Some regions get more mid mod airtime than others, but we’ve gathered up some areas you may be surprised to learn qualify as Midcentury Modern hotspots.
Seattle, Washington
Seattle area Midcentury Modern homes are features of the area’s expansion from the city center out to neighborhoods such as West Seattle, Magnolia and Blue Ridge and beyond to suburbs such as Bellevue and Mercer Island. Architects include William Lovett and Robert Shields.
Portland, Oregon
For a lay of the MCM landscape in Portland area, we turned to Realtor Beth Howard of portlandmidcentury.com. Nearby Beaverton, Beth explains, is home to the Rummer, so-named for architect Robert Rummer who took his cues from Eichler. On the West Side of Portland, Beth says, is a Midcentury Modern style sometimes referred to as “NW Contemporary, which combines the soaring ceilings and walls of windows surrounded in trees and nature.” NW Contemporary architects include Saul Zaik, John Yeon and Pietro Belluschi.
Northern California
This dreamy retreat outside Oakland is one of the region’s many mid mod homes.
The Bay Area, San Jose and Sacramento are home to scores of Eichlers. Other architects include William Wurster, Ed Hageman in Marin County and the Streng Brothers in Sacramento.
Southern California
Geographically, Southern California is mainly a basin, which allows population to spread from LA out east to the desert and down south to San Diego. Across this arid expanse, there are particularly high concentrations of MCM homes in Palm Springs, Cliff May homes in neighborhoods such as Long Beach’s El Dorado as well as areas such as Hollywood Hills, Brentwood, Pacific Palisades and Sherman Oaks.
Boise, Idaho
Boise, like many cities in the midcentury, experienced a population boom in the postwar years, and new housing cropped up along the city’s edges and out to form suburbs. According to the Idaho Modern Field Guide, “Rim Crest, Randolph-Robertson, Country Club Manor, Glen Haven, Winstead Park, the Boise Heights and Highlands are some of the neighborhoods that were developed by small real estate companies in the 50s and 60s.”
Denver, Colorado
Denver boasts several architecturally significant MCM neighborhoods, including Harvey Park. Harvey Park includes Cliff May homes outside of California. The Arapaho Hills neighborhood in nearby Littleton includes 56 unique MCM homes and is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The Philadelphia area may not have spates of MCM homes, but it does have quite a few gems like the Hassrick residence, designed by architect Richard Neutra and includes George Nakashima’s woodwork as well as a waterfall in the back.
North Carolina
According to ncmodernist.org, “North Carolina has the third largest concentration of Modernist houses in America.” You can find MCM homes peppered across the state from Asheville neighborhoods such as Malvern Hills to homes like this one in Hickory.
Florida
With its subtropical climate, an architectural style that prioritizes indoor-outdoor connection makes a world of sense. Florida is home to the iconic Umbrella House in Sarasota, and tucked-away masterpieces like the Weaving House in Lakeland. While not for sale, the Weaving House is available to rent through the website Boutique-Homes, where you can book an architecturally interesting vacation rental.
Metro Texas
The Houston area boasts the work of many MCM architects such as Alexander Bliss, Harold Calhoun, John Chase and William Jenkins. For a lay of the land, visit houstonmod.net for a list of neighborhoods and architects. Meanwhile, in other parts of the state, Austin and Dallas/Fort Worth have impressive MCM homes of their own.
