“Mid-century is an interesting term,” Mary Reid Brunstrom, Ph.D., said in a 2015 symposium presented in part by WashU. “It links architecture in the United States to the growth and change resulting from post-War power and prosperity – even as the geopolitics of the Cold War cast a haze of uncertainty over the period. Like everything else at mid-century, architecture was shaped by these conditions.”
There’s a local neighborhood that has the power to transport you back to the 1950s. Hidden off Grant Road in the park-filled city of Crestwood, between Old Route 66 and Interstate 44, the Ridgewood subdivision contains dozens of ranch houses all designed by the same talented St. Louis architect, adding to its intriguing mid-century lore.
The architect in question is Ralph Fournier, who, alongside developer Burton Duenke, built Ridgewood’s collection of one-story homes, each with a similar footprint and layout, between 1951 and 1953. The shared low-slope roofs and geometric front windows lining each street can make you feel as if you’ve stepped inside a time capsule.
With the Great Depression and World War II behind them, American families wanted to settle down in affordable family homes. People had more money to spend, and developers recognized this. Ranch-style housing was a sign of the times, according to Architectural Digest: It met demands for spaciousness with its open-floor plans; for a connection to the natural world with its patios and broad windows; and for the idea, generally, of accessible luxury. It evoked the American Dream
It goes without saying that St. Louis is rich in architectural history and design. Much of it, both in the city and county, is under the threat of abandonment, demolition, and though sometimes necessary, new construction.
In October, nonprofit organization ModernSTL held its annual home tour, highlighting eight homes in the Ridgewood subdivision as well as their respective homeowners, who graciously entertained an all-day parade of guests eager to experience the 1950s revival. One couple living in Ridgewood told Ladue News that the subdivision had never experienced any demolitions or disasters – just the new coat of paint here and the pool addition there. Ticket sales from the tour are going toward obtaining a spot on the National Register of Historic Places to preserve Ridgewood’s title as a mid-century time capsule.
Originally published in Ladue News
