Living with art: a Michigan modernist gem regains its raison d’être
Michigan was a hub for modernist architecture in the mid-20th century, particularly the then-booming industrial centre of Detroit. The Motor City became home to architects likes Eero Saarinen and Minoru Yamasaki, and furniture makers Steelcase and Herman Miller weren’t too far away, in West Michigan.
Now, a hidden gem of modernist architecture by the lesser-known William Kessler is being rediscovered in the suburban town of Grosse Pointe, thanks to a benefit auction and group exhibition. Organised by the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit in conjunction with Library Street Collective, ‘Unobstructed Views’ presents a site-specific installation with works of 34 artists at the W Hawkins Ferry House.
Designed in 1962 by Kessler (who studied under Bauhaus founder Walter Gropius and worked at Yamasaki’s firm), the historic house boasts dramatic views over the Lake St Clair, ten miles northeast of Detroit, and is named after his former owner – the late architecture historian, arts patron and all-round socialite, W Hawkins Ferry (who had commissioned Kessler specifically to display his art collection amid the scenic environment).
‘We learned most of what we know about the specific details of the house through the process of restoration,’ explains Anthony Curis, founder of the Detroit gallery Library Street Collective, who purchased the house in 2015 with his wife JJ. ‘We were met with surprise at every turn, uncovering the original walnut doors in the basement crawlspace, as well as an entire set of replacement pavers for the patio designed by artist Glen Michaels,’ he continues.
One of the most impressive elements of the house is the grand staircase, constructed on a single, grounded pedestal with undulating steps of granite terrazzo. Contrasting with this colossal feature is the delicate use of piano wires attached to stainless stanchions to create nearly invisible second floor balconies.
The installation is accessible to the public by appointment until 10 August and features works by established artists like Mike Kelley, KAWS and Paul Kremer, as well as more emerging ones such as Willie Wayne Smith. It launches with a benefit auction this Thursday 27 July, with all proceeds going towards MOCAD’s programme (bids may be placed online through Paddle8).
It was in a 1969 issue of House Beautiful magazine that a critic described the home’s ‘unobstructed views’ over art and scenery to be at the heart of Kessler’s design. Now, half a century later, this design has regained its raison d’être.
INFORMATION
‘Unobstructed Views’ is on view until 10 August, by appointment only. For more information, visit the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit website
ADDRESS
W Hawkins Ferry House
Grosse Pointe Shores
Michigan
Wallpaper* Newsletter + Free Download
For a free digital copy of August Wallpaper*, celebrating Creative America, sign up today to receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories
-
‘Hedonistic and avant-garde’: Rabanne’s Julian Dossena on the legacy of the chainmail 1969 bag
Paco Rabanne’s 1969 chainmail handbag encapsulates the late designer’s futuristic, space-age style. Current creative director Julien Dossena tells Wallpaper* about the bag’s particular pleasures
By Jack Moss Published
-
Postcard from Paris: Olympic fever takes over the streets
On the eve of the opening ceremony of Paris 2024, our correspondent shares her views from the streets of the capital about how the event is impacting the urban landscape.
By Minako Norimatsu Published
-
The Mercury Prize nominees for 2024 have been revealed
Charli XCX, The Last Dinner Party and Beth Gibbons are amongst this year's nominees
By Charlotte Gunn Published
-
IM Pei's Everson Museum of Art gets a modern makeover
The East Wing of the Everson Museum of Art in Syracuse, NY has been given a contemporary refresh by emerging Los Angeles studio MILLIØNS
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Black Modernism’s lesser-known, at-risk architecture gems gain a lifeline
Conserving Black Modernism announces vital funding to save and preserve overlooked and endangered buildings by African American architects and designers
By Bridget Downing Published
-
Step into the Blanton Museum of Art's reimagined public realm by Snøhetta in Austin
Blanton Museum of Art in Austin, Texas is completed and reveals its reimagined public realm and plaza designed by Snøhetta
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
This New York Townhouse renovation is a lesson in contemporary minimalism
TenBerke’s carefully considered New York townhouse is the reimagining of a century-old Manhattan structure that reframes vertical living
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Visit The Frost House, a lesser-known modernist architecture marvel in Michigan City
The Frost House is a lesser-known midcentury architecture gem in Michigan City, Indiana; we took the tour as the property goes on the market
By Audrey Henderson Published
-
Broadway designer Scott Pask’s Arizona retreat is a scene-stealing discovery
Scott Pask invites us inside his Arizona retreat, nestled in the foothills overlooking Tucson – a place to reboot, recharge and commune with nature
By Michael Webb Published
-
Upstate New York retreat Ridge House evokes land art
Ridge House in upstate New York, the work of Brooklyn-based studio Worrell Yeung, is at one with the surrounding countryside
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Rafael de Cárdenas’ first ground-up project is a forever home with waterfront views and hidden treasures
Rafael de Cárdenas reveals his latest completed project in the Pacific Northwest, a family home of calming spaces that bleed the outside in, and ten years in the making
By Ellie Stathaki Published