Rauh House Restoration Honored with Docomomo US Award of Excellence

ChuckLohreCincinnati Preservation Association

Thanks to the Cincinnati Preservation Association for publishing this information in an email newsletter yesterday. This home is on the South West Ohio U.S. Green Building Council Regional Chapter – Green Home tour October 8, 2016; 10 am till Noon. No charge for Region members (you can bring a guest). Non-members are asked to register and donate $15 per person at the door. Contact Chair Chuck Lohre to register for the tours, [email protected], 513-260-9025. Tours are sponsored by The Sustainable Partnership of Cincinnati, a group of businesses offering sustainable products and services to create sustainable homes and offices. Learn more.


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Cincinnati Preservation Association (CPA) is very happy to announce the Restoration of the Frederick and Harriet Rauh House has received a Design Award of Excellence from Docomomo US. Read the report on their site.

The 2016 Modernism in America Awards projects are exemplary examples of the efforts going on all over the country as the awareness of the importance to advocate, restore and celebrate the architecture, landscapes and typologies of postwar society in the United States continues to expand.

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The Rauh House is just one of ten projects across the country being recognized.

“We are thrilled the project has received this recognition,” said CPA Executive Director Paul Muller. “This award underscores the importance of the restoration and is well-deserved acknowledgement of support and skillful guidance which Emily Rauh Pulitzer provided.”

From Docomomo US:

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During the 2000s housing boom, the Rauh house fell into disrepair and was almost demolished as a tear down. In 2010, Emily Rauh Pulitzer, daughter of the original owners, donated the house and land to CPA with funds for the restoration. The painstaking work was carried out by the construction firm of Crapsey and Giles and returned the house to its 1938 appearance, combined traditional craftsmanship with modern technology. Elements of the landscape plan by A.D. Taylor also have been recreated. In 2015 the house was sold to a private owner with historic conservation protections.

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The Residential Design Award of Excellence is given for the restoration of the Frederick and Harriet Rauh Residence. Restoration of the house and property was accomplished through the collective efforts of the Cincinnati Preservation Association and a team of experts and spearheaded by Emily Rauh Pulitzer who had grown up in the house as a child.

Her involvement in the restoration included funding the acquisition of the property, funding the restoration, and working closely with the restoration team to establish the appropriate preservation approach to all elements of the project. Mrs. Pulitzer extended the impact of the project by encouraging the educational events such as the recent symposium “Preservation of Modern Architecture in the Midwest.” Though it is once again a private residence, tours and lectures continue to be held at the site that raise awareness of the issues surrounding the preservation of modern architecture.

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“An unusual example of the International Style of modernism in Ohio, this scholarly and holistic approach to the preservation of this severely deteriorated house and site will provide future generations a rich example of the full spectrum of many components of modernism. Not only will the building itself be preserved but also the landscape, furnishings, and art. A laudable added feature, a public outreach program including tours and symposia, is intended to engage and instruct the public.”

– Jury Chair, Frederick A. Bland, FAIA, AICP

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The projects recognized for the Modernism in America Awards (#ModernismAwards) highlight the diversity of important modern buildings and sites, and a new desirability by the public to live, work and celebrate the richness of midcentury architecture and design. While often at the center of intense preservation efforts, they deserve and can be preserved in a meaningful and productive way that enhances their presence and value in their respective communities.

Frederick and Harriet Rauh Residence

Design Award of Excellence | Residential

Location: Cincinnati, Ohio

Original Architect: John Becker

Client: Emily Rauh Pulitzer

Restoration Team:

Cincinnati Preservation Association

Project Director: Paul Muller, AIA

Preservation Research: Margo Warminski

Restoration Architect: Architects Plus, Principal in Charge: Andrew Schaub, AIA

Architect: Rick Koehler, AIA

Project Designer: Jeffrey Jakucyk

Landscape Architect: Meisner and Associates, Gary Meisner

Landscape Historian: Fred Lutt

Contractors: Crapsey and Giles

Contractors, Robert Crapsey

Architectural Conservator: Milner and Carr Conservation LLC, Roy J. Ingraffia

About Docomomo US

Docomomo US is dedicated to the preservation of modern architecture, landscape and design. Through advocacy, education and documentation, we provide leadership and knowledge by demonstrating the importance of modern design principles including the social context, technical merits, aesthetics and settings of these important pieces of American history. Docomomo US (documentation and conservation of buildings, sites and neighborhoods of the modern movement) was founded in 1995 and is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Nomination information for the 2017 Modernism in America Awards will be available this fall: http://docomomo-us.org/programs/awards.