1950. American Home - Forecast House - display home built by Highland Park Lions Club

 

We call this our "Forecast House" because: (1) it reflects the trend toward informal living, (2) it has been oriented on the site to take the best advantage of a typical suburban lot, (3) the decoration and architecture have been skillfully correlated to create a unified effect, and (4) the living areas have been kept at a maximum, and the sleeping areas and halls cut to a minimum in a high-cost building era when cubic space must be cut down. Built by the Highland Park Lions Club to raise money for civic projects, and designed by Architect James Duncan with interiors by Decorator Marion Heuer this house is the product of real teamwork. The architect and the decorator worked closely together throughout the project to produce a highly livable and attractive house, designed for suburbia. The house has a spacious indoor living room and a protected patio for outdoor living. The kitchen and dining areas flow together to give a sweep of almost 29 ft. and are divided only by an angled breakfast bar. The "L"-shaped working surface in the kitchen is arranged for maximum convenience, and the utility room doubles as a laundry with plenty of space for deep storage shelves. 'The house is built with radiant heating coils in the poured-concrete slab floor using circulating hot water from either a gas- or oil-fired boiler. Bedrooms are planned In the best modern way: they are isolated from the rest of the house to assure a maximum of privacy and quiet. Both have two built-in closets, and one also has space for a built-in dresser. The bathroom is conveniently located between the two bedrooms, and as with the rest of the house, shows good planning in a compact area. The bathtub is partitioned into a nook of its own by a fluted glass wall, and the plans call for built-in overhead lighting and a good-sized wall mirror over the linoleum-topped counter and washbasin. The house is located on the lot so that the living areas and open glass walls are protected from the street. Seen from the outside, you'll find that the bevel siding, painted yellow, and the large expanses of natural brick form a most appealing sight. 

Forecast House features a 24x15 ft. living room that can be made even larger if the hinged louver door to the study is folded back out of the way. The natural finish on the panelled walls and ceiling harmonizes with the massive stone fireplace. The glass window wall at the other end of the room adds to the feeling of spaciousness. Throughout, the architect and the decorator worked together to produce a special sympathy between furnishings and background, and modern and provincial fit together in good taste.