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June Tour Spotlights Mid-Century Modern homes in Anderson
Event supports Indiana Modern’s efforts to preserve and raise awareness of modern landmarks.
Future Perfect
Some homes leave a lasting impression. For Anderson residents Roger and Susie Reed, it took two years and a couple of offers before they were able to purchase the mid-century home of their dreams. Built to take advantage of its wooded surroundings in Anderson’s Woodlawn Heights neighborhood, the home features floor-to-ceiling windows, sliding glass doors, tongue-and-groove wood ceilings, a stone fireplace, and period details.
“One side of the house is almost entirely windows with views of the woods,” says Roger Reed. “It’s so pleasant to sit inside and look outside but still be able to enjoy all the outdoors, like living in a park.”
On June 6, the Reeds will open their home for Back to the Future: A Mid-Century Modern Home Tour. Their property will be one of five houses built in the 1950s and ’60s featured on the tour, now in its 18th year.
The Reeds are only the second owners of their house, originally designed by Noblesville architecture firm Pecsok & Jelliffe for Dr. Donald and Helen Bixler and built in 1963-64 by Anderson contractor L.E. Dain. The house retains original decor elements throughout, including curtains, light fixtures, marble-chip embedded terrazzo floors, a grasscloth wall divider, and foil wallpaper in bamboo patterns in two bathrooms. The Reeds both have previous ties to the neighborhood: Roger’s parents owned a home just a couple doors down from the Bixlers when he was in college, and Susie’s mother, Katherine Griffey, was a friend of Helen Bixler, a fellow artist.
A floral painting by Helen Bixler hangs in the Reeds’ dining room, while a map of the United States covers one wall of the lower-level study, originally used by Dr. Bixler to plot trips in his personal airplane. The space also includes Roger’s collection of historic daggers and racing memorabilia. The couple have furnished their home in antiques acquired by the family on travels to Asia and Europe, including Chinese cabinets purchased by Roger’s mother in Hong Kong and a hand-carved chest Susie’s grandmother bought while serving as a missionary in China.
In 2023, Steve and Darlene Tague were preparing to downsize in retirement when an online listing for a distinctive Mid-Century Modern house in Anderson’s Western Village neighborhood captured their attention. Although the house was nearly twice the size of the two-story Fishers home they’d occupied for decades, the couple decided on a whim to attend the open house and quickly fell in love. They purchased the home in November 2023, drawn by its open interior, walls of windows, and dramatic stone fireplace wall.
An open plan, stone fireplace wall, and windows framing wooded views drew Steve and Darlene Tague to their 1958 home (above) in Anderson’s Western Village neighborhood. PHOTO: Chilluffo Media
“In the fall and winter, it’s like you’re in a snow globe, and in the summer it’s like living in the woods. I feel like I’m on vacation every day,” says Darlene Tague. “We love to entertain, and the house lends itself to opening the doors and letting other people enjoy it.”
Built in 1958 for Roll Coater, Inc., executive Robert H. Braswell and his wife Ruth, the house overlooks a ravine, with a spacious living room connecting to an enclosed all-seasons room above a walk-out basement with patio. The Tagues’ eclectic decorating style incorporates mid-century pieces—such as a George Nelson for Howard Miller grandfather clock and Philippe Starck loveseat on the main level—with playful touches on the basement level including a disco ball, antique phrenology head, and Steven’s vintage train set.
Back to the Future: A Mid-Century Modern Home Tour takes place Saturday, June 6, noon to 5 p.m. in Anderson. Get tickets and additional information. Indiana Landmarks’ affinity group Indiana Modern sponsors the tour and proceeds benefit the group’s efforts to identify, promote, and preserve important examples of mid-century architectural and landscape design, including grants that guide preservation planning for landmarks of the era.
A recent grant from Indiana Modern is being used to help fund a structural analysis of Columbus’s former North Christian Church, designed by Eero Saarinen and built in 1964. A prior entry on Indiana Landmarks’ 10 Most Endangered List, the National Historic Landmark is being repurposed by The Bartholomew County Public Library as The LEX (Library of Experience), a community space for public programs and hub for artists and designers.
This article first appeared in the May/June issue of Indiana Preservation, Indiana Landmarks’ member magazine.
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