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. 

St. Martin's Evangelical Lutheran Church - Tour Highlights

We had a great crowd this Saturday for Mid Tex Mod's tour of St. Martin's! Jason John Paul Haskins started the event with a fascinating talk about architect and educator Robert Mather of Jessen Jessen Millhouse and Greeven, and the rarity and importance of his design.
 

 

 

Congregant and preservation architect Dennis Cordes then led a tour of the building and discussed the intricacies of MCM stewardship. 

 

 

  

 

 

Thank you again to our speakers, Jason John Paul Haskins and Dennis Cordes, and also to the more than 40 people who attended. Also a big thank you to St. Martin's for allowing everyone the opportunity to enjoy and learn about their fantastic building. 

St. Martin's Evangelical Lutheran Church - this Saturday!

 We are looking forward to the upcoming tour of this stunning example of Modern ecclesiastic architecture – St. Martin's Evangelical Lutheran Church (located at 606 W. 15th in Austin). Please join us on May 16 from 2-4 p.m. for the tour and lectures by MTM member Jason John Paul Haskins and Preservation Architect Dennis Cordes.  We've uploaded some photos below for a preview. More can be seen on Jason's flickr page. 

Email midtexasmod@gmail.com to RSVP. Tickets are not required, but we will be accepting donations at the door (with a $5 suggested donation).

St. Martin's (image courtesy of Jason John Paul Haskins).

Articulation of masonry on the exterior of the sanctuary (image courtesy of Jason John Paul Haskins).

Sanctuary (image courtesy of Jason John Paul Haskins).

Sanctuary (image courtesy of Jason John Paul Haskins).

Sanctuary (image courtesy of Jason John Paul Haskins).

Stained glass (image courtesy of Lindsey Derrington).

Stained glass (image courtesy of Lindsey Derrington).

Stained glass (image courtesy of Lindsey Derrington).

Chapel (image courtesy of Kelly Little).

St. Martin's Evangelical Church: Tour and Lecture

Date: Saturday, May 16 
Time: 2-4pm 
Location: 606 W 15th St, Austin, TX 78701 
Cost: $5 Suggested Donation

Join us to learn about one of Austin’s most striking Modern examples of ecclesiastic architecture – St. Martin's Lutheran Church. Completed in 1960, the church was designed by Robert Mather of Jessen Jessen Millhouse and Greeven as a Modern abstraction of the Christian basilica. The building features an arresting Modern chapel with a soaring vaulted nave and dramatic stained glass, a remarkably intact sanctuary, and sculpture by Charles Umlauf, as well as a more utilitarian education wing including classrooms, kitchens, and a basketball court.

St. Martin's dedication booklet (image courtesy of Jason John Paul Haskins).

Mid Tex Mod will be hosting a tour of the church with a lecture on the building's design, significance, and art by MTM member Jason John Paul Haskins, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP BD+C. Jason is a church-building researcher and design consultant who writes about liturgy, architecture and history on the blog Locus Iste. He holds a B.S. in Architectural Studies and an M.Arch from University of Texas with additional course work at Columbia University and a research emphasis on the architecture of the 19-20th century liturgical movements. Jason’s lecture will be followed by a presentation on the building’s preservation by Dennis Cordes, congregant and Preservation Architect (retired from the Texas Historical Commission and Texas Parks & Wildlife).

Mid Tex Mod is excited by the opportunity to highlight this remarkable Modern resource. Our tour will be in conjunction with Preservation Month, established in 1973 by the National Trust for Historic Preservation to highlight historic preservation across the country.

Please email midtexasmod@gmail.com to RSVP by May 14. Tickets are not required, but we will be accepting donations at the door (with a $5 suggested donation).

Preservation Austin’s Historic Homes Tour: Austin Through the Ages

Date: Saturday, May 2

Cost: $25 for Preservation Austin Members, $35 for Non-Members
Time: 10am-4pm 

Preservation Austin’s Historic Homes Tour is just around the corner and Mid Tex Mod is thrilled to be participating! Our board and volunteers will be staffing the Butterfly House, designed and built by master architect-builder-developer Arthur Dallas Stenger in 1964. Marketed as “Sinfully Contemporary,” the house’s scalloped roof pays tribute to Fehr & Granger’s award-winning 1959 design for the Robert Mueller Municipal Airport (demolished in 2002). The current owners purchased the Butterfly House in 2008. They soon enlisted board member Rick Black and wife Cindy Black to design a stunning renovation which brings Stenger’s vision into the 21st century. Completed in 2013, their work has been featured in Dwell and won a 2014 Preservation Austin Merit Award.

Austin's Butterfly House, featured in this year's Preservation Austin Historic Homes Tour (Image from Dwell Magazine - Brent Humphreys, Photographer).

The Butterfly House is just one of six homes featured on this year’s tour. Two others hail from the mid-century era as well, including a rare 1940 Art Moderne residence renovated by architect Jay Farrell and an elegant 1955 ranch renovated by Tom Hurt Architecture.

Tickets are available the day of the tour, but you can buy yours now through Preservation Austin’s website here. Don’t miss this chance to see these beautifully rehabbed homes, and we look forward to seeing you at the Butterfly House on May 2!