The Better Homes and Gardens Idea Home of the Year; The Forgotten Case Study House Program

Описание: Presented by Josh Robinson, Board President, during the March 8, 2023 Chapter Meeting of Docomomo US/Colorado.

About the Talk:
What sets this program apart from other contemporary "idea home" programs is the sheer scale of it. Each year from 1953-1963, the magazine would work with local builders to build their “idea home of the year” not once, but on average in 100 cities across the country.

The impact of this effort is obvious but has yet to be studied seriously. This talk will discuss the current research Chapter President Josh Robinson is conducting on this long-forgotten program, focusing specifically on the many models built in and around the Denver and Colorado Springs areas.

About Josh Robinson:
Josh Robinson is Senior Project Designer at KEPHART Architects, President of Docomomo US/Colorado, and is known for his talks and activities relating to Modernist architecture across the city and state. In his free time, Josh is restoring a 1955 Modernist home designed by Norton Polivnick in the historic community of Sunset Lanes.

See Josh’s Other Talks:
✦ The Healthy Highrise: Developer Driven Modernism for Multi-Family Buildings –    • The Healthy Highrise: Developer Driven Mod...  
✦ The Design Approach of Armet and Davis; Modernism for the Everyman –    • The Design Approach of Armet and Davis; Mo...  
✦ Field Trips + Mundane Modernism and Our Journey Through It –    • Field Trips + Mundane Modernism and Our Jo...  
✦ Evergleam: The Story and The Tree –    • Evergleam: The Story and The Tree  
✦ Eugene Sternberg: Building Community, Understanding Littleton’s Geneva Village –    • Eugene Sternberg: Building Community, Unde...  
✦ Polivnick! An Introduction to a Colorado Modern Master –    • Polivnick! An Introduction to a Colorado M...  
✦ Developer Driven Modernism: The Architecture of Roland Wilson –    • Developer Driven Modernism: The Architectu...  

All Are Welcome Here:
Docomomo US/Colorado generally holds chapter meetings on the second Wednesday of every month, and we have an annual Modernism Series event featuring home and neighborhood tours, talks, and much more. You are welcome to attend our meetings and events, even if you aren’t a member of our chapter. Visit https://DocomomoCO.org to learn more.

Are you knowledgable about a topic related to Colorado’s modern architecture and design, past, present and future? We invite you to give a talk at one of our upcoming chapter meetings! Reach out to [email protected] and let us know what you have in mind.

Docomomo US/Colorado is local club of folks who are enthusiasts of modern architecture and design in the state of Colorado and beyond. As a part of the greater Docomomo US organization, we work on documenting and advocating for the preservation of modern architecture - but mostly, we are an informal community of people who come together from all walks of life, from working preservation, design, and real estate professionals, to people who just love the modern movement and want to learn more about it. We are also a 501(c)(3) non-profit, and welcome your donations.

0:00 – Developer Driven Modernism Talk

9:39 – 1953 Idea Home

14:11 – 1954 Idea Home

19:39 – 1955 Idea Home

25:14 – 1956 Idea Home

29:06 – 1957 Idea Home

32:44 – 1958 Idea Home

38:23 – 1959 Idea Home

42:00 – 1960 Idea Home

47:12 – 1961 Idea Home

52:09 – 1962 Idea Home

54:44 – 1963 Idea Home

55:30 – Conclusion

57:16 – Q&A/Open Discussion

Intro Music:
The 80s Cruise performed by Playdays2021/stock.adobe.com