Mod Men
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Articles
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Mod Men
Todd Goddard and Andrew Mandolene have a spring in their step since completing their restoration of the near-derelict 1957 home of architect Arthur Witthoefft, who says, “I can’t get…
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Preservation Recommended
With the preservation of mid-century buildings already a touchy subject—–many people are still unwilling to see the value in preserving “modern” architecture—–we…
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Self Preservation
With the help of DSH Architects, a pair of intrepid Angelenos restored (and gently updated) Rudolph Schindler’s iconic Bubeshko Apartments.
Dwell Collections
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A Look at Kitchen Renovations
A collection of some of our favorite kitchen renovations from our archives.
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Modern Restaurants in Los Angeles
Chris Nichols, associate editor at Los Angeles Magazine, Googie expert, author, and all-around architectural steward, recommends modern Los Angeles restaurants that shouldn't be missed—even…
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10 x 10: Dwell & Arkitip Artist Series
To celebrate our 10th anniversary here at Dwell, we've collaborated with art magazine Arkitip and asked 10 artists to produce illustrations of 10 houses featured in the magazine. Stop by the…
Video
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New Prospects: The Sherman Residence
In this video accompanying our September 2011 My House story, architect Jeff Sherman guides us through his airy Brooklyn rowhouse—a onetime dilapidated dog kennel—which he painstakingly renovated…
Tips
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Stick Around during a Renovation
I learned during our kitchen renovation that it really is a full-time job. If you want it done right and according to your vision, and not that of your contractor, be available. Make sure every…
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Quiet A Loose Paver with Epoxy
When Dr. Rich North, owner of a Marcel Breuer-designed home in Baltimore, noticed that some of his bluestone pavers were wobbly underfoot, he talked to a contractor about having it relaid…
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Reuse, Recycle and Replenish
Reusing material is the least expensive and most creative way to reduce the environmental impact of your building project. The best sources are usually nonprofit reuse stores like Habitat for…
Events
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Preserving 20th-Century Modernism Lecture
With its emphasis on experimental materials and construction techniques, mid-century modern architecture often poses enormous challenges for owners, developers, and preservationists. Join Andrew S…
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1960s Cultural Landscapes Preserved
Enjoy a special evening with two renowned authorities on Southern California modernism: architect and author Alan Hess (Googie, Googie Redux, Palm Springs Weekend, Oscar Niemeyer Buildings) and…
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Modernist Architecture Comes of Age
A day-long symposium exploring the preservation of historic modernist buildings and how to rehabilitate them to be sustainable and functional in the 21st century. Today planners, architects and…
great set of photos and the building is really lucky to receive the attention. One wonders about the issue of Peak Oil, but there is the garden speace to address the needed on-site energy requirements... keep going modern.
Todd Goddard and Andrew Mandolene graciously invited a group from DOCOMOMO NY/Tri-State (Modern architecture preservation) to visit their house last summer. They have done an excellent job of balancing technically sophisticated preservation of original materials with just enough renovation and updating to make this house a showcase for mid-century Modern living in the 21st. Unfortunately it was too early in the day for martinis on the 95-foot-long deck. A funny aside, as the group was boarding our mini bus at the end of the driveway a man and his young son walked by (presumably from a neighboring McMansion). Someone overheard the father say to the son, "Some people like this kind of stuff." Thank goodness they do.
Wonderful article. Such hard work. I can't believe how fantastic the home looks. I was there when you purchased it and could never dream that you would both have such love for it. I am so proud of you. The time, attention to detail, creativity, hours of labor, the devotion--incredible, incredible, incredible. It was such a pleasure meeting and getting to know you. You have both made history and left your mark in Armonk. I look forward to my personal tour. Tina Messina Houlihan Lawrence Briarcliff
I love this dwelling. I was most impressed by the fact that I couldn't seem to locate where the television or media station was in this house from the photos provided. Obviously, they're fans of Mad Men—whether that's in spite of- or due to- the title of the article : ) Any insight on how they consume their media and/or entertainment in this home?
A big thank you to Dwell Magazine for the opportunity to showcase our house. To answer the entertainment question, we housed the sound system beneath the original bar in the teak center core of the house. Nicely tucked in and out of the way. The entire house is wired for sound and each room can be controlled from that location. Also, volume can be adjusted from each individual room. One television set is located in the study, room adjacent to the kitchen containing library & office. And another small television sits atop the stainless steel kitchen countertop. Hidden cable box is mounted vertically under the kitchen sink. Thanks for your interest. Andrew Mandolene.
Beautiful work gentlemen. Can you share information on the carpet in the master bedroom?
Im in love with this house. Is there anyway I could purchase a copy of the blue prints? Having this built one day would be a dream for me.
Tremendous job! brilliant house guys! I cant get over the 1963 Thunderbird on the cover of this issue. May I purchase it? Love the color! Its actually the reason I picked up the magazine (had been awhile) and read your article. Glad I did.
To answer case's question about the carpet...the bedroom wing of the house is carpeted in Missoni 100% wool carpet with wool padding.
Thank you Dwell. Such an amazing experience for us. We have always enjoyed sharing our modernist enthusiasm, and what better venue then Dwell. A little more detail regarding the carpet: Missoni Collection: Savona Color: #002 Ocean One of our goals with the house when incorporating the new energy efficient glass was to keep it "eco friendly" and to avoid off gassing once tightly sealed. The use of wool carpeting and pad was consistent with this goal. We give credit to Arthur Witthoefft who thoughtfully positioned the structure on the land maximizing the suns solar effect, as well the numerous skylights illuminating the interior without the daytime use of electricity. Thank you for the interest! Todd
What a fantastic home and renovation and labor of love. The space is gorgeous, the light is spectacular and your sense of style is just perfect. Thank you so much for sharing your dream and vision. Makes me want to ditch my antiques and go modern ;-). Cheers! Cindi
Was on DocoMoMo house tour last summer .Was looking forward to mainly seeing the houses in Usonia. What an added surprise it was to see your spectacular renovation. Thanks for saving it from the wrecking ball. Please forward any future house tours ,My wife and I would love another look. The T-Bird color was awesome Great Job!!!!!!!!!!!!
Beautiful House!!! Thanks Todd and Andrew for sharing your wonderful experience in the renovation of your home. We also bought a 1959 house and we've just began the renovation by changing all the piping. We have a long way to go yet. Our plan is exactly like yours, we'll keep the house as original as possible, with just a few changes, but keeping the original concept of the deceased architect. I really love the floor you installed and I appreciate if you can share the name of how it's called and a rough idea on the price you pay/sq ft. Congratulations!!! and also to Mr. Witthoefft!!!!
The house looks amazing. My wife and I just bought a modern house in Palm Springs that we are going to restore and after seeing what this house became we are encouraged. I am very interested in how you did the white flooring. Any details you would be willing to share would be so helpful. We loved the look of the floors. Great job guys! Thanks Greg
Congratulations Andrew and Todd for a job very well done! My wife and I have been looking for a house we can similarly restore. It sounds like there are others out there with similar projects / goals. Who wants to communicate online to share ideas, failures (to learn from) and successes (to learn even more from)?
I too would love details on the flooring (material and rough pricing). Thanks!
Also, I wondered what the size (width and length) of the living room/dining room are, and how high the ceilings are. You did such an amazingly beautiful job. Thanks.
This surely must have been a labor of love..the results of the restoration and enhancements are outstanding and a fitting tribute to the architect. Never realized how appreciative I was of this mid century style....you have further opened my eyes and made me mindful of the doctor's office I frequently visited as a child and how I put aside my fears of being examined as I reveled in an simple building with similar style....Yes the architecture is soothing to say the least. I can't help be reminded of the old construction toy I had as a young boy...the Kenner's Girder and Panel set that would cause me to create similar residential styles in a miniture scale. I hope you have an interest in finding a similiar second vacation home to lend your renovation talents to!
Answer to some questions: The white concrete floors - sub-floor is newly poured, scored concrete with a white epoxy coating on top. That gets sanded several times until smooth, cleaned and topped with a clear, non-yellowing laquer for shine & strength. It wasn't an easy process as we went through a couple contractors until one got it right. Time consuming and held up other parts of the restoration, like kitchen island construction. Not 100% perfect in the end but it's beautiful in person. Almost looks like the original floor with imperfections. Very easy to keep clean and so durable. Don't even want to calculate the cost by the time it was all said & done! The living/dining area is roughly 25' wide by 35 ' long. Ceilings are about 10 ' high. Thank you very much for the interest and compliments.
MOD MEN:...what a shame a floor plan was not included. To feature an article on an iconic home by a world renowned architect and not show his organization of space through a floor plan is to not provide a very complete overview of this home.
hi david campbell - check out the february issue of dwell for the floorplan that accompanied the feature on the witthoefft house. it was included in the story. enjoy. andrew. ps [arthur witthoefft was tickled when you entitled him "world renowned architect" - thank you]
I keep coming back to look at the great job you did on this beautiful house. This is mid-century modern at its best. Question - what windows did you use? They complete the house.
Hi Bernie - thank you for you interest in our house. The windows were custom fabricated by Arcadia, supplied & installed by ATM Glass in Ossining New York. Best, Andrew.
Bravo, gentlemen! You deserve this recognition and probably a medal ( cultural achievement, maybe? ) for having such passion and perseverance on this project. Thank you.
Hello everyone, Andrew, We where the ones who finally got it right as Andrew stated. The process is a poured resinous floor with a couple coats of polyaspartic top coat sealer. Epoxy on its own yellows so a good polyurethane or polyaspartic sealer is what helps protect from uv, stain and scratch resistance. On bare concrete its important to diamond grind and clean the concrete well to ensure proper bonding. In this project we just re coated and sealed properly. Typical cost for a poured resinous floor like on this project, depending on the current condition on the slab can start at $8 per sqft and can go up if there needs water proofing or concrete needs more attention. We can install over wood or tile as well.
I recently picked up a copy of a Progressive Architecture magazine from May, 1962, at a local library sale. Lo and behold on page 145 was an article about titled Doctrine in Steel. Pretty interesting to read about it as it was recognized as an "uncompromising architectural statement" even when new.
Would love to get a copy of the Progressive Architecture May 1962 Magazine issue. Any ideas of how to find/obtain a copy?
Amazing and simple. Where did you get the architectural pottery? It looks great!!
Loved your place in Dwell and just came across it again in their Kitchens edition. Any chance you might share the details on the teal blue paint used in the kitchen area? Looks perfect! Thanks in advance ...
Pottery came from Vessel in San Diego. architecturalpottery.com. Kitchen paint is Lake Blue by Benjamin Moore.
Thanks Dwell, Andrew and Todd. Looks like another great space and location match. The top of this article was the fireplace for me, as i have a similar situation with a fireplace between dinning and living room. Was just going to demo, so i guess you just cost me some bucks. The home is in the California desert and we have never used the fireplace, so if it comes out anywhere near yours i'll change it to feature instead of a place.
Beautiful job! We're in the process of restoration/adding to our home and this is great! Where did you purchase the island hood? Could you provide the price as well? Thanks for your responses. They are all very helpful. Hope you are enjoying this diamond!
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