All of the selected homeowners on the tour have maintained the exterior structure and design, LoCascio said.
“They have all restored or upgraded in a sensitive manner, which maintains the architectural integrity of the home,” he said.
The Daily House, owned by Chris Burusco, a local attorney, is perched on a hill in Whiting Woods — a location he said gives the home a panoramic view of the city. Through windows that spread across the horizontal interior, there is a blur between the indoor and outdoor space, Burusco said.
“This is one of the things I loved about the home — that the outside becomes part of the inside, and you can see the outside from almost every room in the house,” Burusco said.
The homes, which have minimal furnishings and a lot of open space, allow the outside to act as the art, said Arlene Vidor, a board member of the Glendale Historical Society.
“One of the defining features of modernism is the expansive horizontal space and a lot of window,” Vidor said.
While choosing mid-20th-century homes in the city to feature, the Glendale Historical Society was looking for diversity in furniture and art within the homes to show how individuals can use the space of the mid-20th-century architecture, organizers said.
Catherine Burns is the owner of a 1961 post-and-beam home in Adams Hill on Glendale’s border. In an effort to be more eco-friendly, she has upgraded many of the home’s appliances and garden space to be more energy- and water-efficient, she said.
“The post-and-beam design opens up space in the home,” LoCascio said. “Visually and physically, with sliding glass doors, you can open up the house to the exterior.”
As a kitchen and bathroom designer, Burns made cosmetic changes to the home by replacing kitchen cabinetry. She has added an iPod deck, which is installed into a kitchen wall, and has also incorporated stainless-steel appliances for a contemporary feel.
“Technically, it’s a mid-century modern house, but the furnishings are more 21st century mixed in with some classic mid-century pieces,” Burns said.
As a sort of remix to the aesthetics of mid-20th-century homes, Burns said she took signature pieces such as the white globe lighting and replaced it with transparent globes that hang from her kitchen ceiling.
“We picked these homes to show people that you don’t have to furnish the home as if it were a museum,” LoCascio said. “We want to show people that good designs aren’t just part of mansions; good designs are accessible and available to everyone.”
