William Lescaze's 1935 Cates House seeking a sympathetic buyer

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Docomomo US Staff

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Newsletter, Advocacy, Preservation, docomomo
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On October 7th, Docomomo US/New England, in partnership with Compass Realty held an open house for William Lescaze's 1935 Cate House. The house will hit the market on October 17th but has no historic protections and may face threats of alteration or demolition. 

 

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Significant Details

  • Small early “minimum home” designed by William Lescaze, FAIA.
  • Distinctive for its off-center siting on the property, with a side courtyard bordered on the front by a high wall and on two sides by coniferous trees.
  • Retains some original built-in cabinets, headboards, vanities, and light fixtures.
  • Featured in the 2004 "Invisible Modernism" exhibition by students of John Ellis at the Wentworth Institute of Technology, dcoumenting modern houses in Massachusetts built before the Gropius House. Mounted at WIT, the Boston Society of Architects, and Bemis Hall, Lincoln, MA.
  • Building permit dated March 4, 1935 lists the architect as "Howe and Lescaze, 211 East 48th Street, New York." (Address is Lescaze's own house, currently for sale as 209 E. 48th Street in Midtown Manhattan for $4,950,000.)