As we close in on the holiday season, it’s time to take look inside November numbers and speculate...
Upon landing in Modesto, I quickly learned that the city has are rich history of modernist architecture, including homes, schools, churches and other buildings that received national acclaim.
For those unfamiliar, Modernism was rooted in the early 20th century as advances in technology rendered previous architectural norms obsolete. Modernism grew out of the Bauhaus and International styles popular in Europe at the time. Popular decorative motives gave way to simpler visual sites lines, while incorporating natural surrounding into the design. Easy mass production (of homes in particular) also pushed the popularity of the movement.
Architecture was not the only bastion of arts subject to the modernist movement. Visual artists, composers, furniture designers, and even philosophers amplified Modernism worldwide.
Here in California, Modesto was thrust onto the national architecture scene with the construction of Heckendorf House. Originally built in 1939, the home was included in the 1944 New York Museum of Modern Art traveling exhibit, being featured on the cover of its catalogue.
Heckendorf House is a simple three-bedroom home with a wall of windows looking out onto the sizable patio. Built by architect John Funk for his sister-in-law, it is now considered the prime example of a Central Valley Modern home. House Beautiful (an influential home magazine at the time) referred to Heckendorf house as "a little private kingdom on a 100-foot lot" and ranked it among the 12 best houses built during that time.
(Note- Heckendorf House is remarkably “normal” when viewed from the street. Fencing blocks the patio from view, and the home blends in with its neighboring structures).
To see a contrast between a clean modernist structure and more ornate buildings constructed in the late 19th century, one can journey to the downtown Modesto intersection of 15th and I streets, where the McHenry Mansion and Stanislaus County Library sit across from each other.
Constructed in 1883, the McHenry Mansion was built for Modesto benefactor Robert McHenry, a prominent banker and rancher. The mansion is an example of Victorian Italianate style, featuring projected eaves, cornice structures, tall first floor windows and a cupola.
(Note - This was typical of the style of homes in neighborhoods I frequented while living in New England. This home would fit in any of hundreds of neighborhoods there.)
By contrast, across the street sits the Stanislaus County Library, built in 1971. The structure features the clean, even lines of a rising colonnade with overhanging eves, while a wide staircase clearly marks the entryway. The back of the building has a sunscreen to help block the scorching Modesto summer sun, thereby reducing cooling costs.
The architectural goodness doesn’t end at this intersection. Further down on I street, just past the famous cruising district of 10th street (immortalized in the film American Graffiti) is the Stanislaus County Hall of Records, designed and built in 1939. This is the first government building in California designed in the Bauhaus (or International) style. Continuous window strips and a glass enclosed stairway are reminiscent of Germany’s Bauhaus building.
Government buildings aren’t the only structures exhibiting the modernist vibe. The Denny’s on McHenry St (built in 1965) includes the iconic “checkmark” roof line famous on Denny’s of yore, while a few blocks away, an A&W drive-in constructed in 1957 still maintains the classic drive-in bays, and hosts local hot rod and classic car gatherings.
Sources:
Eight Great Modern Masters - Eichler Network
Modestogov.com Document Center - Historic Guide Mid Century Modern
Wikipedia - Modernism; The beginning is the late nineteenth century
Wikipedia - Italiante architecture
All photos: ©2023-Ed Justen
Ed Justen -DRE: 02221512 - Affiliated with Keller Williams. All advice and information given on this blog is sourced from publicly available websites and common knowledge. Got questions? Click here to book 30-minute meeting with me.
