In Love with a ‘Case Study’ - Page 2

Cord and Alfonso's attraction to the home proved more than skin deep. They wondered about it. Why did it look the way it did? Had it always looked that way? What sorts of trials and travails had beset their home over the years?

They reached out to Thorne himself, but never heard back. Thorne died within two years of their buying the home. They spoke to members of Thorne's family; to the last editor of Arts & Architecture; and to the Ketcham family, who were happy to reminisce but had few photos showing their life in the home.

"If we could see photos from the '80s, I would like to collect them to really see how it developed and to really see what's original, what was changed later," Cord says.

One change: the steel beams, once a sort of gold bronze in tone, today are white. Otherwise there are few changes. Cord and Alfonso made some minor modifications: removing a door to the kitchen, changing some flooring. But all in all, the home is much as Thorne had designed it.

The steel has held up well over 60‐plus years, Cord says. Not a pane of glass has broken. The radiant heat still works fine.

"It's not your typical American architecture," Cord says of the home. "It really expresses the [steel] structure." He adds: "Because of the steel, you can have this big, open floor plan without columns."

The main effect of the steel structure, its owners say, is light, which infuses the house through a glass wall lookout over a valley, and high clerestory windows that bring in light from all sides.

Alfonso says: "The light that we have right now, it helps you to do things much better. I mean, read better, cook better, work better."

Learning about Thorne's architecture and the detailing of his homes also provides added enjoyment to living in the home. Cord and Alfonso go out of their way to find original, or original‐looking, lights and other detailing when things needs to be replaced.

"If you have a mid‐century modern house, research it," Cord advises. "Never give up."