Landmarks of the Future: New Mesa Modernism Spring House Tour

Explore Boulder’s take on the Modern Movement in architecture, embodied in a variety of homes in the Table Mesa neighborhood. Historic Boulder’s 2009 Landmarks of the Future Tour will open the doors of seven iconic homes May 16 and 17.

Boulder is particularly rich in fine examples of the modernist architecture that emerged following World War II. More than anywhere else in Colorado, Boulder welcomed and embraced architectural modernism, spurred by the expansion of the University of Colorado and related research facilities.

Growth pressures are now threatening this important heritage. Yet, modernism is not a past style; it is a living philosophy that continues as a progressive design force today.

Houses on this tour illustrate two contrasting approaches to modernism, houses created by architects and those created by developers.

As home to the state college of architecture, Boulder has a rich array of creative homes custom-designed by architects. The “architected” houses on the tour range from a classic modern organic home designed in the 1960s by Boulder master Charles Haertling to a cutting-edge newly completed home.

Developer-designed houses have been the predominant answer for most Americans since the end of WWII, when mass-produced innovative solutions spread across the U.S. Table Mesa was one of the first areas in Boulder to grow in this manner. “Developer” houses on the tour include the 1980’s home of the founders of McStain Neighborhoods and examples of recent creative makeovers of classic split-level tract houses.

All of the houses feature unique ideas in creative space planning, material finishes and energy-saving design particularly applicable today.

In advance of the tour, Historic Boulder will host a presentation on Haertling’s architecture with comments from his children Joel, John and Linda on May 15. A film of Haertling home movies, edited by Joel Haertling, will present an insider’s look at the design process that produced so many timeless homes. The presentation, at Design Within Reach, Broadway and Spruce, from 6 to 8 p.m., is free and open to the public.