A Charles Goodman house for sale in Silver Spring, Md.
By Kathy Orton,
John Cole
Mid-century modern houses designed by architect Charles Goodman are full of glass, wood and brick. They are sited on their lots in a specific way. Trees were preserved, grading was minimal, and the houses were angled for maximum sun exposure and privacy.
It didn’t matter if Goodman was designing a house for a wealthy client or one of modest means. He applied the same design principles to high-end homes as he did to starter homes. The scale of the expensive home was larger, but the aesthetic was identical for both houses.
Goodman had “a very democratic idea that modern design can be available to everybody,” said architect Michael Cook, who not only is a fan of Goodman’s but also has renovated 35 of his houses over the years. Cook’s most recent project is a 1950s Goodman house in the Hammond Hill neighborhood of Silver Spring, Md.
Goodman was at the forefront in bringing contemporary design to Washington. He is best known for the Hollin Hills community in Fairfax County, Va. But he also designed relatively inexpensive starter houses for other developments in the Washington area, including Hammond Hill, Hammond Wood, Rock Creek Woods, Wheatoncrest and Hollinridge, all in Montgomery County.
His work in the Washington area was celebrated around the world. Hollin Hills and Hammond Hill were included in the American Institute of Architects exhibit at the fifth congress of the International Union of Architects in Moscow in 1958.
When Goodman died in 1992, Washington Post architecture critic Benjamin Forgey wrote in his appreciation: “Goodman was an architect of talent and probity. His houses, even for wealthier clients, were no-nonsense — he welcomed the opportunities money provided to use better woods or stones, perhaps, but for rich and middle-income client alike he designed houses that were sensible, economical and inventive.”
John Cole
The dark kitchen cabinetry by Poggenpohl and a massive quartz-topped island provide a contrast to the white walls and white windows in the space. Royal Mosa tile from Holland adorns the backsplash. The kitchen has a dining area with built-in banquette.
Although this house in Hammond Hill began as a starter home, it has been added onto over the years. The two-bedroom, one-bathroom, 880-square-foot house was expanded in 1968 by architect John Cahill and renovated by Cook most recently, an evolution Goodman anticipated. He never expected his houses to remain static. He knew owners would want to enlarge them over time. As he told Forgey in 1983: “Anything they do can’t hurt it. These houses were designed to be living things.”
Even though the house has been modified, it retains its essential Goodman qualities because Cook has taken the best of Goodman in the house, accentuated it and then made it work for today’s living.
“One of the things that Goodman inspires in me is that the houses are really complicated but they’re really simple at the same time,” Cook said.
John Cole
The living room features Goodman’s signature brick fireplace wall.
The kitchen is the hub of the home these days, and Cook has made the kitchen the centerpiece of this house. Mid-century modern houses rarely have the space for such a large kitchen. But Cook was able to increase its size while adhering to Goodman’s design. The size of the windows over the built-in banquette in the dining area mimics the size of the living room windows. The board-and-batten siding on the exterior of the addition echoes the original siding.
The dark kitchen cabinetry by Poggenpohl and a massive quartz-topped island provide a contrast to the white walls and white windows in the space. Royal Mosa tile from Holland adorns the backsplash.
The main living areas and the owner’s bedroom have red oak flooring, while the remaining bedrooms have cork flooring. The tile in the bathroom is another nod to Goodman.
“We basically try to mimic what was already there,” Cook said. “Goodman always used 4-by-4-inch tile in the bathrooms. We wanted to have a more contemporary look so our tile is also four inches wide but it’s 4-by-16.”
John Cole
A view of the house from the backyard. The board-and-batten siding on the exterior of the addition echoes the original siding.
Even though the house is on a small lot, there is ample outdoor space, including a courtyard with a built-in fire pit.
Small starter houses such as this one are frequently in jeopardy of being razed. The land is often more valuable than the house. For most developers, it makes more sense financially to build a new house than restore the existing one, even one designed by a famous architect. But Cook wants to show these old homes still have value and can work for today’s families.
“What we’re trying to do is to set a new standard about these homes,” Cook said. “These homes are basically getting knocked down. You have to set an example about how to actually renovate them.”
The four-bedroom, three-bathroom, 2,100-square-foot house is listed at $949,000. An open house is scheduled for 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday.
Listing: 3307 Pendleton Dr., Silver Spring, Md. Listing agent: Michael Shapiro, Compass Previous House of the Week: Victorian farmhouse and pre-Civil War barn for sale near downtown Hillsboro, Va
