by Rebecca Binno
The Detroit Area Art Deco Society’s Board of Directors decided to seriously consider how to make a difference in our community. Our treasurer, Frank Edwards, determined that we could afford to donate a total of $9,000 from our account. This money was generated from our fundraising events like the Modernism Preview Party. A Budget Committee was formed, and we met and evaluated which Detroit-area non-profit organizations support the preservation of moderne and art deco architecture.
We decided that two of our donations would be for project-based causes, and two for support of historic preservation advocacy and education. What follows are the projects that the Detroit Area Art Deco Society will be supporting:
The Dymaxion House In the 1920s, R. Buckminster Fuller conceived the futuristic aluminum “dwelling machine” he named the Dymaxion House. It was to be a mass-produced lightweight, low cost single family housing unit. The Dymaxion House has been called “one of the twelve most innovative houses of the future,” and “the most important prefabricated house design of the 20th Century,” and “one of the key 20th Century buildings in America.”
Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village acquired the Dymaxion House in 1992 from its original owners, the Graham Family. The house will be restored and displayed inside the Henry Ford Museum. Conservation work has begun, and the construction site will soon be open to the public. Completion of the project is scheduled for June 2001. The Detroit Area Art Deco Society is donating $5,000 toward the restoration of the Dymaxion House and our name will be listed on a permanent plaque at the exhibit. We will be sure to let you know more about this exciting project in the future.
The Brodhead Armory’s
Fredenthal MuralThe Brodhead Armory contains Michigan’s most extensive collection of Works Progress Administration (WPA) artworks and is a truly significant moderne building in Detroit. The Preservation Committee of Detroit Area Art Deco Society has been actively involved in the formation of the Brodhead Armory Preservation Society, and in creating awareness of the artwork in the building.
Fresco murals by artist David Fredenthal were damaged by a roof leak in 1991. Since that time the roof has been repaired, although the damage to the artwork remains. The Detroit Area Art Deco Society will be donating $1,500 toward the restoration of the Fredenthal mural. However, there is a condition to this donation. The donation will be made after the building has been listed as an interior and exterior local historic district by the City of Detroit. This designation will insure the protection of the building through the City of Detroit Historic Districts Commission. The historic designation will exist no matter who owns the building.
Preservation Wayne Preservation Wayne was founded in 1975 to promote, preserve and protect the neighborhoods, buildings and landscapes that define and distinguish Detroit’s unique character. Preservation Wayne (P. W.) is Detroit’s only full-time staffed non-profit preservation organization. P.W. began as a campus organization of Wayne State University but has been an independent private non-profit entity (501 (c) 3) since 1988.
Preservation Wayne’s membership, volunteers and staff address the complex issues of urban planning and historic rehabilitation through a wide variety of services and activities. Foremost among these are tours of historic neighborhoods such as Detroit’s Historic Theater District, Eastern Market, Art Deco Skyscrapers of the Financial District, the Mansions of East Ferry Avenue, Harmonie Park, many sites of our Auto Heritage, and Detroit’s stained glass treasures. The tours provide historic information but also address the issues of current development in Detroit.
$1,000 will be donated to Preservation Wayne’s general operating fund. In relation to this donation, the Detroit Area Art Deco Society will sponsor an award to be presented during the Preservation Wayne 2000 Honor Awards to be given on March 28th 2000. The award will be given for the preservation of a 20th Century building, specifically, one that has art deco, art moderne, streamline or modernistic style. Look for more information on this award coming soon.
Historic Preservation Program – Eastern Michigan University Education and promoting scholarly research of 20th Century art deco architecture is also a priority of DAADS. To that end, we will establish an award of $1,000 to one student in the Historic Preservation Program at Eastern Michigan University. Graduate students will be encouraged to study an art deco/streamline/moderne building or early 20th Century building material for any of their class-work projects. At the end of the academic year, students will submit a copy of their paper or project to the selection committee for review.
The selection committee will be comprised of three members of the Detroit Area Art Deco Society, and two members of faculty of the Historic Preservation Program. The committee will choose the award-winning project on the basis of its scholarly contribution to the study of art deco architecture. We will also be printing the paper (or a portion of it) in The Modern, so watch for articles in the future.
The Detroit Area Art Deco Society is pleased to be able to spend some of our hard-earned money toward the preservation of our historic art deco architecture and artwork. Each of these projects is only funded for one year. It is possible that the Board of Directors will vote to continue funding them in the future. We will continue to think about worthy causes for future donations, and how to further our committed goal toward the preservation of significant 20th Century art deco, streamline and moderne architecture.
