Five Mid-Century Modern homes in Terre Haute will be featured on the tenth annual Back to The Future: A Mid-Century Modern Home Tour on June 3 presented by Indiana Modern, an Indiana Landmarks affinity group. From 1 to 6 p.m., visitors will see inside unique private residences, including a home by Keck & Keck, a Chicago firm whose founder George Fred Keck designed the glass House of Tomorrow for the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair.

3403 Ohio Boulevard

Susan Beeson grew up in Terre Haute and moved here with her husband Richard after they retired in 2012 from teaching careers in Peru, Indiana. The couple was immediately sold on the Ohio Boulevard house, designed by civil engineer Jack Wood in 1956 to be “ultra-modern in every detail”. The Beesons love the brick accent wall with a three-sided fireplace that partially separates the living and dining rooms, the airy openness of the spaces, high ceilings, and light from the expanses of glass.

3505 Ohio Boulevard

Vicki Weger and her late husband Ted Elbert moved from Chicago after they snagged the Juliet Peddle-designed house that Vicki had loved since she was a girl growing up in Terre Haute. The first licensed female architect in Indiana, Peddle worked closely with Dr. Malachi and Edea Topping on the design of the 1960 Contemporary, using landscaping and the common Mid-Century Modern design feature of a nearly solid main façade wall to ensure privacy, given the corner location on the busy Ohio Boulevard.

101 Robinwood Lane (accessed by shuttle only)

George and Eva Bohland were the first owners of the excellent example of an early custom Ranch house in the Robinwood subdivision. Now owned by Mary Caye Pfister, the 1948 house retains the original limestone exterior finishes and porch canopy and windows. Interior elements include arched doorways, original hardwood, tile floors, and lighting and a full basement with a bar and knotty pine paneling.

908 Valley Road

John Gardner’s 1962 home presents a striking modern appearance in the post-WWII Woodridge neighborhood. The open living/dining/kitchen area features a parqueted wood accent wall, brick divider, three-sided fireplace, and original kitchen cabinetry. Gardner’s eclectic mix of vintage and contemporary furniture and unique art collections gives the home an interesting vibe.

169 Allendale Court (accessed by shuttle only)

Gail Price, who previously restored three other mid-century homes in Terre Haute, immediately recognized the refined Modernist style of the 1957 home when it was listed for sale. She bought the angular limestone, wood, and glass house, which she learned was designed by the Chicago architectural firm of Keck & Keck. From the street, the house presents a nearly solid façade, broken only by a ribbon of clerestory windows, while the south-facing rear façade features floor-to-ceiling glass. Price restored the house, including refurbishing original kitchen cabinetry, limestone fireplace wall, interior planter beds, and colorful bathroom tile.

As a mid-century design bonus, vintage cars from the ‘50s and ‘60s also will be on display at the tour homes, courtesy of local collector Gary Greiner and members of Indiana Automotive, another affinity group of Indiana Landmarks.

Shuttles will circulate among the east side tour homes from Corporate Square, 2901 Ohio Boulevard (former Schulte High School), where parking and a tour handout with map will be available. Tickets may also be purchased at each of the tour homes on the day of the tour. The property at 101 Robinwood Lane is accessible by shuttle ONLY due to narrow streets and lack of parking. Access to the property at 169 Allendale Court on the city’s south side is by shuttle ONLY from the parking lot at Faith Wesleyan Church at 6751 South Carlisle Street, just west of US 41.

The home tour is sponsored by Indiana Modern, an affinity group of Indiana Landmarks, with support from Terre Haute Convention & Visitors Bureau, Chilluffo Media, Angie’s List, Everhart Studio, and Joe Shoemaker of Encore Sotheby’s International Realty.

Tickets are $15 in advance, available online at midcenturytour2017.eventbrite.com. Other ticket sale locations include Indiana Landmarks Center and Form + Function in Indianapolis, and Indiana Landmarks’ Western Regional Office at 669 Ohio Street in downtown Terre Haute. Tickets on the day of the tour are $20.

To deepen the immersion in mid-century design, there’s a free lecture in Indianapolis on June 1 by Dale Gyure on the humanist architecture of Minoru Yamasaki. Yamasaki’s most famous work, the World Trade Center in New York City, was destroyed on 9-11. In Indiana, he designed Butler University’s Irwin Library and 1st Source Center in Fort Wayne.

The talk and the 2017 Back to the Future tour – now in its tenth year –supports preservation of mid-20th-century structures through nominations to National Register of Historic Places, restoration feasibility studies, and educational programs. For more information, call Indiana Landmarks, 317-639-4534 or visit www.indianalandmarks.org.

WHAT: Back to the Future: A Mid-Century Modern Tour

WHEN:  The Back to the Future home tour is 1 p.m. to 6 p.m., June 3.

WHERE:  The home tour is in Terre Haute, with four houses on the east side and one house on the south side. Parking at Corporate Square, 2901 Ohio Boulevard (former Schulte High School) allows ticket holders to ride shuttles will take visitors to the homes on Terre Haute’s east side. The home at 101 Robinwood Lane is accessible only via shuttle due to narrow streets and lack of parking. The Keck & Keck home of Gail Price on the city’s south side is available only via shuttle from Faith Presbyterian Church, 6751 South Carlisle Street.

WHO:    Presented by Indiana Modern, an affinity group of Indiana Landmarks, and staged with support from Terre Haute Convention and Visitors Bureau, Chilluffo Media, Angie’s List, Everhart Studio, and Joe Shoemaker/Encore Sotheby’s International Realty

COST:    The Back to the Future home tour is $15 in advance, $20 day of the tour. Pre-purchase tickets are available until 5 PM on June 2 online at midcenturytour2017.eventbrite.com; at Indiana Landmarks Center and Form+Function in Indianapolis; or from Indiana Landmarks’ Western Regional Office, 669 Ohio Street in downtown Terre Haute. On the day of the tour, tickets will be sold at Corporate Square and at the tour homes.

CONTACT:           317-639-4534 or visit www.indianalandmarks.org.

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Media contacts: Mark Dollase, Indiana Landmarks’ Vice President of Preservation Services, 371-639-4534, mdollase@indianalandmarks.org; Tommy Kleckner, director of Indiana Landmarks’ Western Regional Office in Terre Haute, 812-232-4534, tkleckner@indianalandmarks.org Tina Connor, Indiana Landmarks Executive Vice President, 317-639-4534, tconnor@indianalandmarks.org; Jen Thomas, jen@jtprinc.com, 317-441-2487

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Indiana Landmarks, a private nonprofit organization, has worked for half a century saving historic places and using preservation as a catalyst to revitalize communities. What started as a small, all-volunteer group has grown to the largest statewide preservation group in the U.S., with 6,200 members and a staff of 36 in nine offices around Indiana. Learn more.