Wayne Grubb and the Midcentury Pink Kitchen Near Fort Worth

For months now, I've been meaning to write about a Craigslist experience I had in June, one that cost me nothing but was extremely cool. It started with this ad:

"We recently remodeled our parents home in Hurst. We have a very unique Westinghouse Refrigerator/Freezer, circa 1957 that we would like to GIVE AWAY, rather than see it hauled to the dump. It is a side by side, built in the wall unit. I have been told that there were only 15 of these ever made and that one is in the Smithsonian. I have only seen one like it and it was in Frank Sinatra's home in Beverly Hills. ... It has the original mid 1950's pink enamel paint and is in really good condition. We have the matching pink built in oven, which still works, also."

OK, what MCM freak WOULDN'T sit up and take notice? With nowhere to store it and a vintage turquoise double-oven already hooked up and working in my kitchen -- and it's not what I would sell at RetroMania -- of course I answered the ad to claim it! (I was under the influence of some powerful appliance porn, people!) Just look at these pictures and tell me you wouldn't have done the same. You'd have to be made of stone.


A woman named Revis Grubb Plemmons answered my e-mail and told me that the appliances are from the house of her late father, Wayne Grubb, a designer/builder/philosopher/inventor who worked as a general contractor on large custom homes in North Texas until his death, in 1997. He designed and built the home, which is on Brown Trail in Hurst, in 1957. Apparently, it was so unusual that it became known as "the Brown Trail House." Now, the fourth generation of the family lives there.


I'll delve into some detail about what made the house so awesome and what made Wayne even awesomer, in a separate post, with pics and news clippings, courtesy of Revis. The good news: The family did major remodeling to the house but adhered to MCM style, I'm told. To which I offer a huge PHEW! and a heartfelt "BLESS YOU, FAMILY."

Back to the appliances: I thought better of accepting Revis' generous offer after she told me that someone from Dallas who had answered the ad after I did was crestfallen to learn that he had been scooped, because he was actually redoing his kitchen retro-style, with pink enamel appliances. What kind of monster would stand in the way of a mission so pure? Incidentally, that's the fridge interior (above).

More to come on this talented local visionary, the late Wayne Grubb, as well as some of his projects.

Another Cliff May house in Dallas

The Andrea Lane area in Dallas (north of I-30, west of I-635) is lousy with Cliff May houses, it seems. The latest one to come to our attention is at 2651 Andrea Lane with a price of $146,000 for 1,291 square feet. There's been some updating, but from what we can tell, nothing that looks too egregious.

Yates-Ottmann Building in Fort Worth

Fort Worth actually may be waking up to the realization that it needs to protect its midcentury architecture: The Yates-Ottman Building, 1020 Summit Ave. (north of the Hospital District and I-30) has been designated one of the city's historic and cultural landmarks. Historic Fort Worth, Inc. recently decided to try to educate the public about these local treasures, and getting the Landmarks Commission's seal of approval is a big step forward.
Thank you, HFW! But you've got your work cut out for you, having to outrun the bulldozers and the builders of faux-Tuscan McMansions. (We've lost so much history already.)

6421 Camp Bowie, Fort Worth 76116

I've always wondered about this building at 6421 Camp Bowie, and Cosmic Cool sheds some light on it. Turns out this building was designed by the Houston architectural firm of MacKie & Kamrath and constructed in 1956-57, this building was originally home office headquarters for Commercial Standard Insurance Company.

2301 Ridgmar, Fort Worth 76116 - $122,500

MCM-licious condos. Yum.
Thank god places like this still exist, huh? Gives one hope.

Capitol Records Building -- Totally Googie

Is there anything any googier than the Capitol Records Building down on the Strip? A friend duked me with a bunch of old Architectural Digests from the 1950s last year, one of which included this spread. Of course, there's lots of other cool stuff in there that I plan to share soon. Until then, enjoy!


I want everything in the waiting room below.


Don Draper? Why aren't you in the conference room?!


I wonder if Frank Sinatra ever hit anybody in here?

"This is a crime scene"

Another MCM landmark bites the dust in Dallas. Click thru for the after pictures -- they'll make you sick. Sez Unfair Park:

"The neighbors knew something was up yesterday: Workers were in and out of the building, removing whatever they could salvage. But no way did they ever imagine that come 8 a.m. today that 2505 Turtle Creek Boulevard would be only an address -- a patch of land atop which now sits a pile of twisted metal and busted bricks that used to be an office building designed by the late Harwood K. Smith. "It's a crime scene," said one devastated neighbor this morning, surveying the wreckage cordoned off by yellow 'Caution' tape."

I keep thinking that one day people will wake up to how they are cavalierly destroying America's Mid-Century architectural heritage. But when they do, how much will we have lost?

Cliff May House in East Dallas

2519 Andrea, Dallas, 75228 -- $175k! Fabulous 50's Mid-Century Modern California Ranch by famous Architect Cliff May, one of only 45 in Dallas. Open floorplan,tons of windows,waterfall in fireplace,remodeled kitchen and baths, great pool, 4 houses from park. For more information, go to www.ranchostyle.com.

Green MCM Remodel

I found a pleasant little blog about a couple's re-model of a groovy MCM house in Portland, Ore. -- Green Mid-Century ReModel. They found a nice balance between incorporating new, green technologies and maintaining the period details of the house. And best of all, they have a kick-ass Frigidaire Flair in the kitchen. Check out the virtual walkthrough. It's pretty cool.

MCM Municipal Architecture in Fort Worth

I'm borrowing this from a post on my other blog -- The Caravan of Dreams. It's my reaction to the Fort Worth AIA list of their 25 favorite buildings in Fort Worth. There's a few MCM gems on there -- the Amon Carter, Casa Manana, the Kimbell, the Marty Leonard Chapel and the Paul Rudolph-designed Anne Bass Residence. But I wanted to reflect on the merits of one overlooked aspect of Mid-Century Architecture, not just in Fort Worth and Dallas, but everywhere -- Municipal Government MCM. Here's one of my favorites right here in Fort Worth:

Fort Worth Public Health Building, 1800 University Drive, Fort Worth: I know it may not be sexy, but I have a soft spot for Mid-Century Modern municipal architecture, the sort of postwar government modernism that you are familiar with whether you grew up in the US or Europe. I don't know who designed it, and I guess it really doesn't matter. I love the glass, the brick, the angles and -- what is that? -- green marble? I don't know. There just something kind of optimistic about it. And I believe (but I'm not certain) that it has a date with the wrecking ball. (If someone out there knows for sure, please comment.)

However, I couldn't imagine this building holding off demolition for long. As Fred Bernstein wrote in an article for The New York Times in 2004, this style of architecture may be loved by some, but not by most: "In a society otherwise enamored of the styles of the 1960s, the architecture of that decade is rarely loved and frequently reviled. All over the country, '60s buildings are being torn down while much older buildings survive. Functional problems, like leaky roofs and inadequate heating systems, are often to blame."

Yes, it's mostly a matter of dollars and cents, but taste also has something to do with it. Bernstein continues: "But just as often, the buildings are simply disliked by institutions that have enough money to replace them."

This building and others like it may yet have their day, but I'm not expecting them to endure like the Courthouse and Post Office. This style is just not as easy for most people to love. And like many, many examples of Mid-Century Modern Architecture around the Fort Worth and Dallas area, I expect most of them to be gone before most people think preservation is important.

Remodel Done Right

Here's a great article on a couple in Atlanta who remodeled a mid-century house by Cecil Alexander in the Buckhead neighborhood. Alexander is actually still alive and helped them with the restoration when he found out they weren't going to turn the house into a McMansion.

The 89-year-old Alexander studied architecture at Harvard in the 1940s under Bauhaus luminaries like Marcel Breuer and Walter Gropius. As a partner in the Atlanta firm Finch, Alexander, Barnes, Rothschild and Paschal (nicknamed Fabrap), he designed glass and concrete corporate buildings in Georgia, including headquarters for Coca-Cola and the regional power and phone companies.

Mr. Alexander also worked on half a dozen houses, but did not usually enjoy the process. “My clients, who were otherwise absolutely sane, would get nuts when having a house built for them,” he said. He seems to have let loose as a designer and approached an avant-garde style only once, with his own residence

Two Landmark MCM Signs

Dahlia Woods Fine Arts is featuring the drawings of Peter Ligon, including these two jewels from Dallas' MCM past: the recently demolished Circle Inn at Spur 482 and Northwest Highway and the Sigels at Lemmon and Inwood. Awesome!

Dallas' Mid-Century Heritage At Risk

Preservation Dallas released its list of the 11 Most Endangered Historic Places and there are several Mid-Century gems on the list, including:

Midway Hollow Neighborhood: Between Walnut Hill, Northwest Highway, Marsh, and Midway. The Threat: Teardowns and Incompatible New Construction. Sez Preservation Dallas: "Midway Hollow consists of several developments built following World War II with mostly Minimal Traditional and Ranch houses made of wood or brick siding making up the neighborhood. The area is characterized by its large lots, tree-shaded streets, and generous front-yard setbacks. Area values are increasing and demolitions are occurring at a rapid rate. New houses are much larger in scale, constructed of different materials and exhibit garish stylistic details, diminishing the neighborhood’s economic and social diversity. A stabilization overlay or conservation district may be an option to control new development."

Ft. Worth Avenue’s motor-court motels: Including the Alamo Plaza Courts Motel (pictured above), The Mission Motel, The Ranch Motel. Location: 712 Ft. Worth Avenue, 514 W. Commerce, 1839 Ft. Worth Avenue. Threat: Neglect and Development Pressure. Sez Preservation Dallas: America’s motor-court motels became increasingly popular following World War II when roadway travel soared. Gas stations, cafes, and motor-court motels — collectively known as roadside architecture — were built along major transportation routes to accommodate the traveler. Ft. Worth Avenue, the former turnpike between Dallas and Ft. Worth, was lined with such roadside architecture like the recently restored Art-Deco Belmont Hotel by Charles Dilbeck. Route 66 is an example of turning roadside architecture into a major asset for the country, just as Ft. Worth Avenue is, for the forward thinking, an asset for the City. That commercial real estate developers see opportunity here is not surprising. There are many opportunities for renewal along Ft. Worth Avenue, from the most glaring to the very subtle. The question is, what is good for Dallas? Unfortunately roadside architecture is presently underappreciated and at least three motor-court motels are imminently in danger of being demolished. Property owners and developers are encouraged to revitalize Ft. Worth Avenue’s motor-court motels.

I appreciate Preservation Dallas' efforts to raise these issues, but is anyone listening? How have Mid-Century gems from years past fared? The Wynnewood Shopping Village, one of the first great postwar malls, continues to be threatened. And the old Kip's at Northwest Highway and Hillcrest? See the picture below. Ugh.

Thanks to Robert at Unfair Park for the story tip.

Plano Says Ranch Houses "Not Historic"

Residents of Haggard Addition consider their tiny Plano neighborhood with its ranch-style houses a neighborhood worth preserving. But the Plano City Council doesn't think so.

Haggard Addition is a neighborhood of 114 ranch-style houses nestled just north of downtown. It is bounded by a brick wall on one side and the DART rail line on the other. There are few through streets. The subdivision is considered Plano's oldest, most intact example of a post-World War II neighborhood.

"It's hard to think of houses or an area that's younger than I am as historic," Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Sally Magnuson told the D(a)MN. "We were hard-pressed to find anything unique or historical about the area."

Magnuson's attitude is a perfect example of what MCM lovers are up against: many people don't consider the architecture of this time period worth saving. It's the same with the furniture and artifacts of this period: most don't consider them antiques at all. People won't understand what is lost until its gone.

Please Save This House!

Would someone who loves MCM in Richardson please save this house at 438 Rustic Circle? It's only $109,000 and could be a really nice little pad with a little love.

Unlike California, you can find cool little bachelor pads like this for a song in Texas if you are patient and know where to look. Unlike California, there isn't as much appreciation for Mid-Century architecture around here as there should be. We are bulldozing our MCM heritage around here at an alarming rate. Or worse. Bad remodels sometimes happen to good houses. I don't know how many cool old MCM houses I've seen butchered by house flippers searching for a buck. Like this one in San Antonio. I know that granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, and the sleek "California Contemporary" look (pardon my lapse into realtor-speak) is someone's idea of a great place to live. It's just not mine.

End of the Affair?

Slate considers how America fell in love -- and out of love -- with the Ranch House. "Today the suburban ranch house is considered the epitome of conservative taste, but at the time it represented a radical departure from tradition."