This post is part of a monthly series that explores the historical applications of building materials and systems through resources from the Building Technology Heritage Library, an online collection of AEC catalogs, brochures, trade publications, and more. The BTHL is a project of the Association for Preservation Technology, an international building preservation organization. Read more about the archive here.
The popularity of Midcentury Modern design lends itself to an extended look into the holdings of the Building Technology Heritage Library. The BTHL documents largely end in 1963, but quite a few trade catalogs for house plans, building elements, and furniture showcase the post-World War II era style. Catalogs often feature the latest designs at the front and traditional items toward the back. One gem from the collection is a furniture catalog from Knoll International that presents the furniture designs of American architecture icon and entrepreneur Florence Knoll alongside other modern architects.
Many of the featured documents feature residential buildings, but the most noteworthy document for nonresidential buildings is a 1947 publication from the Brick and Tile Institute that showcases masonry buildings from across the country. The documents for kitchens and bathrooms also reveal that trade literature was popular for both new construction and renovation. Kitchen and bath remodeling was—and still is—a huge part of the residential marketplace. Other details of the era, such as flooring and wall paneling, could be easily added to a space to create a fresh and modern look. One particularly popular catalog from this era features vacation homes filled with bold geometry and colorful wall planes in a distinctly Midcentury style.
Brick and Tile as Utilized in Modern American Architecture, Ohio Brick and Tile Institute, Columbus, Ohio, 1947
This publication features brick buildings from across the nation, many of which fit the Midcentury Modern style. The publication is organized into six different building types: churches, commercial, hospitals, industrial, residential, and schools. The residential example includes a Chicago exhibition home with exposed brick masonry, a trend that would become more common by the 1970s.
Furniture Forum: A Handbook of Contemporary Design, ed. Vol. 1, No. 1., Hollis Christensen, Los Angeles, 1949
The BTHL also includes furniture and furnishings catalogs. This the first issue of the Furniture Forum, an important showcase for modern furniture from some of the leading architects and furniture designers of the day, including Alvar Aalto, Charles Eames, Herman Miller, and Knoll Associates. Furniture, light fixtures, fabrics, and accessories are all included, presenting a comprehensive portrait of Midcentury Modern design.
Your Kitchen and You: St. Charles Kitchens, St. Charles Manufacturing Co., St. Charles, Ill., 1950
The era of the pink kitchen cabinet was fairly short-lived, but during their heyday pink cabinets could be found in both metal and wood. White kitchen cabinets were the most popular color from the 1930s through the 1960s, but consumers had other color options.
Today’s Woman Low Cost Homes, Fawcett Books, Greenwich, Conn., 1954
This 1954 publication features designs and completed houses by architect Egil Hermonovski, who practiced in New York and Connecticut. His decidedly Modernistic house designs take up the first half of the book, with more Traditional designs in the second half. The bold perspective drawings often highlight the striking roof profiles of his Modernist designs.
Pabco Floors for the Young at Heart, Pabco Products, San Francisco, 1956
This California company had an extensive line of resilient floor coverings in both sheet form and tiles. The opening pages feature inlaid linoleum marketed as PABCO California Originals with bold geometric patterns on “stone like” backgrounds. A great variety of motifs were inspired by mottle stone and striated textures.
The Light Idea: Virden Lighting, John C. Virden Co., Cleveland, 1959
The Midcentury Modern movement certainly had its impact in the design of light fixtures. This catalog features both Modernist and Traditional designs. The Modernist designs had both a “sputnik and starburst” inspiration.
New Adventure in Bathroom Designing with Briggs Compatible Colors, Briggs Manufacturing Co., Warren, Mich., c. 1960
This plumbing fixture catalog features a wide range of colors, including coral, sandstone, sky blue, autumn yellow, sea green, and pearl gray. The integrated “Briggs Beaty Wheel” would showcase compatible colors for the fixtures, tile, walls, floors, and countertops.
Second Homes for Leisure Living, Douglas Fir Plywood Association, Tacoma, Wash., c. 1960
This compilation of vacation homes features Modernist designs that could be constructed with plywood. The colorful perspective drawings of exteriors and interiors are bold in both their design and use of brightly colored panels.
Catalog of Plywood, Weyerhaeuser Co., Tacoma, Wash., 1961
Plywood for architectural uses began appearing in the 1930s. By the 1960s this material was both a framing and finish system available in a number of different woods and finishes. The catalog includes “Texture One-Eleven,” a “highly distinctive vertical siding and interior paneling plywood with grooving.” The material was widely used in the 1960s and 1970s.
Knoll International: Planung, Möbel, Textilien, Knoll, 1962
This international Knoll catalog, written in German, is filled with modern furniture, starting with designs by Eero Saarinen, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, and Florence Knoll. This catalog has more than 110 pages of furniture and textiles for the home and office.
