This story appeared in the June/July issue of PRC’s Preservation in Print magazine. Interested in getting more preservation stories like this delivered to your door? Become a member of the PRC for a subscription!
A trio of mid-century architectural marvels awaits tour-goers at the PRC’s MidMod Home Tour and Happy Hour on June 21. But the event celebrates more than just these three houses. It also recognizes the historic design of the entire Lake Vista neighborhood.
The planning of the neighborhood was revolutionary in its own right. Built during the 1930s on reclaimed land from Lake Pontchartrain, the residential development embraced the urban planning ideals of the Garden City movement, which stressed self-sustaining neighborhoods, concentric arrangements and abundant green space. At the center of the new neighborhood were civic and commercial functions — a shopping center, schools and churches — with residential streets, pedestrian lanes and linear parks radiating outwards.
In the prosperous years following World War II, the new lakefront neighborhood became a sandbox for architects to showcase and experiment with bold, modernist designs.
On June 21, PRC supporters will get the chance to explore three private residences designed by three of New Orleans’ most renowned mid-century architects — Nathaniel C. “Buster” Curtis Jr., Arthur Q. Davis and Albert C. Ledner. From their early successes in Lake Vista to later triumphs throughout the country, these three architects would leave an enduring architectural legacy.
After a five-year hiatus from our last Mid Mod home tour, we hope you’ll join us this summer to get a rare peek inside these privately owned modernist homes, all which have been expertly maintained and restored.
Explore the homes on tour:
Header image: [Swallow Street, 15, Lake Vista, New Orleans, LA. Kleinschmidt, Charles C., residence], Albert Ledner Office Records, SEAA-179, Southeastern Architectural Archive, Tulane University Special Collections.
Davis “Dee” Allen is PRC’s Communications Associate and a staff writer for Preservation in Print.
