Hic sunt Modern domus

While Madison is not a huge, sprawling metropolis, it's big enough to have neighborhoods that any given Madisonian may not be familiar with unless they purposely visited. Such was the Sunset Hills/Radio Park area for me until last week when I went on a tour of the neighborhood courtesy of  Madison Trust for Historic Preservation. I'd been in the area before as it is just south of Hoyt Park and I have been down Glenway Street but I had never been in the heart of the neighborhood with all the fancy Modern-style homes.

The tour started at Hoyt Park and it was a lovely evening. The nasty heat was still a day away.

A short walk later we were surrounded by all these homes built in the "Modern" style. 

The neighborhood was platted in 1953 and had deed restrictions attached to it: houses had to be in the Modern style, had to be of bespoke design by an architect, attached garages only, et al. I was reminded of by great aunt & uncle's neighborhood in South Barrington, Illinois.

I felt that, if I ran into a young person, it would take a lot of restraint on my part not to take them aside and say, "There's a great future in plastics." Maybe I could update it to "There's a great future in AI. Think about it. Will you think about it?" Then a look of horror would come over their face as they beat a hasty retreat.

We didn't enter any of the houses but I imagined that there was a sunken living room in most of them. I wonder if key parties were big in this area back in the day. I mean, weren't they all the rage with upper middle-class folks at that time? 

Aside from the neat houses, the neighborhood was oak central. This place was a virtual oak forest with every or nearly every property having at least one of the hardy trees. It was grand. There are several homes here designed by one of Frank Lloyd Wright's acolytes, Herb Fritz. Our guide noted that he also designed Telemark Lodge which I visited once when my great uncle, the one who lived in South Barrington, threw a shindig for the whole family up in Cable. Another notable architect involved in the neighborhood's creation was Elizabeth Mackay Ranney, Madison's only female architect during the time Sunset Hills was being assembled.

This place was once the home of a physicist who worked with J. Robert Oppenheimer on the Manhattan Project. It was very nicely terraced. I cannot even begin to fathom the landscaping bills these people must pay. But I, for one, am glad they do because the yards in the neighborhood are gorgeous.

I have another neighborhood tour this week. This time, however, it's of one that I am quite familiar with.