TOP MCM HOMES TO ROAD TRIP TO THIS SUMMER — PART THREE
Benjamin Ehinger
In the past two parts of this blog series, we have covered MCM homes for your road trip in the southwest and the northeast sections of the country. This post will focus on the Midwest, as there are several great mid-century modern homes to enjoy throughout the mid-west region of the United States.
Since Frank Lloyd Wright worked out of Chicago and designed many buildings throughout the city, his architecture will be found all throughout this list. There are several properties designed by Wright on this list and you can certainly turn your road trip into a Frank Lloyd Wright road trip if you head to the Midwest.
Midwest (Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Minnesota, and Iowa)
Taking a road trip to the Midwest will give you the ability to see several great MCM homes throughout the area. Here’s a closer look at some of the top options you’ll find throughout the Midwest.
Stockman House in Mason City, IA (1908)
Located in a city well-known for incredible architecture, the Stockman House is found in Mason City, Iowa. It was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and offers a wonderful look at MCM design within the area. Turs of the home are available and times do change throughout the year. You can take a tour of just the Stockman House, or enjoy an architectural tour showing off other homes and buildings within the area.
Taliesin in Spring Green, WI (1911)
Another home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, Taliesin offers the home, studio, school, and estate of Frank Lloyd Wright. It’s found in the Driftless Region of Wisconsin and the home covers 37,000 square feet of space.
Taliesin has been designated as a National Historic Landmark and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Enjoy a house tour and/or a Hillside Studio & Theater Tour. Several other tour options are available throughout the year, as well.
Frank Lloyd Wright Home & Studio in Chicago, IL (1889/1898)
The City of Chicago offers many MCM homes and buildings designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. His home and studio are just one of the many you can tour throughout the area.
However, the Wright home and studio offer one of the first looks at his experimental design concepts and philosophy. This is where Prairie style architecture was born and taking a tour of the home and studio certainly makes for one of the better MCM road trips within the area.
Miller House in Columbus, IN (1953)
A unique MCM home found in Indiana, the Miller House was built in 1953. This home was more recently opened for tours and you can even enjoy a daylong symposium about the house.
The house was a collaboration by three designers including Eero Saarinen as the architect, Dan Kiley as the garden designer, and Alexander Girard as the interior designer. If you want to see some rather unique interiors in an MCM home, this is the one to visit on your road trip this summer.
Dymaxion House/Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, MI (1946)
An aluminum house of the future designed by R. Buckminster Fuller, the Dymaxion House was created to be the lightest, strongest, and most cost-effective home built. It has become a centerpiece as the Henry Ford Museum and some believe it looks much like a large Hershey’s Kiss.
The home has been restored and it remains as the only prototype left in the world of this type of concept.
Weltzheimer/Johnson House in Oberlin, OH (1949)
Open to the public for visits on the first Sunday of each month from April to November, you can enjoy one of the coolest MCM homes in Ohio. The Weltzheimer/Johnson house offers another design from Frank Lloyd Wright and was the first Usonian Home found in Ohio.
It’s located at Oberlin College just a few blocks from campus. The home was designed in 1947 and completed in 1949. It’s one of the few Usonian homes actually open to the public in the entire country.
Other MCM Homes to Road trip to in the Midwest
If you love the architecture and design of Frank Lloyd Wright, the Midwest is your oasis for a road trip. There are so many designs from Wright throughout this area that you could spend all summer long trying to see them all. Some of the other great MCM homes found in the Midwest include:
- Muirhead Farmhouse B&B in Hampshire, IL (Early 1950s)
- Fabyan Villa & Japanese Garden in Geneva, IL (1907)
- Dana-Thomas House in Springfield, IL (1940)
- Rolling Meadows Ranch in Rolling Meadows, IL (1953)
- Farnsworth House in Plano, IL (1951)
- Bradley House in Kankakee, IL (1900)
- Frank Lloyd Wright Walking Tour in Oak Park, IL
- Robie House in Chicago, IL (1910)
- Emil Bach House in Chicago, IL (1910)
- Alden B. Dow Home & Studio in Midland, MI (1941)
- Saarinen House in Bloomfield Hills, MI (1920s)
- Ohio Historical Society Lustron Home in Columbus, OH
- Winston Guest House in Owatonna, MN (1982)
Before planning your road trip, check the proximity of the homes from one another. You can easily drive to many of the homes in the Midwest without spending too much time on the road. Make sure to check with each location to find out when they offer tours, as well.
