A Midcentury Night’s Dream
Fans of modernist architecture know that there is much to be appreciated in Westchester County, where talented designers like Frank Lloyd Wright and Philip Johnson have created beautiful spaces for generations. From Bauhaus to Brutalist, midcentury modern and other styles in between, the area boasts a landscape rich with modernist residences, houses of worship, and commercial and institutional buildings alike: the Usonia neighborhood in Pleasantville, Katonah Art Museum, Hastings-on-Hudson Public Library, and the former New York Telephone Building in White Plains to name just a few.
What is not well known, however, are the designers whose creativity and expertise shaped these places. While Usonia’s Frank Lloyd Wright is a household name, those that contributed more heavily to the designs of the homes—David Henken, Aaron Resnick, and Kaneji Domoto for example—are certainly not. And arguably Edward Larrabee Barnes (Katonah Art Museum), William Switzer (Hastings Library), and Haines Lundberg Waehler (New York Telephone Building) are not either. Add to that list dozens more architects of the era who designed hundreds of homes and other buildings in Westchester whose names are typically only recognized by the most avid of enthusiasts.
The cultural heritage nonprofit Histoury aims to do something about that. Since 2023, the organization has been creating and guiding an annual tour of modernist homes in various locales in the county: the first featured homes in Pound Ridge; in 2024 their tour focused on Dobb Ferry, Hastings, and Ardsley; and this past March they toured homes in Briarcliff Manor. With the mission to promote the appreciation and preservation of these historic buildings, they have worked with homeowners to bring tour guests inside homes by some of these “neglected” designers such as Henken, Martin Lowenfish, Vuko Tashkovich, and Ferdinand Gottlieb. “Bringing attention to these designers and better understanding their lives and careers can play a critical role in preserving their work. Our tours are a unique way to introduce or further connect people to their legacies,” notes Histoury’s founder Georgette Blau.
This summer, Histoury will be hosting their first A Midcentury Night’s Dream event to celebrate the architect Roy Sigvard Johnson, who spent most of his decades-long career creating exceptional homes in Westchester County from at least 1950, when he organized his own practice after working for the acclaimed architect Edward Durrell Stone. The reception will take place from 5:30 PM to 7 PM on Sunday, August 10, and include cocktails and hors d’oeuvres in a stunning Johnson-designed home in Armonk.
The fundraiser will help to further Histoury’s work to preserve historic architecture throughout Westchester and other areas of New York, as well as communities in New England. “We’ve seen hundreds of examples of beautiful buildings that sadly get torn down, from centuries-old colonials to midcentury gems,” says Histoury’s Allison Casazza. “Raising awareness about them and their significance can change that. In spite of midcentury modern architecture’s popularity, these homes are not always valued by their new owners. They are buying the land, not the home. If there was a better understanding of the impressive portfolios these architects developed throughout their careers, the homes would be better appreciated.”
Another challenge: modernist homes are often nestled in off-the-beaten path subdivisions or intentionally worked into the landscape so as to be unseen from the road. “Over time people aren’t aware of their presence in their community,” she adds. Add to that the lack of formal research and documentation. “This is vastly few and far between for modernist homes. It’s often another important piece of preservation success stories,” Casazza says. “Another missing component is archives of these designers, those would greatly help elevate how talented and significant they were.”
To that end, A Midcentury’s Night Dream will include a special handing-off of original architectural drawings for a home Johnson designed in Briarcliff Manor to Westchester County Historical Society (WCHS). Blau notes, “A fair number of these drawings when it comes to midcentury homes get passed down to each new owner. We have been truly fortunate to connect with so many lovely homeowners that open up their doors for our tours, and this particular couple delighted us when they gifted us these drawings. We want them to have a safe and permanent home, and reached out to the historical society to see if they could provide that. Everyone got on board; it’s our first step of what we hope to be many more that gets these important documents secure and available to the public in perpetuity.”
Barbara Davis, co-director of the society adds: “WCHS is delighted to accept the Roy Johnson drawings. WCHS collects, preserves and makes accessible materials pertaining to the history of Westchester County and advocates for the preservation of the county’s rich architectural heritage. The drawings that document the work of Roy Johnson will be a significant addition to the WCHS collection, as his modernist designs transformed a number of residential neighborhoods in the county.”
More details and registration for A Midcentury Night’s Dream can be found at histoury.org. Space is limited. For more information, email info@histoury.org or call 212-683-1961.