Historic Roots

Origins of the Eichlers and other mid-century modern homes

Swizzles with Sizzle
From the swingin' sixties to your living room bar—sticks of joy that stir it up as a cocktail's best friend
Winning Ways
Studio potter turned retail giant—lifelong San Franciscan Win Ng pioneered abstract ceramics and artful merchandising
Visions of the Future
Right or wrong, mid-century predictions about life ahead in the 21st century are now fascinating—and amusing
Caressing Spirit
Pioneering Black modernist Art Smith designed his mid-century jewelry to move with the body—like jazz
Houseful of Halloween
Haunting mid-century traditions continue to inspire—and spook—new generations
That Golden Glow
Seventy years ago today—fast-food king McDonald's put the 'arch' in 'architecture'
Hot Dog Express
When Oscar Mayer's awe-inspiring Wienermobile took mid-century America on the ride of their lives
Winner's Circle
Falling for houses in the round—offbeat living outside the 'box'
First and Foremost
In the beginning…these were the earliest modern tracts ever built in the United States
Bells of Wonder
When architect Paolo Soleri was swayed by the wind along the path of organic modernism
Echoes of 'Little Boxes'
On its 60th anniversary—the provocative 1960s folk song that tainted the suburban way of life
Sophisticats
How the feline form in the mid-century evoked a cool yet spiritual persona with an aura of mystery
It Takes Two
Cultured couples of California's mid-century who doubled down as partners in love and lifework
It Starts with a Spark
How psychologists of the 1950s probed the minds and creative core of Eichler Homes' two chief architects
Lords of the Lens
8 great architectural photographers—mid-century California was their domain
If Glass Walls Could Talk
Behind a new book, author steers us back to the 1960s and her life filled with magic, mayhem and Eichlers
Downtown in Style
As times were a-changing, San Francisco's department stores played a starring role in mid-century fashion design
The Re-uppers
For many raised 'modern' as children, no other house feels like home today
Life on the Line
When Joe Eichler swayed starry-eyed Los Altos owners with a 'promise' of the national spotlight
Diamonds of the West
How modernist architecture of the mid-century impacted the look, openness and siting of California's big-league ballparks