by Michael R. Allen
The house at 1739 Ridgewood as “Five Star Home No. 2301″ in Better Homes and Gardens, January 1953; scan from Modern Ridgewood.
The vagaries of the recession have impacted the market for mid-century homes locally and further afield. In Crestwood’s mid-century modern treasure trove Ridgewood, the house at 1739 Ridgewood is current for sale at quite a bargain price. This house has a unique pedigree: it was one of the first four display homes completed by Burton Duenke and the Ridgewood house photographed for Better Homes & Gardens and House + Home‘s 1953 articles on the Ridgewood subdivision. (More St. Louis mid-century modern houses for sale can be found on the Modern STL website.)
Meanwhile, the New York Times‘ “Grist” column reports that two of Frank Lloyd Wright’s textile block houses in Los Angeles have sat on the market unsold. An offer on one of the houses comes from a buyer who wants to relocate the house to Japan!
