The roots of modernism lay in the mid-19th century when the Bauhaus School in Germany embraced the simpler Arts and Crafts Movement and rejected the architecture of the European aristocracy and Beaux-Arts school. In its simplest form, the Bauhaus style favored “the machine as the basis for their aesthetic. They designed products of simple beauty of mass-produced forms.”

Many of Europe’s best architects immigrated to the United States, and their teachings would influence leading American architects who would build communities of the 50’s and 60’s.

In the early 1920’s, Richard M Schindler and Richard Neutra came to the U.S. to work for Frank Lloyd Wright in California. Key to their work was the relationship between structure and nature, giving careful attention to the site, use of natural light and landscaping imaginatively. Wright’s influence of low profiles, open plans and projecting roofs would be taken even further by the modernists.

The technical advances of the 19th and 20th centuries became significant to the modern movement. Steel and reinforced concrete were both cutting-edge, allowing for flexible interior walls and large expanses of windows, eliminating the need for interior walls and permitting unprecedented openness.

Modernists built to fit the climate and specific topography of a site. For example, the houses in the hills of L.A. might be framed in steel with uninterrupted walls of glass to capture the view, while homes in Florida might be built of wood and outfitted with jalousie windows to capture cool breezes.

Wright’s impact in the modern movement came from his Usonian home designs. During the worst of the American economic depression, Wright developed a series of homes he called Usonian-- affordable homes in a democratic American style. Each Usonian-designed home was unique, but they all shared standard construction to keep costs under control. Wright’s Usonian homes would serve as inspiration to many progressive builders of the 1940’s and 50’s, including Joseph Eichler, who had lived in one himself.

As the depression eased in the late 1930s, modernism began to gain momentum in California. The land and construction costs were low and the mild climate encouraged a design that incorporated large expanses of glass and outdoor living areas.

At first, modernism seemed to take hold more universally in home interiors, away from the scrutiny of conservative regulators and loan writers who were less likely to tolerate more radical exteriors. Molded-plywood and fiberglass provided a state-of-the-art medium for artists that included the Saarinens and the Eames. Charles and Ray Eames had developed a molded plywood splint for the Army during WWII and turned their new material into lounge chairs that are highly sought-after today and that still carry their name.

Information was compiled by Mary Lou Shannon, resident and realtor in Carderock Springs. Copying without permission is not permitted.

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