Looking for Mr Breuer

Housing the post-war baby-boom families was a big deal for mid-century modern Architects, and so it was with barely contained glee that I approached moving to one of the bedroom communities of New York City that fostered such groundbreaking homes.

Two cherished childhood memories collided when I discovered that Marcel Breuer had built a home for famed textile designer Vera Neumann and her husband George in Croton-on-Hudson in 1953. After a little bit of poking around on the web and a couple of days poking around town in the car, I discovered the house.

The current owners are former employees of Ms Neumann, and the house is kept impeccably well, being furnished with wonderful period pieces. The local school board even included the house on a fund raising tour of modern homes, which I unfortunately found out about too late to participate in.

But this gem was not Mr Breuer’s only, or even first commission in Croton. He’d previously built a house for Jacob and Ruth Marshad in 1950. In his book Breuer Houses, Joachim Driller describes the house as

“A ‘long house’ without a supporting plinth. The large wall of windows in the living room is broken up by the fireplace, which projects outward.”

Much to my chagrin, the Marshad house has become somewhat of a chimera for me. I’ve yet to locate it, or even to find any real information pertaining to it.

In Tom Anderson’s blog Modern Houses in New Canaan & Pound Ridge “anonymous” commented

“I loved reading about the modern 50’s homes around Pound Ridge and New Canaan. Marcel Bruer designed my parents home in Croton on Hudson,N.Y., in the late 40’s. He often came by , unannounced to see how we were. He was a wonderful man. We went to his home in New Canaan, he had a beautiful Calder mobile hanging. Thanks for the memories!!!!!!”

Just enough to keep my appetite whetted for this house hunter’s Holy Grail.

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