright approached her and said, "Go home, buy a Jeep and build a house for yourself. Then build a house for your next-door neighbor." Richard Wakefield acted as developer and Theodore van Fossen defined all of the sites and either designed the homes or approved their plans. The first home, the Wakefield’s, was built in 1956. To this day, the historic integrity of the homes and neighborhood are protected by deed restrictions and a neighborhood association. Too bad more MCM homes don’t have at least some level of protection!

Click here to see my ‘out the window’ photo gallery of Rush Creek Village. And please, share your own ‘modern coincidences’ with us here – I have a feeling I am not the only one these things happen to!

-Susan Rissover