red bird against the snow restoration of a modern landmark
In 1937, three young men - Tony Smith, Ted van Fossen and Laurence Cuneo met at the New Bauhaus in Chicago, a school headed by Lazlo Moholy-Nagy. When the school closed after a year, Smith and Cuneo joined Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin Fellowship, a total learning environment that combined fine arts with architecture, with an emphasis on learning-by-doing and designing to be in harmony with nature. In 1939, Ted van Fossen received a commission to design and build a house for a young Bohemian couple, Rob and Mary Gunning, on a wooded lot on the edge of a ravine. The three young designers adopted Wright’s principles of organic design for the Gunning House, which the trio named Glenbrow. Built of cypress and stone quarried on site, the house featured walls of glass that brought those who inhabited it into a close relationship with the natural beauty of their surroundings.
Tony Smith later became famous for his monumental minimalist sculptures, Ted van Fossen for Rush Creek Village - a central Ohio community of about 50 organic modern designed homes and Cuneo as the art director for the first season of the “I Love Lucy” show. Rob Gunning developed the Gunning Fog Index, a writer’s tool to ensure text can be read easily by the intended audience.
The years passed, and eventually the house fell into ruin. By 2013 the house had been abandoned for nearly a decade with virtually no maintenance. Red Bird Against the Snow tells the rich history surrounding the house, the people involved in its creation and the several year transition from ruin to restored.
Taking on a project of this magnitude takes skills, perseverance and vision. Dorri Steinhoff and Joe Kuspan discovered Glenbrow on a chance errand at a time they were looking to downsize after completing renovation of another Wright apprentice home. Their journey in reviving the 1940 modernist gem back to its glory led to experiences that enriched their lives in ways they could never imagine.
ABOUT
Glenbrow is the name given to the original 1940 organic modernist house sited on the edge of a ravine in central Ohio that was designed by Tony Smith, Ted van Fossen and Laurence Cuneo for Robert and Mary Gunning. Over the years, additions to the site were added including the 1948 enclosure of the original carport to form 2 additional bedrooms and a bathroom, a covered walkway with a two bay carport with an attached studio; 1964 addition of a main bedroom suite, two additional car bays and a four story tower that originally auctioned as an office and guest suite.
The house sat unmaintained from 2006 through June of 2014 during which time it mother nature and time started to take a heavy toll. The book, Red Bird Against the Snow - Restoration of a Modern Landmark tells the journey from ruin to restored as Joe Kuspan and Dorri Steinhoff began a several year venture to bring the landmark structures back to their glory.
author
Dorri Steinhoff grew up in the northwest suburbs of Chicago where she developed a love of nature, art and architecture. She met Joe Kuspan while in graduate school in Cincinnati. Their common interest in art and architecture led to numerous design and renovation projects including two boutique shops in the Short North Art District of Columbus and five central Ohio homes. They are currently enjoying watching the seasons change at Glenbrow with their two daughters, Maren and Sofia, while continuing to restore the 1964 Glenbrow tower.
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privacy
Glenbrow is a private residence secluded on a wooded lot that is not visible from the street. Please respect our privacy. We offer occasional tours through the Columbus Landmarks Foundation and the Columbus AIA, otherwise there is a wealth of photo documentation online. Thank you.