Images: ©Nicole Wrona, 2021

This home was designed by Modern architect Glen Paulsen. The home was built in 1951 and is located on a secluded property in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.

The private residence sits atop a small hill overlooking an expansive wooded lot. A brook can be found at the edge of the property. The landscape was designed by highly-regarded landscape architect Thomas Church.            
                                                      Click Here To Read More  ⬇

​Dream Sequence is an interactive light installation created by artist Patrick Ethen, with soundscapes provided by Texture. The exhibition was at Eightfold Creative, and was presented by Playground Detroit. 

                                                     Click Here To Read More  ⬇

The Blue Bird Inn structure is a historically significant neighborhood building that is now a part of the local historic district in Detroit, Michigan, on the city's Old West Side. Once renovations are complete, the DSC will use the Blue Bird as its home for archival records + collections, community engagement, and education outreach programming.

                                            Click here to read the full story ↓

Race, Gender & Power in Modernist Design
Guest Speaker: Kristina Wilson, Author   
Hosted by: Docomomo NY Tri-State

Kristina Wilson is a design historian and professor of art history at Clark University. She is the author of The Modern Eye and Livable Modernism. Her latest book, Mid-Century Modernism and the American Body: Race, Gender, and the Politics of Power in Design, was released on April 13, 2021. The book examines how race and gender shaped both the marketing + presentation of Modernist decor in postwar America. 

                                         Click here to read the full story ↓

Join the Michigan Chapter of Docomomo US as we partner with Cranbrook Center for Collections and Research for Tour Day 2020. This year's thematic focus is 'the '70s Turn 50." 

Tour Day is devoted to the appreciation of modern architecture in the United States. Tours and events focus on architecture & design of the Modern Movement, and are hosted by Docomomo US chapters, partners, and leading voices in preservation. 

Our Tour Day 2020 event will start at Bowlero Lanes & Lounge in Royal Oak, which has been authentically renovated to capture the look and feel of the 1970s, when the lounge was added to the building.
 
We'll then move to Bloomfield Hills and the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Smith House. After a brief examination of some of Michigan’s architectural icons from the 1970s, Cranbrook Center for Collections and Research curator Kevin Adkisson will provide a behind-the-scenes tour of the interiors of the Smith House.

Docomomo US/Michiganis a non-profit organization dedicated to the the preservation of modern architecture, landscape, and design. The Michigan chapter was founded in 2014 to continue the work of the Michigan State Historic Preservation Office’s “Michigan Modern” initiative to document and bring international attention to Michigan’s Modernist design legacy and its importance to American history. Docomomo US/Michigan promotes this through documentation, education, and advocacy.

.For additional information & to register, click on link below>
'70s Turn 50 Tour Day Event 

Sunday, October 18th 4:00 pm - 5:15 pm
Cranbrook Center for Collections & Research 
at the Frank Lloyd Wright Smith House
Bloomfield Hills, MI 

Detroit Institute of Arts 
Detroit Collects: Selections of African American Art from Private Collections
November 12, 2019 - March 1, 2020

The Balogh House sits in a wooded setting in Plymouth, Michigan. It is a custom-built home from the Mid-Century Modern era designed by architect ​Tivadar Balogh.

Built from 1958-1959, this Modernist home was placed on the National Registry of Historic Places in 2013.

The home received numerous accolades for its distinctive style. The  renderings won a Progressive Architecture Award Citation in 1957.

The home just went on the market and is listed for 750k.

I was invited to a press conference by the DIA announcing the winning entries of an International Design Competition. The media event was held in the Burton Historical Collection room at the Detroit Public Library's Main Branch 

The competition brought together designers from around the globe and down the street, who worked to create a cohesive outdoor space that brings together Detroit's cultural institutions. The event was a partnership among the institutions in the cultural center and was held at the Detroit Public Library's Main Branch. 

The winning concept "Detroit Square" brings placemaking to the significant cultural institutions in the Detroit Cultural Center. It will serve to unify the often unused outdoor spaces and create a more streamlined experience for visitors. The winning designs were selected from 44 entries. 

The selected design teams include the following: Paris-based firm Agence Ter, a Detroit architecture + design company akoaki, Ann-Arbor design firm rootoftwo + a landscape designer/city planner Harley Etienne. 

As Maurice Cox-- Detroit's Director of Planning & Development, said in his opening remarks, “Detroit is daring to dream big again.“ ​

He noted that Detroit has never been afraid to take on challenges, and continued by praising the efforts of the entrants, saying the winning design will take the city to another level. He said the winning entry exhibited a “World class, international reach, steeped in local knowledge, which distinguished this winning team." The design allows all of the cultural institutions to come together, marrying their 12 distinct identities into one. 

Neil Barclay, President + CEO of the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History was impressed that all institutions collaborated to create a unified initiative, and that each institution weighed in and listened together for the greater good of all. Observed early on in the process that “All cultural leaders met together at the table to enhance the cultural life of the city.“ Coming to Detroit from LA, he stated that it’s extremely unusual for cultural centers to meet and collaborate.

​JoAnne Mondowney, the Executive Director of the Detroit Public Library aptly described the initiative as “a front row seat to history.” She said the  project will shape the lives of many, while being  a wonderful opportunity to be creative + inventive. She told the audience about the historical nature of the library-- including the significance of Ford and the automotive industry carving out its beginnings in the city, and of Thomas Edison using the Detroit Public  Library as a boy. 

There are so many stories intwined within the walls of our cultural institutions— and now they are given ‘permission’ to carry beyond the structures. This initiative seems to address the disconnected outdoor spaces of the museum district. It serves to create a continuity and encourage a flow that will extend the reach of each separate institution and crate a seamless/cohesive outdoor environment that instead encourages discovery and exploration.

To check out the renderings, click the first link below!  
​

Related:
Renderings for DIA Plaza | Midtown Cultural Connections International Design Competition 
​Detroit Comeback City: Exclusive Screening, Hosted by The History Channel + Ford 
Detroit Startup Week | Fireside Chat with Big Sean, Google + Def Jam 
"Detroit Designs the World" Screening | A Detroit Public Television Preview 

Newly-released renderings from the Cultural Center Planning Initiative Press Conference. The press event was held at the Detroit Public Library-- Main Branch. 
​
Images + my rundown of the event will follow. Until then, check out some key information pulled from he official press release: ​↓↓↓