Bungalow Heaven’s 21st Annual Home Tour

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Bungalow Heaven’s 21st Annual Home Tour Sun., April 25, Stars a 1926 Spanish Colonial Revival Residence

Our friend Sarah Hilbert of Bungalow Heaven sends us this reminder about the Bungalow Heaven tour, coming up this Sunday:

In 1929 Herbert Hoover was inaugurated as the 31st president of the United States, the first Academy Awards were held, the car radio was invented and – perhaps most infamously – the stock market crashed and the Great Depression commenced.

The late 1920s are commemorated at the Second Annual Living History Home, a Bungalow Heaven residence in Pasadena that is open to visitors during the neighborhood’s 21st Annual Historic Home Tour, held on Sunday, April 25, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Living History Home is a unique feature of Bungalow Heaven’s tour. Its debut last year inside a 1911 Craftsman residence brought eager lines and enthusiastic reviews from visitors. Costumed actors stationed inside and outdoors gave them a slice-of-life history lesson and a better understanding of the era in which the neighborhood’s homes were constructed.

The 2010 Living History Home takes place at a 1926 Spanish Colonial Revival bungalow, where actors will follow a script that takes place in April, 1929. Kristin Stone, an award-winning actor known for her work in Inside Private Lives, has once again written and directed the performance, which features witty repartee about the Roaring Twenties and the politics, fashions, home life and leisure activities of the decade.  Stone also serves as one of the actors who help guests learn about how the Arts and Crafts aesthetic translated into the Revival architectural styles of the 1920s.
A Model T Ford and gorgeous Mediterranean gardens will greet visitors as they arrive at the Spanish bungalow; inside, they will see authentic period décor, a period tansu chest, an impressive collection of Japanese artifacts, and wrought-iron detailing and sconces. The homeowners plan to be on site all day, answering visitors’ questions and showcasing their woodworking skills.

Four more of the tour residences are also from the Revival period, showcasing architecture that can be categorized as English-cottage and Tudor-style bungalows.

And – not to worry! – fans of the high-style California bungalow will still get their fill of pristine Douglas fir woodwork and nifty built-ins. Three traditional Craftsman bungalows are part of the tour. In total, eight homes are open to the public on tour day.

Come spend the day strolling Bungalow Heaven’s tree-lined streets, taking in gardens at their colorful spring peak, learning tips from demonstration booths, and enjoying live music, free refreshments and outstanding early-20th-century architecture.

Tickets are available the day of the tour for $20 at the tour headquarters in the southern part of McDonald Park, on Mountain between Wilson and Mar Vista.

Photos, behind-the-scenes sneak peaks, and a range of useful tour information are being posted all month long on the Bungalow Heaven Landmark District Facebook page – become a fan!

The Bernard Schwartz Frank Lloyd Wright home located in Two Rivers, WI.

Considered to be Frank Lloyd Wright’s Life Magazine “Dream House”. Wright originally developed the design for the house for Life Magazine in 1938.

The Schwartz House is one of the few Wright homes that still allows guests to spend the night.

For more information on the home click here

Click here to visit the source

Reader Andy Schweizer shares with us his 1928 brick bungalow located in Normal, IL.

Andy’s Bungalow Today



Oldest known photos of the house taken in the summer of 1929. The home was built in 1928.

Here’s another shot taken April 1995

Spring 1999

Andy says “The house was owned by the same family from 1928 to 1986 when

the daughter of the original owners died. One of the things

I am most proud of is that all the floors are original, the

woodwork has never been painted (garnet shellac) and all of

the lighting fixtures are original. By the way, bulbs for

these fixtures are difficult to find (at least for me) and

several years ago I found the following and the lighting is

extremely close to the original Mazda Lamp Company.

Karlucci Lighting:

http://home.comcast.net/~karlucci/store.html (he gives a

great discount for qty purchase and they are beautiful).

Last, I have had the original screens for the porch over

the garage replicated in mahogany (spray painted with high

quality oil based gloss and bronze screening and I also have

both the original front door and storm/screen which are

being restored right now. The porch screens are supposed to

be installed next week, weather permitting.”

Andy’s bathroom is also spectacular.



Andy also tells us “Here’s the best part, this floor was covered with black carpet when I bought the house and I had no idea it was there. Perfect condition too!”

Thanks Andy for sharing this gem.

We wanted to share the email we recieved from Anne Stewart O’Donnell regarding the closing of Arizona’s Riordan Mansion scheduled for February 22. Very sad news.

All,

Deja vu — it was just about this time last year that I wrote to you about funding cuts that would result in drastically-reduced hours and staffing at the 1904 Riordan Mansion, an Arizona State Park in Flagstaff. Those cuts DID come about, but at least the mansion remained open.

This year the news is much worse. Arizona legislators have now slashed the Parks budget further. THE RIORDAN MANSION WILL CLOSE ON FEBRUARY 22. In all, by June 3rd, only a third of the State Parks will still be operating. There’s also a very real danger that the entire AZ State Parks system (which includes wilderness areas and historic sites) will be DISMANTLED COMPLETELY by the end of 2010.

In that event, sites would likely be sold to private concessionaires, who might or might not have a concern for historical accuracy and good preservation practices, for responsibly maintaining the sites as part of our local, regional and national heritage, etc. The presentation of the stories told by these sites cold well be “dumbed down.” Wilderness lands or historically significant areas could be compromised by the building of hotels or developed in other invasive ways.

What happens in the next month is crucial–and not just for Arizona.
While Arizona would be the first state in the nation to shut down its park system, State Parks sources tell me that Idaho and Montana may well follow suit if Arizona sets the precedent.

Concerning the Riordan in particular: Even a temporary closure means the risk of deterioration, vandalism, or looting. If the closure lasts more than a year (which is likely), then the mansion reverts to the family, which has already stated that it does not have the resources to keep it up. So the components of this remarkable time capsule, which includes family records and belongings as well valuable A&C antiques (all still in their original architectural setting), may be dispersed. What would happen to the house and grounds? No one knows at this point.

The Arizona economy is in trouble, but to jettison the Parks would be a false economy. The following is from the Arizona State Parks home
page: “According to research by Northern Arizona University, Arizona State Parks attract, when open, 2.3 million visitors annually. Those visitors produce $266 million of direct and indirect economic impact in Arizona, PLUS $22.7 million in STATE and LOCAL TAXES. Arizona State University’s Morrison Institute on Public Policy has provided an analysis estimating that it costs $32 to $34 million to operate our state parks – about 1/10th of their economic contribution – and none of the operating funds come from Arizona state general fund taxes.”

SO WHAT CAN WE DO???

– As soon as possible, please write to the state legislators listed at the end of this email, expressing your concern for the Riordan Mansion and other Parks. For instance, let the lawmakers know that heritage travel is important to you and that sites like these draw you to places like Arizona as a tourist.

– Spread the word.

– Make a donation to the AZ State Parks Foundation, the non-profit partner and advocacy group for the State Parks, to help them fight to keep the Parks open:
https://app.etapestry.com/hosted/ArizonaStateParksFoundation/OnlineRegistration.html

– If you’re a journalist, contact Ellen Bilbrey at (602) 542-1996 or
(602) 228-8518. She’s the information officer for the Arizona State Parks and can give you all the details you need.

Many thanks!
Anne

Anne Stewart O’Donnell
4813 Guilford Road
College Park, MD 20740
571-201-1709

SOME WEBSITES:

–Riordan Mansion: http://azstateparks.com/Parks/RIMA/index.html

–AZ State Parks home page: http://azstateparks.com/

–AZ State Parks Foundation home page: http://arizonastateparksfoundation.org/

–Press release on park closures: azstateparks.com/press/2010/PR_01-15-10.html

–Writeup on closures from the National Trust for Historic Preservation:
www.preservationnation.org/magazine/2010/todays-news/arizona-to-close-state-parks.html

AZ STATE LEGISLATORS TO CONTACT:

Representative Tom Chabin
Arizona House of Representatives
1700 W. Washington, Room 318
Phoenix, AZ 85007
Phone Number: (602) 926-5160
Fax Number: (602) 417-3002
tchabin@azleg.gov

Representative Christopher Deschene
Arizona House of Representatives
1700 W. Washington, Room 325
Phoenix, AZ 85007
Phone Number: (602) 926-5862
Fax Number: (602) 417-3102
cdeschene@azleg.gov

Senator Albert Hale
Arizona State Senate
1700 W. Washington, Room 313
Phoenix, AZ 85007
Phone Number: (602) 926-4323
Fax Number: (602) 417-3160
ahale@azleg.gov

The Honorable Jan Brewer
Governor of Arizona
1700 West Washington
Phoenix, Arizona 85007
Toll Free 1-800-253-0883
Fax (602) 542-1381

We’d thought we’d share some photos that include great use of Wallpaper.

Hope you enjoy them.

Hope everyone is having a great start to the new year!

In 2010, American Bungalow will celebrate its 20th year of publication with a special gift for subscribers: The American Bungalow Poster 20th-Anniversary Series. “The Seasons,” designed by noted Roycroft Renaissance Master Artisan Laura Wilder.

If you are a subscriber, each 2010 issue you receive will contain a seasonal 8″ x 10″ full-color, high quality fine art print suitable for framing.

More information can be found here.

Last minute gift idea!

New in our online store – you may now purchase gift certificates in amounts of 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 dollars. The certificates are good for all items in our store (books, back issues, plaque and subscriptions). This is especially useful in case you’re not sure which back issues that special someone is missing – and you can even tell us the delivery date!

Purchase your gift certificate here

Go inside Frank Lloyd Wright’s masterpiece home, Fallingwater.

Fallingwater, also known as the Edgar J. Kaufmann Sr. Residence, is a house designed by American architect Frank Lloyd Wright in 1934 in rural southwestern Pennsylvania, 50 miles southeast of Pittsburgh. The house was built partly over a waterfall in Bear Run at Rural Route 1 in the Mill Run section of Stewart Township, Fayette County, Pennsylvania, in the Laurel Highlands of the Allegheny Mountains.

Hailed by Time magazine shortly after its completion as Wright’s “most beautiful job,” it is also listed among Smithsonian magazine’s Life List of 28 places “to visit before …it’s too late.” It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1966.

In 1991, members of the American Institute of Architects named the house the “best all-time work of American architecture” and in 2007, it was ranked twenty-ninth on the list of America’s Favorite Architecture according to the AIA.

Click here to visit the source

It’s that time of the year where nothing beats a great fire in a great fireplace.

Here are some of our favorites.

For a limited time browse our directory of Bungalow photos FREE, searchable by keywords or catagories.

Here’s just a sample of what’s included

Click here to view

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Enjoy!