August 1, 2010
This special tour honored architect Dennis Blair, who apprenticed with Frank Lloyd Wright, and designed dozens of modernist homes around the Chicago area. His style ranges from beautifully executed flat-roof post and beam modernist structures to more freeform designs. In the early 1950’s he was recognized as an “architect to watch” by Architectural Record magazine. Chicago Bauhaus and Beyond included his home on our Barrington tour, and held our holiday party two years ago at a home he designed that now belongs to CBB members in Long Grove. This tour returned to the same Long Grove neighborhood to tour the inside of four homes designed by Blair, built from 1957-1970. The homes are all on the same street, and Blair’s former home and studio was included. A beautiful fall day created the perfect atmosphere to enjoy a tour of this modernist enclave on a secluded, dead-end street located next to a nature preserve. Mr. Blair, age 89, his son Lee, and Fran, his long-time office assistant were on hand to answer questions and share insights.
