So Catino Estates is an area of my town that has what were considered some fancy schmancy ranch homes when they were built in the 1950s.

From the listing:

quote:

Mid-Century Modern ranch in Catino Estates originally built by Mr Catino for his daughter with custom features throughout. Only one other owner for the past 50 years.

Check out the original built-in oven, the slate floors, and pink bathroom....as a bonus, you can see what was hanging over that classic MCM fireplace for so many years....

https://www.realtor.com/reales...L_60005_M80110-32822

Mr wtg's family lived a few blocks north in a not so fancy schmancy neighborhood. His friend Dominick lived in a Catino ranch with a sunken living room and a creek-like water feature that ran through the living room.

Groovy.

I LOVE that front door with the triangle window at that angle. Glad they kept it!

A real period piece!

I'm surprised the layout is oriented away from the nice back yard. Unusual for 1959 when "walls of glass" were all the rage.

The oven with the portholes is a nice touch, as is the period pink hall bath. It doesn't look like anyone ever used it.

I wonder how many drunks have stumbled over that front door landing?

Walls of glass were probably less common in this climate than elsewhere, though I've seen some real MCM beauties around here that have what you're talking about.

I think that's the back door....and given its proximity to the bar, I'm guessing it took out its fair share of people under the influence....

I wonder if the uplighting in the family room is original.

"Cove lighting" looks original. Very popular in custom homes from about 1945 to the early 60's.

Checked again and the door with the landing goes to the side yard. I can tell by the window.

I wonder if you can find the starburst clock that used to be over the fireplace. They made a lot of them.

That pink bathroom is exactly what our 60’s bathroom looked like in the MSM I grew up in except ours was blue.

The "receptacles installed sideways" thing is a very period deal in custom homes like this. These are "Despard" devices - popular through the 50's. I've never seen white ones before.

They are (alas!) not grounded. If the house was wired to Chicago code (all conduit in the walls) they can be changed to grounded devices easily but not necessarily cheaply. If not, it's a problem.

The raised area in the family room and the pink bathroom are the kiss of death IMO.

That black and white bathroom isn't mid-century. I'm just sayin'.

The MSM house I grew up in, built in 1963, had the wall-of-glass looking out through a huge porch at a big grassy back yard backed by pine woods. For as long as my mother lived there, I'd feel this relaxation response when I walked in the house and looked at all the green. It wasn't just a hangover from childhood, because Muffin's dad talked about how relaxing my mother's house was.

We had wood cabinets a lot like those. The family room, entry hall, and back porch were floored in randomly shaped quarry tiles that had something of the effect of those slate tiles. The fireplace and front porch were old Laurel brick reclaimed from a demolished bank building. The den had the requisite wood paneling.

We had one of those tile bathrooms, but the tiles were white and the fixtures were a groovy 1960s aqua. The glass doors of the tub surround are identical to the ones we had.

I did have one of those Pepto-Bismol pink bathrooms in the house where I lived when my first child was born.

quote:

Originally posted by QuirtEvans:
That black and white bathroom isn't mid-century. I'm just sayin'.

That may be. I've certainly never seen one like it in a house of that age, but the shower door is a dead ringer for one we had in the 1963 house. They may have remodeled and kept the shower door, though.

I agree that the black and white bathroom is not original.


I’m sure the windows are the same as the ones in our house; 1960s vintage Andersen. We replaced ours in the early 90s but our neighbor’s house two doors down still has them.

The sinks in the pink bath are identical to what was in our house originally. Well, ours were white, thankfully, but otherwise identical. Even the tub spout is the same as ours were.

To Steve’s point about the outlets...yes, everything here is in conduit.

quote:

Originally posted by Mary Anna: The fireplace and front porch were old Laurel brick reclaimed from a demolished bank building. The den had the requisite wood paneling.

You've probably seen the home improvement show that's shot in Laurel, MS. It's my favorite of those shows - Erin is a very talented designer and Ben is one of the best woodworkers I've ever seen.

In the last episode I saw them talking about recycling some Laurel brick and it was the first time I had heard of it. I assume Laurel brick is made in Laurel, MS?

quote:

Originally posted by Steve Miller:

quote:

Originally posted by Mary Anna: The fireplace and front porch were old Laurel brick reclaimed from a demolished bank building.

In the last episode I saw them talking about recycling some Laurel brick and it was the first time I had heard of it. I assume Laurel brick is made in Laurel, MS?

I grew up thirty miles away from Laurel. I haven't watched the show, but my relatives are all agog over it.

Yes, there was a brick plant in Laurel in the early twentieth century. I found a website that described their operation: "The bricks imprinted with the word "LAUREL" were made in the 1920s and 1930s from Laurel clay. The clay was moved to the brick plant by a mule with a cart on rails. When the clay and water were mixed, it was then extruded like toothpaste, cut into slugs, and put into molds. The clay was then pressed and compacted. The word "LAUREL" was then formed on the top of the clay in the mold. This would become the bottom of the finished brick, leaving a smooth surface for floors or paving. The indention compacts the clay in the mold and made a receptacle for the sand and lime (pre cement mortar) used when building walls. Bricks were fired by sawmill slabs (trimmings when boards were cut). Steam generated on-site powered the plant."

I had no idea that every brick in our house was stamped with the word "Laurel." Because they were reclaimed, they were weather-worn with soft edges, all different colors, and old mortar clung to them. You could sit and enjoy looking at the fireplace or the porch floor. I found a photo, but they were prettier in person.

Because of the show, Etsy stores are selling them as single bricks that people are using as single bricks for display. They're saying that Laurel bricks are good luck and that people in the area have considered it good luck to include one in building their homes. I've had a lot of good luck in my life (let's not talk about the bad luck), so maybe it has come from living in a house that was all Laurel brick.

Easter morning, late 1960s

How interesting!

Our (brick) house was built in 1960, I wonder if there are any Laurel bricks in it. Or if we're too far away...