January 2016 e-newsletter

 
Hot off the digital presses! We just published January's monthly newsletter, which recaps our efforts preserving and promoting Modern architecture in 2015. You can view the newsletter here, and we encourage you to subscribe here.

Docomomo Tour Day 2015

architectural capers: homes by austin's a. d. stenger,  architect - builder - developer

date: saturday, october 10
time: 2 p.m.
location: starting at st. mark's episcopal church, 2128 barton hills Drive, austin 
cost: $10 suggested donation

Photo courtesy of Riley Triggs.

Arthur Dallas (A.D.) Stenger is Austin's most beloved mid-century architect. From his very first house in the heights above Barton Springs, he exemplified the creative spirit and exuberant personality that formed the foundation for Austin's Weird Era. Alongside other creative personalities like John Henry Faulk and Cactus Pryor, A.D. helped cultivate a culture of intellectual pursuits, environmental engagement, and eccentric individualism in the then-sleepy Central Texas college town. The openness and acceptance of Austin as a place that author Billy Lee Brammer surreptitiously described as having "room enough to caper" made it the perfect context for A.D. to bring modern sensibilities through his architectural capers to Austin's burgeoning creative middle class.

Join us October 10 at St. Mark's Episcopal Church for Mid Tex Mod's Docomomo US National Tour Day event featuring A.D. Stenger's work. A lecture on A.D.'s Architectural Capers begins at 2 pm by Stenger scholar Riley Triggs, AIA, immediately followed by a tour of Stenger homes in the area. Then join us from 4-6 pm for an informal reception hosted by NEST Modern at their new location at 2603 South Congress Avenue.

RSVPs to midtexasmod@gmail.com by Monday, October 5 are appreciated!

Addresses and a map of featured homes will be distributed before the lecture at St. Marks, which will run from 2-3pm. Homes will be open from 3-5pm and the reception at NEST will run from 4-6pm.

Sponsored by NEST Modern and Dynamic Reprographics.

Mid-Century for the 21st Century: Residential Case Studies

Dates: June 11 & June 18
Time: 6-7:30 pm 
Location: AIA Austin/Austin Center for Architecture, 801 W. 12th St.
Cost: free

Mid Tex Mod is thrilled to partner with AIA Austin to highlight the best in mid-century residential design envisioned by some of our premier 21^st century architects. This two-part lecture series held at the Austin Center for Architecture will feature two speakers per evening followed by an audience Q&A. Architects Nick Deaver, Mell Lawrence, Stuart Sampley,and David Webber will discuss challenges faced and solutions found in their recent renovations of homes designed by local mid-century masters A. D. Stenger and Fehr & Granger.

Brady Lane Residence: Original Design by A. D. Stenger, Renovation and Addition by Webber + Studio (Photograph by Andrea Calo).

The series will focus on how to bring mid-century properties in line with current homeowner expectations, sustainability standards, and construction practices. These homes often have small kitchens, broad expanses of single-pane glass, and seemingly outdated finishes. This often leads the realty industry to value them for little else than their land and replacement value.  We’ll look at ways in which experienced architects have worked with homeowners to thoughtfully rework interior spaces and site plans, improve energy efficiency, and design additions which respect and enhance a home’s original design intent. We’ll also discuss how to work with pioneering mid-century construction methods and materials that may no longer be in use today, but can be improved to make these houses not only livable, but desirable.

Please reserve your space by emailing rsvp@aiaaustin.org.