How Did Mid Century Modern Get to 1955 La Grande?
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We often wonder how it came to be. La Grande did not issue building permits until the 1970's so that usual way of finding the history of a home is not available. Unlike its cousins–the Eichler’s, The Rummer's, the Cliff May's -- our house is not part of a development. There are no others like it in town. A friend who lived about a block away when the home was built told us it was built by a contractor, we gather as sort of a spec home. We did do a search of city directories at the public library, thinking perhaps the home had been built with a specific family in mind, a family whose home it was for some time. Not the case. The city directory shows the first two owners stayed only about two years each. The home had six different owners in its first 28 years, the families of: Forrest Russell, a teacher; James Haas, a biologist with Oregon Fish and Wildlife; Dave Slaght, the city manager; John Reid, a physician; Eugene Washington, a civil engineer; and Barry Heath, a Presbyterian minister. The next owners, the Fetz family, kept the home for 20 years and then sold to the people from whom we bought our home. We would love to learn more about our house, how it came to be, what it was like originally, etc. If anyone reading this lived in our house or was in it in its early years, we would love to hear from you! |
March 12th, 2009 at 2:41 am
Your house is gorgeous! It’s odd to learn that there are no others from the same style/era nearby. Mostly though I’m jealous because, compared to the SF Bay Area, I’ll bet you got that great house, in La Grande for a relative steal! Did you see that there was a Frank Lloyd Wright house for sale in CA recently? It’s in a remote area, so a million two seems like a lot, but when is there the chance to buy a FLW? See http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgif=/c/a/2009/03/08/RE0U167P7D.DTL&hw=frank+lloyd+wright&sn=001&sc=1000
Beautiful houses in remote(ish) areas; you have some company! Hope your sleuthing pays off.
March 12th, 2009 at 5:28 pm
We’re glad you like our house. We have to agree it is wonderful. Of course we are a bit biased.
La Grande has been economically depressed for a long time. Housing prices here are amazingly low, though people who have always lived here don’t see it that way. We try to buy from local merchants here whenever possible and hope that the money we are spending fixing up our house will stay here
to help the economy.
Compared to SF, of course, the house would seem like a steal.
Thanks for your comment.
Anne & Gary
October 8th, 2009 at 2:21 pm
Hi, hope you are doing well.
I am writing from the Collectors Weekly. We are a San Francisco based, online antiques and collecting publication dedicated to showcasing the passion and knowledge of collectors.
I was visiting your site and thought you would really enjoy our interview with Mid Century Modern Expert Frank Maraschiello. Frank is the vice president of the 20th-Century Decorative Arts department at Bonham’s, New York. He talks about Mid-century Modern design, from George Nelson’s famous marshmallow couch to Eames chairs to the furniture of George Nakashima.
http://www.collectorsweekly.com/articles/an-interview-with-20th-century-decorative-arts-and-mid-century-modern-expert-frank-maraschiello/
I hope you really enjoy it. Please let me know what you think. And please feel free to share it.
Thanks and have a great weekend!
–
Melissa Crago
The Collectors Weekly
http://www.collectorsweekly.com/daily
melissa@collectorsweekly.com
520-403-7180