Step inside historic homes with Histoury, Historical Tours by Design, to learn about one of Westchester’s “hidden” midcentury modern neighborhoods in Ardsley, NY. The tour will be led by White Plains architect, Sara Rait-Marko, AIA.

The belief that aesthetics, practicality, and affordability could be simultaneously achieved was a major driving force behind the construction of many midcentury modern houses. Around the country, cooperative groups made up of architects, engineers, and other design professionals were formed to create small communities of new homes that brought this vision to life through their collective experience and enthusiasm. In Ardsley, Twenty-One Acres Cooperative was formed in 1948 by a group of young families who wanted a fresh start. It included architects like Roy S. Johnson and Fred M. Ginsbern. Together they created a neighborhood of 13 homes that incorporated the same economical construction techniques but were also customized by each family in their layout and material choices. The new neighborhood was featured in a 1952 issue of Progressive Architecture.

From a 1990s New York Times article: ”’We were looking for interesting terrain in a wooded area with natural boundaries and no through traffic,” said Stanley Torkelsen, who is still a working architect and living in the house he and the group helped design…The result is one of the most unusual developments in Westchester. For the most part, low-slung wooden houses sit unobtrusively on heavily landscaped property. The houses practically disappear in the foliage.”

Many of these homes stand today and maintain the spirit of this exciting era. Interior stops include the home built for the Ginsberns, another which has been in the same family since the early 1950s, and the Ullman House (shown here when it was featured in Progressive Architecture and updated interior pics).

Sunday October 5, Two times: 1:00–3:00pm and 3:30–5:30pm
Ardsley, NY
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