House for Charlton Heston by William S. Beckett, Architect

Heston poses for his wife Lydia at their hilltop Beverly Hills home, hours after winning an Oscar for his role in Ben-Hur, 1960. The house would have been only a year old at this point.

Name: Charlton Heston Residence
Architect: William Sutherland Beckett
Year Designed: circa 1958
Builder: Charlton Heston's Father, Russell Whitford Carter
Year Built: circa 1959
Size: 5,082 sq. ft. (5 bed, 6 bath)
Location: Beverly Hills, California
Type: Residential
Style: Modern
Status: Part of the Charlton Heston Estate
Photographer: Unknown

Charlton Heston on the phone in his Beverly Hills Home.

With the Martini Modern Party coming up featuring a house designed by William Sutherland Beckett, I have been doing a lot of research on his work. I have found a lot of info in old architecture magazines and recent books featuring vintage Julius Shulman Photos. One project that is mentioned in some text about Beckett is a house for Charlton Heston. None of the usual references showed any photos of this house. I was hooked and had to see this elusive home. This started my quest to find some photos of the house. Some of you may remember the house as the location of the infamous interview of Mr. Heston, by Michael Moore in the movie, Bowling for Columbine. I searched the internet high an low and was able to find a few vintage and recent photos of the house. My favorite is the image of Heston in his Jaguar in front of the house. As my buddy Scott says, a sports car in front of a "sports car house." Charlton and Lydia Heston lived in the house from 1959 until his death in 2008.

Space is limited so be sure to sign up for the
Martini Modern Party: William S. Beckett, Architect at:

Chuck and Lydia relax at home.

Mr. Heston poses in his new Jaguar in front of his new house.




William Sutherland Beckett: Architect of the Cliffhanger - Modern Photo of the Week

Name: Three Cliff-side Dwellings
Architect: William Sutherland Beckett
Born in Kansas City
(No relationship to Welton Beckett)
Year Designed: Circa 1960
Builder: Stone Fisher Constructors
Year Finished: 1961
Size: Unknown
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Type: Residential
Style: Modern Cliffhanger
Status: Still Standing
Photographer: Julius Shulman

We have a KCMODERN event coming up on Sunday, June 14 in a Kansas City residence by this same architect. So stay tuned!

Frank Bott Residence Exteriors by Frank Lloyd Wright

Name: Frank Bott Residence
Architect: Frank Lloyd Wright
Date Designed: 1956-60
Builder: Unknown
Date Completed: 1963
Size: Unknown
Location: Kansas City, MO
Type: Residential
Style: Organic
Status: Good condition with a diligent owner
Photographed by: Robert McLaughlin

The interior photos of the Bott Residence have proved to be very popular, but we did not get any exteriors that day because KCMODERN was there at dusk. So I dug back in our photo archive and found these photos from a trip to the house with noted architecture author, Alan Hess. Alan is known for some of his books on Frank Lloyd Wright among others. We were there on a beautiful Fall day and we enjoyed the house very much, Unfortunately, the entry courtyard faces north, so it is tough shooting photographs into the low fall sun.



Some exterior photos deleted at owner's request.

Frank Bott Residence Interiors by Frank Lloyd Wright - Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy Leadership Circle Event

Name: Frank Bott Residence
Architect: Frank Lloyd Wright
Date Designed: 1956-60
Builder: Unknown
Date Completed: 1963
Size: Unknown
Location: Kansas City, MO
Type: Residential
Style: Organic
Status: Good condition with a diligent owner
Photographed by: Robert McLaughlin

Some of the KCMODERN crew helped with the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy Leadership Circle Event a little over a week ago at the Frank Bott House. Here are some interior photos that I quickly snapped off before the guests started to arrive.

Frank Bott met his wife Eloise at the Wright designed Florida Southern College. Not much has been written about this design, but it is documented that Eloise had Wright narrow the kitchen or “work space” after the first design so she could reach everything by turning.

Construction is “rubble” stone desert masonry, consisting of over a mile of stone farm wall brought in from the Flint Hills of Kansas. The interior woodwork is Honduran Mahogany. The home features many mahogany built-ins and horizontal batten paneling that give the home an almost yacht-like feel.

The home, which is situated north of downtown Kansas City on a bluff above the Missouri River Valley, presents a rather austere facade with battered desert masonry walls and a large stone fireplace mass facing the street at the north edge of the site. Living areas face south with glazed views of the Kansas City Skyline, the downtown airport and the Missouri River below. A daring cantilevered balcony, rivaling Fallingwater's, projects boldly towards the views to the south and out over the dramatic escarpment of the site. The master bedroom is located with the main living areas at the entry level, with the secondary bedrooms located on a lower level, which daylights because of the sloping site. The plan of the house is based on a 4 foot square module.

Taliesin apprentice, John Howe did preliminary drawings for the Bott residence. The final version of the design and working drawings were done by apprentice, Cornelia Brierly. The drawings were completed in 1960, the year after Wright’s death in 1959. Construction was completed in 1963, costing just over $200,000.

All of the furniture in the house was designed by Wright and is original to the house. Cornelia Brierly also provided color and fabric choices for Wright’s designs. Many of the furniture pieces are reminiscent of the furniture line Wright did for mass production by Heritage Henredon.

Thanks to Scott Lane for help on the details about the house.

Interior photos have been deleted at the owner's request. Please see the exterior photos here.

Snower Residence by Architect, Marcel Breuer - Photo(s) of the Week

Name: Snower Residence
Architect: Marcel Breuer
Year Designed: 1954
Builder: Unknown
Year Built: 1955
Size: Unknown sq. ft. 3 bedroom 2 bath
Location: Mission Hills, Kansas
Type: Residence
Style: International Style
Status: Endangered due to the value of the lot in Kansas City's most affluent neighborhood
Photographer: Robert McLaughlin

Description: This residence was built by its current owner who commissioned Breuer to design it for them in 1954. The owners have painstakingly maintained the original interiors as designed by the architect. The exteriors also remain exactly as they were originally planned. The house was designed as a long and narrow box, housing the living and bedroom spaces, built on a masonry base containing the garage and a family room. Large cantilevers at both ends dominate the design much like Breuer's own house built in 1947, in New Canaan, Connecticut. This may be one of only two Breuer House built West of the Mississippi. It is likely one of the most original Breuer Houses standing today.

I had to dig around my hard drive to find these photos taken with my first digital camera back in April of 2004. They are more candid snapshots than architectural photography but they give you a taste of the exterior and interior of the house.






Nicol Residence by Architect, Bruce Goff - Modern Photo(s) of the Week

Name: Nicol Residence
Architect: Bruce Goff
Year Designed: 1965
Builder: Michael Rothstein Construction
Year Built: Third Version 1965
Size: 2868 sq. ft. 4 bedroom 4 bath
Location: Kansas City, MO
Type: Residential
Style: Organic Modern
Status: Excellent Condition with an owner sensitive to the architecture
Photographer: Robert McLaughlin

Here is another classic Kansas City Modern home scheduled to be on the upcoming Out and About Wright: Kansas City Tour put on by the Frank Lloyd Wright Conservancy.










Bernard Corrigan Mansion by Louis S. Curtiss, Architect - "What's the Story on That House?"


Construction on the Bernard Corrigan Mansion started in 1913. Corrigan was successful as a building contractor, street railway developer and real estate investor. His company was the builder of the house. He died before it's completion.
After several short ownerships, the Sutherland family (think lumber) bought the home and lived here for a number of years. It is often called the Corrigan-Sutherland house. Located at 55th and Ward Parkway, the house was built on the southern edge of town at the time (the Plaza Shopping District is dated 1922) The black and white photo was taken in 1940.
One of the most architecturally distinctive houses situated on one of the most dominant lots in Kansas City, this Louis Curtiss design is a Tour de Force. Curtiss meshed a number of elements creating at first look, the Prairie Style and Frank Lloyd Wright's work. On closer examination one sees Art Noveau masonry relief, Arts and Crafts ornamentation under a mediterranean tile roof. The art glass windows are remarkable.
This unique home was constructed with long span girders and reinforced concrete, unusual for it's day. The craftsmanship is impeccable. The eclectic mix of elements creates a house of subdued exuberance...truly a masterpiece.
Curtiss was so eclectic...perhaps inspired by Charles R. Mackintosh and Louis Sullivan on the clock and staircase... (recent photos courtesy of Gary Kabrink)

David Benton Runnells House Tour

We have had a few questions since starting the blog asking for information on the house pictured in the header of our blog. We have also been getting a lot of questions about when will we be having the next KCMODERN house tour. Well, we have decided to answer both questions at the same time. The house in the blog header is by Kansas City Architect, David B. Runnells. It is located in Leawood, Kansas (see the info below the photo for more details) and it will be one of the featured homes on the this years tour.

KCMODERN's David Benton Runnells House Tour will feature at least four other houses by the same architect. The date of the event is tentatively scheduled for September 20, 2009.

This years tour will be a little different because we will have multiple locations that will require some driving between house locations. There will be multiple houses to see at some of the locations.

As in years past, we are pursuing opportunities to have an evening festivity with spirits in a special house related to the tour theme. More on that later.

Look for us to start highlighting some work by David Benton Runnells on the blog in the coming weeks and months.
Name: Residence for G. Findlay Reed (original owner)
Architect: David Benton Runnells
Year Designed: 1950-1951
Builder: Donald Drummond
Year Built: 1951
Size: Unknown
Location: Leawood, Kansas (Kansas City)
Type: Residential
Style: Modern
Status: Excellent condition with some minor alterations including new sympathetic siding by present owner and a new kitchen by a previous owner.

This house was built with prefabricated panels that were manufactured in a millwork shop with windows pre-installed. The panels were then brought to the site and erected.

Modern House Tour - Eames-Saarinen Case Study House #9 For Sale

My view of the north elevation or garage face of Case Study House #9 from Chautauqua Lane


My oblique view of the west elevation and side entrance to Case Study House #9 off of Chautauqua Lane


My view over the hedge from Case Study House #8 to the south elevation of Case Study House #9

Recently I wrote about the sale of Eero Saarinen's Miller House and the fact that a Saarinen designed house was about as rare as it gets. Well it appears that the Eero Saarinen and Charles Eames designed Case Study House #9 is for sale in LA. The only caveat with this, you must buy the 9700 square foot, relatively new modern house adjacent to it. It seems that the owners of the Barry Berkus designed house have been using the Entenza House as a guest house or maids quarters, depending on who you talk to. The whole thing will only cost you a cool $14 million!

The home was designed by Saarinen and Eames for the publisher of Arts & Architecture Magazine, John Entenza. Entenza had this house designed and built for himself and documented the process in a series of articles in his magazine about the Case Study Houses.

With this house, you will be in some enviable company on Chautauqua Boulevard in the Pacific Palisades of California. The home of Charles and Ray Eames, Case Study House #8 is next door. Case Study House #18, the West Residence by Rodney A. Walker is next door the other way and Architect, Richard Neutra's Bailey House, also known as Case Study House #20 is across the lane.

For the professional Photo Tour of the Entenza house and the attached new house click here.

To see the listing for the house click here.

Modern House Tour - Cindy Epping's Eichler Home


Photos by Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times

Well, it seems like we have been looking to the LA Times a lot lately, but I could not resist adding Cindy Epping's Eichler Home, which has recently been in a both Apartment Therapy and the LA Times. KCMODERN loves seeing these original kitchen designs still being used. It appears that Cindy's dog, Ruby is the star of the Times photo shoot.

Joseph Eichler was a California home builder who built Modern homes and who's career closely paralleled Kansas City builder, Don Drummond's. Both builders used the same architect and sometimes even the same plans. But more on that later.

Click Here for the LA Times Home Section Tour

Saarinen Icon to be Open to the Public

It is hard enough to find a house designed by Architect, Eero Saarinen, never mind finding one that you can visit and tour. That is all about to change. The Miller House is about to join the ranks of a handful of modernist houses such as Fallingwater that are open to the public.

The Miller House, designed for late J. Irwin Miller, former chairman and co-founder of the Cummins Engine Company in Columbus, Indiana has been given to the Indianapolis Museum of Art by the Miller family. After a brief freshening-up the museum plans to open the modern house for tours in a town known as a destination for modern architecture junkies.





Mr. Miller gained fame among Modernists when he started the Cummins Foundation, "a charitable program which helps subsidize a large number of architectural projects throughout the city by up-and-coming engineers and architects." The first of these projects was the First Christian Church designed by Eero's father Eliel Saarinen in 1942. In 1954, Eero would design the Irwin Union Bank which was recently designated as one of the rare modern National Historic Landmarks by the National Park Service. The younger Saarinen also built the Columbus North Christian Church in 1955 before designing the J. Irwin Miller Residence in 1957.

The Irwin residence is also highlighted by modern gardens designed by Landscape architect Dan Kiley (Kiley designed the west gardens of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of art) and interiors designed by Alexander Girard.

I, for one, am planning a trip to see the house as soon as it opens. This could be our first KCMODERN bus tour to see the house and other modern landmarks around the city of Columbus, Indiana.

Ray Kappe Modern California House Tour

Many of the people who know me, realize that I have a real love for the work of California Architect, Ray Kappe, FAIA. So I could not resist posting this real estate slide show. You can have this house for a cool $4.95 million. Designed and built in 1966-68, this design represents the mature Kappe style. Lori and I drove by this house in Brentwood last year, which presents almost a fortress like front elevation that betrays the glass facade on the other side of the house. I also had the opportunity to meet Mr. Kappe while I was shooting photos of his own house. To me Kappe's work has historically been under appreciated and is only just now being recognized by the admirers of Modern architecture. Part of this recent recognition is due to his work with Living Homes. Enjoy the entire slide show HERE!