Tamping Down the Past - Page 2

"The home is like a private oasis now," says Krah. "Original owners brought back the [rear] yard and did the garage conversion, nothing other than that. The last owner removed the kitchen, but it flows well since they didn't disrupt any of the original layout that was there. Someone could totally bring it back."

Yes, that kitchen—once original and authentic, a serious study in mid-century modern design. Its fate: dismantled under a past ownership and parted out on Craigslist. Buried in the wreckage was beautiful overhead cabinetry suspended over coral laminate counters, and a stainless steel Western-Holly oven built into the natural brick walls. What a loss.

Though the Hasting House retains its original 'bones,' and the renovation is attractive overall, more than the kitchen has been compromised.

Studying present-day photos, it's doubtful that the original beams were white, but it's heartening to see that the exposed wood ceiling has not been painted over. Ditto for the red brick that rarely survives any renovation these days, usually ending up painted white or gray.

Another loss is an original bath that once featured mosaic tile walls and a ceiling designed with contrasting blocks of color.

1954 was a long time ago, 70 years to be exact. One by one, these architectural homes and their original features are disappearing, never to be seen again. Many will get revived by off‐the‐shelf parts, others by mock mid-century modern that typically pales in comparison.

"There are so many people who take walls down, put walls up, and they really destroy the original layout of the home," says Krah. "The original architects [PD&D] knew what they were doing, one hundred percent."

We can't agree more.

• The bowling center work of architects Gordon Powers, Austin Daly, and Pat B. DeRosa is featured in the Eichler Network article 'Memory Lanes.'