Modernist house saved from demolition - Front Page - Brief Article

A 1938 home in Old Westbury, N.Y., designed by Edward Durrell Stone, architect of the Museum of Modern Art's 1937 building, has been saved from demolition, largely due to the efforts of the World Monuments Fund (WMF), along with the Society for the Preservation of Long Island Antiquities (SPLIA) and the Preservation League of New York State (PLNYS). Built for MOMA's first president, the flat-roofed Conger Goodyear House is made of concrete and brick, with floor-to-ceiling glass walls. Described as more luxurious than most austere modern dwellings, the house reveals the influence of International Style architects like Mies van der Rohe, whom Stone met while traveling in Europe on a study grant.

The Goodyear family gave the house to the Long Island Institute of Technology in the late '70s. In the mid-'90s, the school sold the house and its 75 acres of surrounding land to the Wheatley Construction Company, but without arranging for its future preservation. While developing much of the site's acreage for luxury homes, Wheatley used the house as project headquarters and had planned to tear it down to make way for more new construction. About a year and a half ago, SPLIA got involved and tried to convince Wheatley to list the house with a broker instead of leveling it; the company was reportedly asking $1.6 million, the average price of the homes they are constructing.

Despite efforts by architectural preservationists, the village of Old Westbury denied the house landmark status. As a result, the WMF placed it on its roster of 100 most endangered sites, an annual watch list that has helped save numerous structures or locations with cultural or historical significance. A temporary restraining order issued on Oct. 22 prevented immediate demolition of the Goodyear house, and on Oct. 26 it was announced that a buyer had been found who would preserve it. Caroline Rob Zaleski of SPLIA said that the structure's inclusion on the WMF watch list was a crucial step toward saving it. In a highly unusual move, the WMF has even guaranteed to purchase the house if the buyer backs out. The sale was to be finalized in mid-November, after this issue went to press.

COPYRIGHT 2001 Brant Publications, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2001 Gale Group