A Guide to Maintaining Your Mid-Century Modern Home

Fleenor, Michael; Cilento, Shannon

From the introduction: "In the City of Cleveland, mid-century architecture can be found in the outer limits of the City. To the west, large ranches were built along Lake Avenue and Edgewater Drive Edgewater, in large tracts in Bellaire Puritas and Westown and interspersed with older neighborhoods in Kamm's Corner and Riverside. To the South, there are mid-century neighborhoods near the Zoo along the Metro Parks and bordering Parma. To the east, mid-century apartment buildings and a few neighborhoods were built along Lakeshore Boulevard in North Collinwood. In Lee-Harvard, perhaps the most intact collection of single-family homes, apartment buildings, school and churches from the period form a 'suburb in the City.' The suburban small homes of the mid-century post-war era came to represent the 'American Dream.' Popular magazines touted the small home as the best and even fashionable. The house evolved from a place to sleep and eat into a social space. An emphasis was placed on the backyard as an area for social gatherings and quality family time. The small ranch and Cape Cod home in their suburban neighborhood setting is a physical representation of mid-century ideals, values, and design, which is why their preservation is so important. The purpose of this guide is to educate homeowners on the character-defining features of their midcentury homes, as well as the routine maintenance and repair of those features. The following guidelines are suggested methods that fit a broad array of conservation situations, but it is important to assess your home's needs on a case-by-case basis to determine which treatment is best." Project funding was provided in part by a Historic Preservation Fund grant to the Ohio History Connection, Historic Preservation Office, administered by the State, Tribal, and Local Plans and Grants Division, National Park Service, U.S. Department of Interior (grant number P16AF00009).

A Guide to Maintaining Your Mid-Century Modern Home

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