Vacation at an MCM Classic - Page 2

Were these present-day ‘home rentals’ true inspirations for Joe Eichler’s career path?
By Dave Weinstein
CA Modernist
Weidlinger house: touch of European modernism. Photo courtesy Cape Cod Modern House Trust

Just as Joe Eichler was entering the field, modernist pioneer Le Corbusier (1887‐1955) watched as his ten‐story Unite d'Habitation rose in Marseilles, France, a 'vertical garden city' for 1,600 residents with a communal garden on the roof.

Unlike the homes of Wright and Eichler, which sought to disguise the distinction between interior and exterior spaces with level entries and ground‐floor gardens, Corbusier often designed homes on pillars, called 'piloti,' elevating them above the ground. His machine aesthetic also differs from the woodsy warmth often found in the work of Wright, or of Eichler.

Experience the difference next time you're in France by staying at this building, now serving as the Hôtel Le Corbusier.

 

CA Modernist
The Wolfhouse: Philip Johnson minimalism. Photo courtesy the Wolfhouse

You can also experience a touch of European modernism in the laidback atmosphere of the Cape Cod National Seashore, in Wellfleet, Massachusetts, by spending a few nights at the Weidlinger house, created by the exiled Hungarian engineer Paul Weidlinger (1914‐1999) and influenced by his friend, architect Marcel Breuer, whose own home is on the other side of a pond.

Weidlinger worked with Le Corbusier before fleeing Europe during the World War II, and later taught at MIT and Harvard. Your stay at the Weidlinger house benefits the Cape Cod Modern House Trust, which had rescued the derelict home and helped restore it.

This simple Weidlinger home “serves as a hovering platform for viewing nature,” the trust writes.


CA Modernist
Philip Johnson's 'Glass House': $30,000‐per‐night splurge. Photo courtesy Michael Biondo

Perhaps no American architect of the mid‐20th century adopted the minimalist look as thoroughly as Philip Johnson (1906‐2005), who invented the term 'International Style' and whose Benjamin Wolf house, in Newburgh, N.Y., an hour from Manhattan, is available for rental. It is also used as an art space.

Not as radically minimal as Johnson's 'Glass House' from 1948, the 1949 Wolfhouse is an elegant modern box, recently restored, and with a view of the Hudson River besides.

At one point, the Glass House itself was available for nightly rentals—for $30,000 a night, a splurge that one might indulge in as a donation to its owner, the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Get ready for this experience if it becomes available again!