Restored Cudahy house.
Man’s new book, house follow life changing events
After Dave Erickson had a heart attack four years ago and lost his job of more than 30 years, he decided it was time to make a lifestyle change.
“I’ve been interested in architecture all my life, so I started doing volunteer work at the Wisconsin Historical Society in Madison,” he said. “I worked on archiving the original collection of architect John Randal McDonald.”
He became so interested in McDonald, who designed homes in a style similar to Frank Lloyd Wright, that he started co-authoring a book on him.
In doing so, he traveled to seven states, toured 125 homes, photographed 75 of them, interviewed homeowners and digitized 6,000 architectural drawings he photographed.
He also bought a house the architect designed and started his own business, Erickson’s Digital Studio, in which he does architectural photography.
“Doing research for the book allowed us to know people who lived in his houses,” he said. “We interviewed people who lived in this neighborhood and one day one of them called and said that this house was in foreclosure.”
After living in a Wauwatosa Tudor for 30-some years, he snapped up the midcentury modern home in Cudahy’s Lake Michigan Highlands neighborhood in 2013 and began restoring it. The home, called the Blair house, was designed in 1952 for George and Angie Blair and built in 1953. It will be featured in this year’s Wright & Like tour June 3. Three other homes designed by McDonald are located nearby, one of which will also be on the tour.
“When I bought it, it was in bad shape,” Erickson said. “There was water leaking from the roof down the fireplace, and surface water collected on the patio. I redirected the water to the front of the house and fixed the roof problem.”
He also did restoration work inside the 1,200-square-foot home, which has two bedrooms and one bathroom.
“The bathroom had blue shag carpeting on the floor that I pulled up,” Erickson said. “There was the original tile under that, but it wasn’t salvageable, so I took that out to expose the original concrete floor. I painted the floor black and then clear-coated it with epoxy. I wanted a simpler look, and doing the floor this way had been done in other homes of this era by McDonald.
“The bathroom fixtures are original. They’re a butter color. The room also has original cream and black tiles on the walls, and the countertop is a laminate in a black basketweave print.”
In the kitchen he removed sheet linoleum to reveal original brown and tan vinyl flooring, and he replaced cabinet doors that a previous owner had installed.
“The cabinet faces were an ornate Colonial style,” he said. “I refaced them with simple, flat, contemporary doors and black metal pulls. I also removed the doors from both sides of a cabinet that hangs over a peninsula that separates the kitchen from the dining room for a more open look.”
One task he didn’t have to do was paint, as every bit of wall and ceiling space in the home is covered with wood or brick.
“All the walls are covered in Philippine mahogany veneer on plywood sheets or Chicago Pink brick. The ceilings are all cedar, and the ceiling in the living room is vaulted and has beams that form a unique design.” He recently talked about the home he shares with his 20-year-old daughter, Camille, and 1-year-old Lolitta, a Jack Russell terrier/Chihuahua mix whom he rescued. He also has two adult children who live in Wisconsin, Weston and Kaela.
Q. What is it that intrigues you about John Randal McDonald?
A. He believed he could deliver unique homes in a contemporary design for young middle-class professionals on a budget, and he did. After World War II, a lot of people were also looking for something different — something other than track houses or traditional housing that they could afford. Something he said often was that his houses were forms of three-dimensional art you can live in.
Q. Do you love this house or the fact that it was designed by McDonald?
A. I love the house. It’s unique. I like the Oriental look at the front of the house, and the size is perfect for me. I also like the fact that the living room is a half-level above the rest of the house. You get great views from here because the room is surrounded by clerestory windows that are at eye level. Q. What are some of the unique features of your home?
A. When McDonald designed it he added a carport, and that’s where the front door is. He did that on purpose for privacy, and he didn’t want the door to interfere with the aesthetic flow of the front of the house. This home also doesn’t have a large basement. I have my studio
down there. When he designed homes, he created modest footprints to get families into houses affordably.
He also didn’t like ceiling lights, so in this home there are only lamps.
The roof is also unique. Over the living room there’s a pitched hip roof. Over the rest of the house the roof is flat.
Q. The bedrooms are small and fairly dark. Is that a plus or negative for you?
A. A plus. When McDonald designed homes he believed you sleep in your bedroom and live in the rest of the house. The bedrooms are small on purpose.
I prefer subdued light in the house. It complements the warm feeling of the wood and the brick in the house.
Q. How would you describe your fireplace?
A. It’s a large two-sided fireplace between the living and dining rooms. From the living room you can look down into the dining room, as it has a very large opening. I like that feature because it opens the rooms to each other.
Q. Did you make any changes in the living room?
A. I designed a brick seat bench for an area that overlooks two stairways. There is a stairway from the dining room to the living room, and a stairway from the dining room to the basement. I had it made from the same brick that was used in the house.
Before, there was an outdoor wrought iron railing there. The bench provides a barrier so that people don’t get drunk and fall into the basement from the living room.
I also ran LED lights under and over lighting valances that run around the entire room. McDonald had put fluorescent tubes in some of these areas.
Q. Any projects left to do?
A. I want to replace the cooktop in the kitchen. I’ll install one that has burners that all work and that has a smaller profile. This one is over 60 years old. I also want to do landscaping in the front and backyards.
Q. What’s your favorite room?
A. The living room because of its openness. Also because when it rains the sound on the roof is transfixing. Because of the room’s size (19 by 19) it seems to have wonderful acoustics. It’s a great place to read and watch movies or spend time with my kids and friends.
Q. Did you buy all new furniture when you moved here?
A. The sofa, dining room table and entertainment center were the only holdovers from my previous house. One of the joys of living here is finding furniture that fits in with the style of this house. I find pieces at flea markets, on Craigslist and resale shops. One of my favorite pieces is the Thonet chair in the dining room.
Q. Are you still doing research on McDonald?
A. Yes, and I recently got some of his drawings from his wife, the late Josephine McDonald. I donated them to the historical society. He did more than 50 home designs in Wisconsin and almost all of them were built. He also did work in other states and countries. He did almost 325 projects worldwide.
Q. When will your book come out?
A. I’m writing it with Melissa Grasser of Milwaukee, and it will be published in the next few years. Do you have a cool living space you’d like to see featured in At Home? Contact Fresh home and garden editor Nancy Stohs at (414) 224-2382 or email nstohs@journalsentinel .com.