Dedicating Goff's Restored Play Tower November 28 2014

Zachary Matthews sends news and links about the newly-restored Bruce Goff-designed Sooner Play Park Tower in Bartlesville, OK. The grand reopening of the tower was on Wednesday, November 26, 2014, where local residents who attended the original tower opening in 1964 were invited to be the first to climb the restored tower. A brave adventure in the days 25mph wind gusts.

Read more about it here and watch a video by the restoration company, SMC of Bartlesville, OK here.

Mickey Muennig: Dreams And Realizations For A Living Architecture November 19 2014

For generations the independent-minded local residents of Big Sur, California have staunchly protected their strip of land where the Santa Lucia Mountains abruptly meet the Pacific Ocean. Their conscientiousness in preserving the natural beauty of Big Sur, supported by the California Coastal Commission and local government, has resulted in limited development. Those structures that are built are done so with care and considerable thought about environmental impacts, resulting in awe-inspiring buildings  that blend seamlessly into their surroundings. Mickey Muennig: Dreams and Realizations for a Living Architecture (Gibbs Smith, $50.00, Hardcover, 12 x 10 in, 192 pages, 240 Color Photographs, May 2014, ISBN 978-1-4236-0070-1) celebrates one local architect’s vision for the area. The book features a foreword by Herb Greene, an essay by Alan Hess, and principal photography by Alan Weintraub.

This is the first monograph featuring the work of architect Mickey Muennig, an important proponent of organic architecture, who designed the renowned Post Ranch Inn, reconstructed Esalen baths, numerous homes, and other spaces. Muennig creates highly individualized structures and spaces that express the dreams and needs of his clients, while complementing the spectacular natural environment. He has designed buildings, most notably in the Big Sur area of California’s Central Coast, that blend with their surroundings, incorporate passive energy features, and utilize natural materials in original ways. He was ahead of his time in his incorporation of “green” features into his designs more than thirty years ago. Maintaining a daring balance between past and future, Muennig’s unique work captures the iconoclastic spirit of Big Sur.

Mickey Muennig studied architecture under Bruce Goff at the University of Oklahoma. Upon graduating, he worked on various architectural projects around the country until a fortuitous vacation to Big Sur on California’s Central Coast in 1971 changed his life forever. He subsequently moved there, and has lived and worked in Big Sur ever since. Muennig was recognized by Architectural Digest as one of the top 100 architects in the United States in 2000 and 2002.

Available for purchase from Post Ranch Mercantile at www.postranchmercantile.com or by phone at 831-667-2795.

More Uncovered On Welch-Designed Boat House October 22 2014

The Kewannee, IL Star Courier reports that after running a September 6, 2014 article on the Philip B. Welch-designed boat house at Johnson Sauk Trail State Park, additional historic material related to the commission has been located at the Kewanee Historical Society. Read more about it here.

Sooner Play Park Look Back October 09 2014

After the news yesterday that the Bruce Goff-designed Sooner Play Park Tower has been restored and re-installed in Bartlesville, OK, Nelson Brackin sends a link to some vintage photos he took of the Tower in 1974. See them here.

Goff's Sooner Tower Restored October 08 2014

The Bruce Goff-designed Sooner Play Tower, which was de-constructed recently for restoration, was re-installed Tuesday October 7, 2014 at Bartlesville, OK's Sooner Park. Read more about it here.

Image credit: Tony Lehmer

Lyrical Geometry: Music And The Ford House October 06 2014

Don't miss a unique music and architecture event at Bruce Goff’s historic Ford House in Aurora, IL. On Saturday, November 8, 2014, Third Coast Percussion will perform their own musical arrangements of architect Bruce Goff’s player piano compositions while Luftwerk will create a dynamic lighting installation responding to the house and the music.

Ticket cost includes live performance and installation, hors d’oeuvres, drinks, live performance and a shuttle from Third Coast Percussion’s rehearsal studio in Chicago. All proceeds go to support Third Coast Percussion’s education, performance and commissioning activities. Get more info and your tickets here.

Goff's Myron Bachman House For Sale August 29 2014

Curbed Chicago reports that Bruce Goff's Myron Bachman House, a 1948 remodel of an 1890 house in Chicago, is on the market for $599,000. The home is a futuristic melding of angled corrugated aluminum and Chicago common brick. The listing is on Zillow, but no interior photos. See more here.

Shuttered Tulsa Club Kept Up To Code August 19 2014

Skyline Ink's Goff Animations July 12 2014