Lortondale Home

The exterior doesn’t have a great curb appeal, but I think it will look nicer after some updating. I’m thinking about doing some landscaping and painting the siding, beams, and trims in period correct colors. I am going to update a porch light, door, and hardware as well.

Original Parquet Flooring

The first thing I did after closing was to rip out the old carpet in the bedrooms. Each bedroom has the original 9 x 9 oak parquet flooring. I am going to have them refinished to their original glory.

The infamous Pink Room

The entire house is painted in the same “almond” yellowish color (all walls, ceilings, and trim – except two bedrooms which are painted in PINK!). I am picking some colors from Sherwin Williams “Suburban Modern” paint palette.

Livingroom

The living room also has a carpet. Unfortunately, I didn’t find the original flooring under the carpet. I can’t have light colored carpet with two bulimic (?) cats! My plan was to either just have a concrete floor or install cork flooring – until I found 400 square feet worth of the same parquet flooring on eBay. My husband and I drove all the way to Dallas to get them. I am going to prep the floor and install the parquet tiles myself.

Kitchen

The kitchen needs a major makeover. I’d like to restore the original look. The original Lortondale kitchens featured cabinets with sliding doors and laminate “boomerang” pattern countertops in charcoal. My cabinets are original except the doors. So I am planning on installing sliding doors back on and update the counter top with today’s reproduction of Formica’s Charcoal Boomerang countertop.

Original Nutone Hood

The original “Nutone” range hood is still intact. I would like to update the appliances to stainless steel ones.

Original Bath Cabinet

The full bath room features the original cabinet and sink painted in… the same almond color! I am going to keep them, but probably install a new medicine cabinet, light fixture and hardware. I am not sure what to do with the floor tiles yet.

One of the Infamous Light Fixtures

The entire light fixtures need update. I looked on eBay for a while for vintage mid-century modern light fixtures, but decided to buy all new fixtures from Rejuvenation’s Mid-Century Modern Collection.

We are not quite ready to move in yet – as you can tell, the house needs a lot of work. More updates to come, so stay tuned

Bruce Goff (1904–1982) was an American architect, who spent most of his life practicing in Oklahoma, Illinois, and Texas. Goff designed numerous residences in the American Midwest as well as commercial and civic buildings. His remarkable style of organic architecture was influenced by a variety of sources, including the architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright and Louis Sullivan.

Bruce Goff's Green Glass Cullets

My first encounter with the architecture of Bruce Goff was the Bavinger House, the last stop of the Oklahoma Modernism Architecture Tour in May, 2009. The world renowned Bavinger House is considered to be one of the most significant designs of Bruce Goff. I was impressed with the Bavinger House so much that I wanted to visit other buildings by Bruce Goff. I have known that there were many buildings designed by Goff in Bartlesville, so I planned a mini self-guided tour of Bruce Goff architecture.

The Bavinger House in Norman, Oklahoma

Between 1956 and 1964, Bruce Goff set up his home and studio in Frank Lloyd Wright’s Price Tower in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. So I thought it was appropriate to start my tour at the Price Tower. The Price Tower is the only realized skyscraper designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. It was commissioned by Harold C. Price of the H. C. Price Company, a local oil pipeline construction firm. The 19 story tower was open to the public in 1956 – the tallest building in Bartlesville at the time. It was Bruce Goff who referred Harold C. Price to Frank Lloyd Wright.

The Price Tower by Frank Lloyd Wright

My next stop was the Redeemer Lutheran Church Education Building (1959). The two story rectangular building is located behind the main church building. The building is sheathed with stone and the same green glass cullets seen at the Bavinger House in Norman. It is located at 3700 SE Woodland Road, Bartlesville, Oklahoma. The tour of the building may be arranged by contacting the church office in advance.

Redeemer Lutheran Church Educational Building

There are two houses located just down the street from the church: Harold Jones House (1958) at 3411 SE Wildwood Court and Russell Collins House (1959) at 3400 SE Wildwood Court. Both of them are pretty much hidden behind the trees. Needless to say, these are private properties and you can only view them from the street.

Russell Collins House

I drove by two more houses: J.R. Akright House (1959) at 2412 SE Circle Drive and J.O. and Mary Motsenbocker House (1957) at 2416 SE Circle Drive.

J.R. Akright House

J.O. and Mary Motsenbocker House

I then drove a few miles north of Bartlesville to see C.A. Comer House (1957), located at 1316 N. Creek in Dewey, Oklahoma. This amazing house stands out on an quite neighborhood filled with ordinary houses.

C.A. Comer House

There are few more structures designed by Bruce Goff (that I didn’t get to see) in Bartlesville:
Play Tower (1963) at Sooner Park
Robert White House (1958) at 1525 SW Whiteway Court
James Fitchette House (1961) at 1900 SE Saturn Court
Richard Bennett House (1959) at 2841 Silver Lake Road

The details of the structures mentioned here are listed in the Bruce Goff Oklahoma Guide published by Friends of Kebyar. If you are interested in visiting Bruce Goff’s buildings in Oklahoma, I recommend you pick up a copy. If you are visiting any of these properties, please remember to respect the privacy of the owners.

The Bavinger House Twilight Tour

The Bavinger House in Norman, Oklahoma is hosting the “Twighlight Tour” on July 24, 25, and 26th. The tour will be held in the evening between 6:30 PM and 10:30 PM. If you are living in the area, don’t miss this chance to see the Bavinger House at night!

For more information:
Website: http://www.thebavingerhouse.org
Email:info@thebavingerhouse.org
Phone: 405-397-1937

The tour will feature six homes in various stages of restoration. Tour participants will be able to visit these six homes inside and out and meet the home owners. The tour will start at 5:30 and ends at 8:30. There will be an after party and all tour participants are invited. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 day of the tour (can be purchased at any of the featured homes).

Advance tickets are available at:

Dwelling Spaces: 119 South Detroit

Ida Red Boutique: 3346 South Peoria

Tulsa Foundation of Architecture: 2210 South Main

Urban Furnishings: 3636 South Peoria

The Bavinger House

The Bavinger House was the last stop for the Oklahoma Modernism Architecture Tour. It was designed by Bruce Goff and built by Eugene Bavinger, a former art professor at the University of Oklahoma, between 1950 and 1955. The world renowned Bavinger House is considered to be one of the most significant designs of Bruce Goff. The house has won the Twenty-Five Year Award by the American Institute of Architects in 1987, and is listed on the National Historic Register, a National Landmark, and Oklahoma Historical Society.

The house sits in a rural area of Norman, a suburb of Oklahoma City. It takes a good 30 plus-minute scenic drive from Oklahoma City to get to the house. A short walk from the entrance of the property takes you to the house. Going up the gentle hill, we passed many trees and bamboo, almost like going through a forest. Then the house just appeared out of nowhere, right in front of you. From this point, the tower part of the house and a part of the roof that is level to the ground can be seen. The house is made of locally quarried ironstone. Eugene Bavinger dug many of these stone out with his hands.

Glass Cullet Thoughout the Property

Big chunks of blue-green glass cullet are found throughout the property, many embedded among the ironstone, giving an charming accent to the property. The house integrates into the surrounding nature very well. The untraditional, unique house and its surroundings give you an illusion of being in a different world – I was expecting a hobbit or Totoro to come out of the woods at any time…

Interior of the Bavinger House

The house’s unique structure features a logarithmic spiraling building with 200 tons of ironstone forming its wall. The roof, living areas, stairs, bridge, and closet are supported by a drill stem pipe in the center of the structure. There are five living areas: living room, master bedroom, playroom, bedroom and art studio. The first four living areas are gold carpeted bowls suspended from the ceiling. The house’s only bath room is located on the third level which also gives an access to the bridge connecting the house to the outdoors. The bridge is used as a counter-weight for the roof to keep the drill stem pipe from bending. Bob Bavinger, a son of Eugene Bavinger recalls jumping from the bridge to the pond below as a child. It would be really fun growing up in such a unique house! The interior space is very open and flows continuously. However, the entire interior space cannot be viewed from any one point in the house.

My Favorite Piece of Art

Many art, sculpture, and pottery can be found throughout the inside and outside of the house, many giving a whismical feel to the place. My favorite piece is the set of five sinks/railroad ties sculpture across the pond. It took me a while to figure out the top part was the sinks, because they looked like the faces of pigs and bears from the distance!

The house was home to Eugene Bavinger and his family for 48 years. The house has been vacant since 1989 and is in need of restoration. Bob Bavinger and his son are renovating the house, hoping to open the house up for tourism and education. They are hoping to cover some of the renovation cost through donations. You can donate with your time, materials, funds, equipment and by visiting their events.

For more information:
Website: http://www.thebavingerhouse.org
Email:info@thebavingerhouse.org
Phone: 405-397-1937

McConnell Residence

The McConnell Residence was the third stop for the Oklahoma Modernism Architecture Tour. Our two huge tour buses pulled into the obviously well-to-do neighborhood, attracting attention from the cars driving by and neighbors. A lady in her Mercedes actually stopped and asked me what was going on and why I was taking pictures of the house. I explained to her that the house was a mid century modern gem designed by an architect George Seminoff in 1957. Julius Shulman took pictures of the house and we were revisiting some of the places he photographed in the Oklahoma City area. She seemed very impressed.

The McConnell Residence is located at 2532 Pembroke Terrace, Oklahoma City. As the name implies, the house was originally built for the McConnells, a paving contractor and his wife. It was Seminoff’s first commission after completing a degree in Architecture from Oklahoma State University. Seminoff’s design for this one-story ranch home was influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright. The house features many elements that are seen in Wright’s work, such as the use of natural materials, the 30- and 60-angles instead of the 90-degree angles, and sliding shoji screens.

Living Room

The house is currently owned by Cara and Robert Barnes. The couple purchased the home in 2006, shortly after they were married. They spent next the 10 months renovating the 2,700 square-foot house back to its original design. Cara even contacted the house’s architect, George Seminoff, in order to keep his intentions intact. The only structural change they made was the removal of a kitchen wall, which was necessary to open up the kitchen to the rest of the house.

Center-Cut Redwood Ceiling

The house opens up in front of you as soon as you walk in the unique front door featuring a sunburst pattern. There is a small room that is used as a bar before you walk into the living room. The unique feature of this room is the leather flooring (yes, leather!). Here you also notice the beautifully restored center-cut red wood ceilings that continue to the rest of the house. The shoji screens divides the bar area from the large living room filled with mid century modern inspired custom furniture. The colors of sofas and chairs and the colors in the restored terrazzo floor complement each other very well. The floor-to-ceiling windows and sliding glass door in the back of the living room look out over the beautifully landscaped backyard featuring the patio and pool area.

Master Bedroom

The living room opens up to the kitchen, the breakfast area and to the dining area. The custom made dining table matches the unique angles of the dining room and cove lighting up above. A guest room located just off the kitchen, used to be a “mother-in-law” suite. It was actually designed for the mother-in-law when the house was built. On the opposite side of the house from the guest room, there is a master bedroom and office. One side of the master bedroom features the shoji screens similar to the ones in the living room that serve as closet doors. The master bath features a sunken multi-sided shower beautifully retiled with transparent blue tiles. Small penny round tiles in various shades of blue were used elsewhere. The vanity was enlarged to accommodate two sinks, but rebuilt to match the original triangular shape. The office is located around the corner from the master bedroom.

Cara and Robert Barnes had done a very good job renovating the house, respecting its original integrity. The couple successfully turned the typical clean-line mid century modern gem into warm and welcoming home showing their personality. I would like to thank them for welcoming us into their beautiful home on that rainy day.

The tour featured five Oklahoma City area modern commercial/residencial buildings Julius Shulman photographed during the years he worked in Oklahoma between the 1950′s and 1960′s. The tour destinations included St. Luke’s Methodist Church, State Capital Bank (now Arvest Bank), McConnell Residence, St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, and the Bavinger House. Although the weather wasn’t very pretty this day, about 60 people showed up to appreciate these five sites inside and out. We were also able to catch a quick glimpse of a couple of extra buildings, the Founder’s Bank (now Bank of America) and the Prairie Chicken House.

Here are some basic information of the buildings we visited. I will follow up with more stories and pictures in future posts.

 

St. Luke’s Methodist Church
Location: 222 NW 15th Street, OKlahoma City
Designed by: Truett H. Coston of Coston Frankfurt Short (now Frankfurt Short Bruza), 1956
Website: http://www.stlukesokc.org/
  

 

State Capital Bank (now Arvest Bank)
Location: 3900 North Lincoln Blvd., Oklahoma City, OK
Designed by: Robert Roloff, 1964

 

McConnell Residence
Designed by: George Seminoff

 

St. Patrick’s Catholic Church
Location: 2121 N. Portland, Oklahoma City, OK
Designed by: Murray Jones Murray, 1962
Website: http://www.stpatrickokc.org/

 

The Bavinger House
Location: 730 60th Ave. NE, Norman, OK
Designed by: Bruce Goff, 1950-1955
Website: http://www.thebavingerhouse.org/

Special thanks to: The OKCMOA crew for organizing a wonderful/educational tour and the management/owners of the buildings and homes for sharing your treasure.

The museum will also host a series of related events, including a book signing with 98-years-old Julius Shulman (health permitted).

Related Events:

Julius Shulman Book Signing: April 30, 2009 5:30 – 7:00 PM, OKCMOA

Film Screening – “Visual Acoustics: The Modernism of Julius Shulman”: April 30, 2009 7:30 PM, Noble Theater

Oklahoma Modernism Architecture Tour: May 2, 2009 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Panel Discussion – “Oklahoma Modernism Rediscovered”: May 3, 2009 2:00 PM, Noble Theater

Tour destinations include: St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, State Capital Bank, McConnell Residence, St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, and Norman’s Bavinger House. The guided tour will be making stops at each tour destination for exterior and interior visitation. Seating is limited and is available on a first come, first serve basis. Advance tickets will go on sale on April 21, 2009 at 10:00 AM (CST).

When: May 2, 2009, 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM

Contact: Call Oklahoma City Museum of Art at 405-278-8237 or visit www.okcmoa.com