PRESERVATION CORNER
Endangered Architecture
tesy of Jane Manus
Photos of Manus House, c. 1960s: Cour
The Manus House
The Manus House, located at 144 Wells Street in Palm Beach, Florida, was designed by Alfred Browning Parker and is at risk of
being torn down and replaced with a two-story British Colonial-style house. Parker designed the house in 1960 for Allen and Adele
Manus. On June 9, the Town Council voted to defer its decision regarding granting a demolition permit for 60 days, to allow pres-
ervations a chance to plead their case to owner Peter Cohen. Check back here for updates and keep your eye on the Palm Beach
Daily News, which has been following the story.
www.palmbeachdailynews.com.
UPDATE, Sept. 2008. Following failed efforts by residents, architects, historic preservationists, DOCOMOMO/Fla and the University
of Florida to save the Manus House, distinguished midcentury modern architect Alfred Browning Parker’s last remaining design in
Palm Beach, the house remains scheduled for demolition while the owners continue to seek approval for a new house to be built on
the site.
Update, October 15, 2008. Wednesday was a sad day for modernist architecture. The Manus house was razed after preservation-
ists gave up trying to save it.
Architect Alfred Browning Parker, 92, hoped to salvage some materials, but an 11th-hour attempt fell through. Time had run out,
and subcontractor Cushing Demolition cited liability reasons for the denial.
“The owner has had his bullheaded way,” Parker said of Cohen.
The House of Formica
In the 1960s, salesman Larry Stephens hatched a plan to present
Formica to interior designers and other potential customers as a
luxury product; he built a home to showcase the versatile material.
Located at 5103 S. Braeswood in Houston, Texas, the house fea-
tures both plain and vibrantly patterned Formica. The material cov-
ers not just the floor and kitchen counters, but also the walls, doors
and ceiling. The home is currently in foreclosure and in need of
costly repairs. The Formica Company is offering $5,000 in products
to anyone willing to save the house. The asking price of $304,900
is the bank’s estimate of the lot’s value — the house comes free.
Visit
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ent/arts/gray/5918346.
html to read an article about the property. For additional informa-
tion, contact
www.houstonmod.com.
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