Another historic gem from the Modernist era is threatened with demolition.

The Lassiter House, built by A.G. Odell in 1952, is the oldest known Modernist residence in Charlotte, North Carolina. The original owners, who worked with the architect on the design, put the house on the market last year but it hasn’t sold.

On February 24, 2011, a National Alert was issued on the house by North Carolina’s non-profit organization for modernist residential architecture, Triangle Modernist Houses (TMH). If it doesn’t sell by June, this house is history.

A rare example of modernist design in the South, where a more traditional aesthetic in housing design has prevailed, the Lassiter House was featured in the September 1956 issue of Better Homes & Gardens. Its open floor plan, single story, steel beams, flat roof, slab foundation, wood siding, extensive use of glass walls and doors are what give this house its modernist mystique.

I could tell you that the land it sits on happens to be worth more than the house itself, but unfortunately this makes most people’s mouths water. It’s exactly what they want to hear as they bring in bulldozers and envision building their brand new McMansion.

Replacing the old and classic with something new is not only not conscious or sustainable, but in the case of historic architecture it’s simply sacrilege. Despite this, or possibly because of it, it will take a special buyer to save this special house. Preserving and restoring a classic piece of mid-century modern design requires a significant commitment – of money, resources and values. I sincerely hope someone steps up before June.

For more information, the Lassiter House is listed with Modern Charlotte Realty for $785,000.

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We talk about it a lot here at EcoSalon. Conscious choices. Mindful decisions. The easiest way to make a difference and effect change in the world is to live consciously and mindfully. To try to be aware of what we buy, how (or if) we drive, where we shop, what we eat.

If we’re present in the moment we usually choose better. It’s that simple.

Why am I taking you around and through this rigmarole of spiritual stuff when I should be talking about design? Just stay with me.

I believe people have stopped paying attention. It’s far easier to answer the cell phone or check the GPS or update the Facebook status or plan what to eat for dinner. Living in the now requires discipline.

Living in the now forces us to look around, to respect the past and honor the future. And yes, this definitely is relevant to design.

If you have, in fact, been paying attention, you will know that endless rows of tract homes and giant McMansions have been popping up all over the country over the past decade or two. In order to make room for more of them, many valuable and historically and architecturally significant homes are being demolished.

Tragic, and tragically unsustainable.

People want bigger and newer, at the expense of beautiful and perfectly livable. It’s too much to fathom.

With each historic home that is torn down and replaced by a new McMansion, neighborhoods lose more of their character as well as their affordability. The National Trust for Historic Preservation has found that “more than 500 communities in 40 states are experiencing significant numbers of teardowns, and that number is climbing fast.”

Richard Moe, former president of the National Trust, said:

“From 19th-century Victorian to 1920s bungalows, the architecture of America’s historic neighborhoods reflects the character of our communities. Teardowns radically change the fabric of a community. Without proper safeguards, historic neighborhoods will lose the identities that drew residents to put down roots in the first place.”

But neighborhoods are fighting back in an attempt to increase public awareness.

The town of New Canaan, Connecticut began its quest back in 2007 when a home designed by Modernist architect Paul Rudolph (image above) was destroyed after a judge decided “he could find nothing to support the contention that the house had special significance.”

Huh? This conclusion concerned a group of local conservationists so much that they launched the Modern Homes Survey “to provide a more complete study of Modern residences in New Canaan and serve as a national model for surveys of other mid-century houses in the United States.”

The survey found that this conservative New England town happens to be home to 91 Modernist homes built between 1946 and 1979, including of course, the Philip Johnson Glass House (image above) which is already a National Trust Historic Site.

Recently 18 of the New Canaan Modernist residences were added to the State and/or National Register of Historic Places, the nationally recognized list of places in the United States worthy of preservation. Considered a serious success, the hope is that other states will follow suit and research the history of their own buildings.

Alicia Leuba, Director of Programs for the Northeast Office of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, says of the accomplishment:

“With its unique and substantial collection of Modern homes now nationally recognized as historically significant, Connecticut is blazing a path for other states to follow.”

Although knowledge of the value and beauty of Modernist architecture is spreading, the demolitions continue. The only other antidote to this type of tragedy is public awareness.

Are you paying attention?

Images: Don Hankins, Mod Remod

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Somewhere along the way, America the Beautiful land of the free, has morphed into Home of the big, bigger and biggest. Did it happen when no one was looking? Is it like those five pounds you gain over the holidays? Did they just sneak up on us?

Not exactly. In fact, it took years. Of buying, working, shopping, comparing and consequently, blowing our values way out of proportion.

It’s difficult to feel patriotic and proud when we’re seen as the land of Big Macs, buffets and ‘become rich fast because the guy with the most toys wins’. Sadly, the American Dream translates to bigger is better and more, more, more.

Especially in the dwelling department.

In the 1950s, the average size of a home in the U.S. was 983 square feet. By 1980, that number had grown to 2,330 square feet. The bigger the house, the better the…I’m not sure what.

But I am sure you know the homes I’m referring to. They’re huge eyesores lacking soul, integrity and efficiency. They’ve been not-so-affectionately coined McMansions, which is defined by Wikipedia as “a pejorative term for large new houses which are judged as pretentious, tasteless, or badly designed for their neighborhood.” Who can forget this massive Florida McMansion?!

Badly designed, period.

Energy consuming, uninspired, over-designed and shoved onto tiny lots right up next to their neighbors, like dominoes. Poorly built and inauthentic, most look like they belong on a movie set because their facades are just that, a facade.

What happened to ‘built to last’ and efficient use of space?

The ‘Case Study’ homes are the perfect example of integrity in architecture. Elegance isn’t the result of abundance, but rather simplicity. I feel like an old lady when I swoon over Pierre Koenig’s Case Study House #22 (image above) and say those were the days.

But they were.

Lest I scare you away with my Negative Nelly attitude, I have noteworthy news that should inspire even the most pessimistic among you. It appears as if America the gluttonous and insatiable is prepared to start slimming down.

In fact, the prediction for the next decade is that homes will be built and bought, smaller and smarter. Dare we feel hopeful that home buyers will insist upon more affordable and environmentally friendly options in the years to come?

A recent real-estate survey (conducted by Trulia.com) found that home buying trends are indeed changing for the better:

Just 9 percent of the people surveyed…said their ideal home size was over 3,200 square feet. Meanwhile, more than one-third said their ideal size was under 2,000 feet.

Also, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) says:

…for the first time since 1992, there has been a decline in the number of homes built with three or more bathrooms. The average size of new homes also fell in 2009, while homes with two stories peaked in 2006. And nine out of 10 home builders surveyed by NAHB in 2009 said they’re planning smaller or less expensive homes than they have in the past.

All I can say is, it’s about time. McMansions. RIP.

Let the party begin! Wait, what? What do we do with all the empty, foreclosed and bank-owned monstrosities?

Get creative, that’s what.

(Data via CNBC.com, SignOn San Diego, and NAHB.)

Images: ChicagoGeek, Arcadia Housing Blog, and Great Buildings

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