MCM on Vacation

If you leave home on vacation you begin to get a little homesick for something Mid-Century Modern. No matter where you go in the United States, if you look hard enough you can inject a little MCM flair into your vacay.

Tom and Stacy recently embarked on baseball road trip that took in ballgames in Denver, Oakland, San Francisco and Seattle. The last stop harbors one of the most iconic structures from the Atomic Age: The Space Needle.

The Atomic Age is a subset of the Mid-Century genre. It encompasses approximately 1940-60, when Americans were both fascinated with the promise nuclear power offered and terrified of what a nuclear war might bring. Even a smaller division of the Atomic Age is the Space Age, beginning with the launch of Sputnik in 1957 until the latter mid-sixties.

Towering 605 feet, the Space Needle was built in 400 days for the 1962 World’s Fair. The top portion, that now hosts an observation deck and a revolving restaurant, was designed to resemble a flying saucer. Even the original colors were space-aged being: orbital olive, astronaut white, re-entry red and galaxy gold.

View from the top

When we venture outside of Lortondale it is always nice to find a spot, structure or other MCM haven to make us feel at home again. If in Seattle don’t miss it, the view of the mountains against the skyline is stunning.

In the Blenko an Eye

The key to living a mid-century lifestyle is to surround yourself in the trappings of the era. While our living/dining room area is nearing completion it is necessary to properly accessorize to create the rich ambiance the time period had to offer. Enter the Blenko Glass company.

Blenko Glass began producing hand-blown glass pieces in 1947 in Milton, West Virginia. Tom is a WV native and grew up around many hand-blown glass factories, even taking a field trip to one in grade school that was so close his class walked to the factory. West Virginia was rife with glass producers during the mid part of the 20th century, mainly due to the cheap natural gas prices in the area; a major production cost for glass manufacturing.

Some of Blenko's Pieces

Most of those factories are now closed, but Blenko continues to produce quality pieces. During the 50s and 60s (and into the early 70s) Blenko was noted for its cutting edge modern design of glassware and was popular with modernist. Recent episodes of the time-period series Mad Men has featured Blenko Glass. Using vibrant colors, the three main designers of Blenko’s heyday were: Winslow Anderson (47-53), Wayne Husted (52-63), Joel Myers (63-70) and John Nickerson (70-74). Blenko glass wares designed by these men are the ones that are sought after by mid-century modernists. Some of the trademarks of a Blenko Glass product of the time are: thick glass, tall pieces, unique colors. Since most are unmarked, the only way to know if you have an authentic Blenko Glass item is to match it in their catalog published for that year (all available online). You would have to match the design and color to pinpoint your piece’s time of manufacture.

The Apple of Tom's Eye

The problem in getting a quality piece? Even though thick, it is hard for a tall or ornate piece of glass to survive 60 plus years. But through searching can turn one up. That is where St. Patrick’s Day 2015 comes in. Not because we are Irish, but because it also happens to be Tom’s birthday. Working in conjunction with the National Security Agency, the FBI and MI6, Stacy located a spectacular, pristine dimpled-globe decanter in olive green. Research revealed its date of birth to be 1964. Just what Tom had been longing for to adorn the cubbyhole in the new hutch which he had reserved for art. And what better art than a hand-blown, modern piece from Tom’s home state? Tom now stays up late at night admiring it. And watching reruns of Mad Men.

Our Blenko on Display

Up on the Roof

The Crew Arrives and Gets Busy

It’s here! It’s here! Like a kid on Christmas morning we were greeted by Santa and his elves. Only Santa was John the roofer and the elves was his merry band of about 10 hispanic helpers. We had been waiting for a few days of weather above 55F. The reason? If you have not had a new roof put on lately, especially a flat roof, there is this stuff that rolls out and is sticky on one side. You just overlap the rolls, it adheres to each other and wa la….new roof. At least for the covering. It is self sealing too, real high tech stuff. It just needs to be somewhat warm to work. This is where the “modern” comes in in Mid-Century Modern.

Beneath the Old Covering

Our roof was old, so it required new decking as well. In addition we had the facia replaced on the roof edges since the old was slowly decaying. Now, next Christmas (we are allowed to say Christmas on a blog aren’t I?) I will need to put new Xmas light hangers. Our home had some appliance modifications over the years as well, and because they were no longer in use we were able to remove 9 pipe penetrations coming out of the roof. Fewer penetrations mean fewer chances for leakage you know. And it was all done in a day. If you live in Tulsa and need a roofer drop me a line.

Gleaming New Roof

Then the irony of it all. The new roof was finished and gleaming by late Monday afternoon. Did I mention that Lortondale, our neighborhood, is in Tulsa? Tulsa, Oklahoma? As in smack dab in the middle of Tornado Alley? On Wednesday, the first twister of the season hit. We had cloud rotation directly above us but the real tornado landed a few miles away. We were fortunate as one person was killed about 6 miles away from us. There was a lot of noise during the storm and lots of lightning cracks during high winds. On Thursday morning we found a huge chunk of tree on the roof. The picture does not do it justice. After breaking off some of the larger branches and tossing them into the backyard, it was still too heavy for Tom to lift and he had to roll it off the side.

New Roof Fixtures/Pipes

We think the flat roof of the MCM design saved it. Being flat it was able to dissipate the energy of the tree strike. Had it been a angled roof most of the strike would have been concentrated in one small area and likely caused structural damage. We dodged a bullet with that storm. As they say; it’s better to be lucky than good. Here’s to luck.

The 100 pound branch

"Up on the Roof" by the Drifters. Peaked at #5 in early 1963. A Mid-Century Classic

Mid Century Movie Night #2

One of the best things about the 1952 Academy Award winner for best picture was that it was in color, which was a big deal in those days. And it was really colorful. The Greatest Show on Earth is the story of several intertwining stories embedded in the inner workings of Ringling Brothers circus. It was also long, clocking in at about two and one half hours. Check out our reviews under the MCM Movie Night tab. 

Starsky and Hutch

Ok...just Hutch, or in this case...a hutch. The newest used addition to our MCM home is a early 60s hutch to replace the one we had that was more of a 90s thingamajig. It is in great condition for its age and will hold most of our dining accouterments (that's MCM talk for stuff). 

It is solid wood, not that particle board crap with a cheap, thin veneer. You know the main difference between the two? Moving them. The new particle board type can be moved by a six year-old, the mid-century variety took two grown men and I think Tom slipped a disc getting it in the house. Moving during the middle of the last century separated the men from the boys. 

The dining/living room area is beginning to develop nicely. The table is in full use, new sofa and loveseat will be here shortly, the pole lamp shines brightly in all of its MCM splendor and new artwork is on the way. We will post the before an after photos once it is complete, probably around mid-April.

In the meantime, we have some dishes to move. The hutch is lonely and demands to be filled with our dinnerware. We are on the look out for some Blenko glassware to place in it as well if you happen across any. 

Curtain Call

Before the swingin' shower curtain

As we mentioned before, there are somethings we have no intention of going retro with. A few items really did get better in the future (as viewed from a 1950s perspective). One of those is the bathroom. 

Post MCM touch

In pure mid-century style, we all share one bathroom. Tom survived as a child with four people sharing one bathroom so we can muddle through as well. Scheduling is key. But we had no desire to return the room to its original look. Most bathrooms of the era were somewhat gaudy and had tile that were a mixture of colors that make most people nauseous. Then there was the heater, a contraption of death and mayhem that was just as likely to electrocute you as keep you warm. Bathtubs were small, some had no showers and little in-bathroom storage for towels, etc. Our indoor outhouse looked like it had been remodeled in the 70s or sometime and Stacy had recently renovated it with modern plumbing fixtures that made it very functional. 

Yes, yes...we know...it's awesome

Still, it lacked anything that screamed mid-century modern, and frankly, there were no retro-oriented options. But, we found a shower curtain that had a MCM print on it. It was a simple and somewhat inexpensive touch to give our bathroom a MCM flair without sacrificing the hard work Stacy had put into getting into 21st century acceptability. It didn't have to be particularly cozy. In today's homes nearly everyone has a bathroom. When a family shares one, you get in, do your business and get out. No reading while on the throne. Still, we have time to gaze upon a motif reminiscent of the era. 

Pole Dancing

Every mid-century home should have a pole. A tension-pole lamp that is. You can't slide down it like a fireman, or dance around it like a stripper entertainer, but it does a magnificent job a standing in the corner and providing lots of era-appropriate light. 

It is hard to find any specific information on exactly when tension-pole lamps made the scene. Our research suggests that they appeared in the 50s and were ubiquitous in the 60s and phased out in the early 70s. Unless you have a designer one it is even harder to tell when the one you own was manufactured. 

Some common traits of all include: floor to ceiling contact with the top portion being spring-tensioned like a pogo stick, three adjustable lamps with shades that are coned shaped (cones typically in the 60s and 70s while globes seemed more common in the 50s), and a polished metal or fake wood finish with real wood knobs on the lamps. 

We found one at a retro store a few months back, but it had round wicker globes on it, not the atomic-style, cone-like lamp covers. We made the right decision by holding out until we found the one we need to accentuate our mid-century living room. One nearly identical to the one in Tom's living room in the 60s. You can see it in all of its mid-century, atomic splendor in the photo. One 21st century update though: CFL bulbs....it's for the environment you know. 

Mid Century Movie Night

We had our first mid century movie night. It was day actually, it snowed in Oklahoma...a real dumping...all of about 3 inches, which means in Tulsa people reacted like a civil war broke out and most things were closed or cancelled. Stacy got to stay home from work so MCM movie night was held in the afternoon. 

We will review movies of the era, starting with the Academy Award winners for best picture from 1950 to 1965. First up was All About Eve (1951) starring Bette Davis. We will review each movie and give it from 0-5 MCM stars. Stacy will rate it, Tom will rate it and then there will be an averaged rating based on how we find it. You can check out the first and subsequent MCM movie reviews under the MCM movie night tab. 

Dining In

The centerpiece for any home, especially during the mid-twentieth century, was where the family sat around and enjoyed their meal. There were no 24/7 distractions of the internets, smart phones, around-the-clock news, 100 plus TV channels or what not. It was home from school, play in the yard, maybe watch Daniel Boone on the tube in black and white then eat at the dining room table and then wait your turn in the bathroom to get cleaned up and ready for bed. I suppose industrious kids did homework somewhere in the mix. 

It was the meal that brought the entire family together for at least 30 minutes at the end of each day, and the dining table was the apex of that experience. Many of us that lived through it have formica tops emblazoned into our memories, but others had the typical sleek wood slab that we scooped up our vittles from. We wanted to give our place that touch as well. After scouring the several resale shops in Tulsa that specialize in mid-century furnishings we made our find on Craig's List. I know, I know....CL is full of crazies. I know that as well as anyone, but there are also some regular folks just trying to do some business on there...you know, like maybe 10%. 

The best we could find at a resale shop that fit the bill ran about $500-600 and some of those without chairs and in various states of disrepair. We felt fortunate to find a MCM gem with 6 chairs for $350. We had to glue some of the chair braces as the old glue had just worn out, and we refinished the table and chairs using a product called "restore" after a light sanding. The results were pleasing and you can tell from the pictures that it adds something to our Lortondale hideout. The placemats have a distinctive MCM flair with the type of bird print, but they are actually new from IKEA...a good source of newer stuff to accent any MCM home. 

Transistors

We are turning one of the three bedrooms in our MCM into an office. It will still have a trundle bed for guests, but basically an office. We want to give it as much MC flair as possible and are off to a good start with an old mid-century, metal desk. Stacy has claim on the bedroom so think of this as good as a man-cave can get for a mid-century modern abode. That will explain the distinct masculine flair when the before and after picture get posted in the future. 

But for now we need to think of how to give it that MCM ambiance, and in doing so will introduce the first item acquired to go into that room: a Jade 2215 transistor radio. 

The date of manufacture is unknown, but I did find a picture of a kid listening to one in 1968 and many seem to think that 1969 was the date they were sold. Not exactly spot on mid-century but not too much of a stretch. We hope to find a more appropriate radio for the room someday, but this gem was $1.50 at an estate sale so it was worth taking a chance. 

Transistors were a big deal during the day. They replaced tubes which were large, produced lots of heat and had a high failure rate. Transistors "miniaturized" electronics and reduced power requirements. Plus, they last pretty much forever. Tom spent years working on tube-powered radars for the Navy so knows how much trouble they can be. Anything transistorized is known as "solid state." Tubes had gas in them and were far from being solid. Transistors are a hallmark of the late MCM period. They appeared in the 50s but were really mainstream by the mid-sixties. While they were much smaller than tubes, they still were visible and models of radios liked to tout how many were in the radio itself. 

Today, we use integrated circuits, or ICs, on microchips. One microchip might have hundreds of transistors on it that you cannot see with the naked eye. We have come a long way in electronics. The bad news is ICs make it hard to repair electronics at home.

While our Jade 2215 is an AM/FM radio, only the AM works. I think the selector switch is broken but AM only gives if more MCM flair. The volume control is sketchy as well and does not transition smoothly along the volume range. Tom suspects a dirty potentiometer but it is not really worth trying to hunt down the part to fix it. 

In the meantime, until we can find a really atomic-looking radio, AM played a little too loud will reverberate throughout our MCM pad. 

Roof Update

We had a rain since our state-of-the-art temporary repair job on the siding/roof convergence. The tape looked space-aged so I figured it must be state-of-the-art. But it turned about to be about as reliable as the promises made in the State-of-the-Union address. In other words, it did not help. We still have a leaky garage. 

Had a contractor come and look at it and he needed to bring his other guy out that has a ladder to get on top and take a better look. It has to be done before the roof so stay tuned. To make it interesting we are having him take off the Dryvit stucco on that section since it is the back end of the garage. That will give us a clue as to the the condition of the original redwood siding. It could get ugly before it gets better. But, living in the mid-twentieth century meant living with the very real threat of being nuked by the russkies so, this is miniscule in comparison. 

High Flying Electrifying Adventure

Before you start, know that we are getting a new roof in March. All things mentioned below are temporary. Don’t judge.

gap between siding and house

There has been some leaking in our garage for a while, and it has done a number on the ceiling. Since it is actually in the garage and not in the house, it has not been a priority but we wanted to get it fixed as soon as possible. We had a roofer come out and look an estimate. We reluctantly followed with a foray on top of our MCM. As a former mountain climber heights don’t bother me, but as a former safety professional I do know that an inordinate number of home injuries occur from ladder use and that over 50% of falls from greater than 10 feet are fatal. I’d hate to be a statistic. Stacy does have some height issues. There was an incident when she first moved in and got on the roof and then could not get down. She was rescued, thank goodness not by the fire department.

While up on the roof we found the source of the water entry. Previous residents had covered the outside with this thin stucco stuff over a layer of styrofoam insulation. Great for energy savings….bad for keeping the MCM house original. That’s another issue, the problem here is the electrical conduit pole was mounted by someone through that stucco. It has not held well and is pulling back that stucco and the original plank siding underneath. See the photo and you know where our water problem is coming from.

YES! duct tape

This meant another trip to the roof, and another climb up the ladder. With stacy on the ladder cutting and handing me strips of aluminum duct tape we were able to close off the gap fairly well. It won’t hold long but it only has to last until March. Did I mention it was cold and windy up there?

I grew up in West Virginia, and this is what we call “redneck engineering.” But we did prove the universal theory that duct tape can fix anything. The good news is that unless you intend to land on our roof with a helicopter you won’t notice it. Still, we are looking forward to March and a new top on our MCM abode.

The Orangeburg Connection

advertisement for orangeburg piping

Or non-connection I should probably say. Orangeburg is a type of sewer piping used while building many MCM homes. Sometimes known as "Bermico" piping, Orangeburg is a fiber pipe that gets its name from the city in which most of it was manufactured; Orangeburg, New York. It was was a low cost alternative to metal piping and since there was no PVC in that era it was a popular choice for builders. It was touted as being "root proof."

"Root resistant" would have been a better moniker. Orangeburg did have some root issues, but the main problem is that it does not stand up well to the weight of the dirt on top of it. The fiber pipe would sometimes collapse into an egg shape. While it can last 50 years, it has been known to last as little as 10. 

This summer, there was a backup incident in our MCM. Bill the plumber came to the rescue and found....roots. He roto rootered it out and it works fine now, but we all know the time will come soon when there will be another backup. Roots continue to grow you know. The orangeburg had to go. As I said in the beginning of this blog, we will not eschew all things 21st century. Love me some PVC pipe. 

what happens under pressure

the big dig in back yard

So begins our first major project. Replacing the orangeburg with PVC. After the dig began we found out that most of the orangeburg had been replaced with PVC but from the house to about 8 feet out (where the cleanout was) it was the dreaded fiber orangeburg piping. 

The best part about this project? Not a whole lot I can do myself. It had to be hired out to the sewer experts. A day or two later, and a few thousand dollars lighter, our MCM is orangeburg-free and the waste flows a slick as a whistle. Not an improvement that can be noticed visually, but one of those "must do" jobs to keep the place livable. And keeps us out of knee-deep you know what. 

Lortondale

We live in Lortondale. It is a small neighborhood in Tulsa, Oklahoma that was built in 1954 with typical mid-century modern homes. The homes were built in the tract trend of the day and were designed for affordable housing for the booming post-war economy.

While all the rage during its heyday, mid-century modern (MCM) type architecture fell out of favor for post-modernism and other types. As American families prospered and demanded bigger and more elaborate homes, MCM floorplans were replaced with larger and larger homes. With homebuyers seeking the latest and greatest, MCM homes and Lortondale became less attractive and began a slow decline.

aerial view of Lortondale circa mid-fifties

Like many thing (disco music, vinyl records, etc.) what is old comes back in vogue. During the last decade all thing MCM began to attract new fans. With people finally realizing that less is more and downscaling is a good thing, smaller MCM homes became popular again. The resurgence in interest MCM architecture and lifestyle began making homes in Lortondale sought after by a niche group of MCM enthusiast. The homes were cool, modern, right-sized and by comparison affordable. Lortondale homes are being bought by folks, like us, intent on restoring them to the mid-century splendor. 

Several homes have already been restored; some completely and some partially. Most, again like us, are striving to make the homes emanate that MCM flair that make them unique. This blog is dedicated to that effort. We will take you along for the ride as we complete crucial repairs, furnish, decorate and accent our home in a way that would make Ward Cleaver proud.