Philip Johnson's Alice Ball House Endangered

If you have $3 million you can help save Johnson's Alice Ball House in New Canaan, Conn. The current owner tells the New York Times that if she can't turn the the 1953 1,773 sq. ft. house into a pool house or sell the property, she will knock it down. The 6 bedroom, 3 bath home sits on more than two acres. The CT Trust for Historic Preservation is urging the owner, Christine Ross, who is an architect, to scale back her plans and is warning her that bad press will likely result if she destroys the house.

Selling MCM Homes as Art

With the iconic Kaufmann House by Richard Neutra selling for $15 million at a recent Christie’s auction, the Wall Street Journal reports on the emerging trend of selling real estate as art. The other mid-century modern property up on the auction block recently—Louis Kahn’s Esherick House in Philadelphia— did not get any bidders at its auction this past weekend.

Mod Atomic Ranch Flickr Pool

More than 800 images of cool MCM homes, furniture, art and house plans for your viewing pleasure.

Preservation's Modernism Issue; The 'White City' of Tel Aviv

Check out the new issue of Preservation, the magazine of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which focuses on modernism. Paul Goldberger, the architecture critic of The New Yorker and a trustee of the National Trust, highlights why it so important to preserve buildings from the recent past in his Modernist Manifesto.

Other articles highlight the architecture of Palm Springs and Tel Aviv, known as White City because of the concentration of 4,000 Bauhuas buildings. In 2003, UNESCO recognized Tel Aviv as a World Heritage site. I was just there and had a chance to tour the city. If you go, check out the Buahaus Center for tours, maps and books. Also, make sure to see the recently opened Bauhaus Museum. The first exhibition includes original furniture, graphics, lamps, and glass and ceramic ware, by Mies van der Rohe, Marcel Breuer, Christian Bell, Wilhelm Wagenfeld and others. Unfortunately, when I stopped by it was closed.

Knoll Space Annual Sale - May 2-11

If you're planning on buying anything from Knoll, put your credit card away. At least until May 2, when the Knoll Space Annual Sale kicks off. It runs through May 11.

Clothes for your Tiny Modern Snob

Cool clothes from tinymodernist on Etsy. Wearing the designs of Charles and Ray Eames and Arne Jacobsen are perfect for scouting out all those MCM open houses on Sunday.

FrontDoor's Modern Primer; Rudolph for Sale

A short modern architecture primer and video from HGTV's FrontDoor Real Estate.

FrontDoor also highlights mid-century properties for sale in Palm Springs, Atlanta and Florida, the Cohen House by Paul Rudolph in Siesta Key. Not sure if the others are still for sale, but the Rudolph is. The price has dropped from $1.6 million to $1.58 million.