Today, Lalita Amos and Garland Borden II live in a picturesque home on Indianapolis’ Eastside reminiscent of the late 30s to the mid 60s. Yet during that period of time, the couple would not have been able to purchase the home or live in their Devonshire neighborhood.
“Redlining locked us out of these neighborhoods,” said Amos. Redlining is the practice of denying housing for residents in particular areas. Due to this practice, Blacks were forced to live in designated African-American areas.
In 2011 when she and Borden decided to purchase a larger home, they decided to search for one that specifically had a “Mid-Century Modern” aesthetic inside and out. The 1958 home’s stunning front windows and spacious living room solidified their choice.
“I remember seeing Mid-Century Modern homes when I was younger and they looked futuristic. This style is also enduring and hopeful,” said Amos. “This period also has a lot of important historic elements like the civil rights movement. So during this time, Black people were also hopeful and optimistic about a new future.”
The television show “Mad Men” made that time period popular once again, however Amos and Borden have taken a more honest approach to making their house a home. Amos takes pride in the fact that her home was designed by an architect, and it gives her and her husband the ability to flex their self-expression.
The homeowners also completed a one-year renovation and brought life back to the home’s original floors, woodwork, fixtures and appliances. For example, the home has its original Nutone stove and the couple remodeled their guest bathroom using original tiles.
Borden and his wife also took inspiration from retro Jet and Ebony magazines, and found vintage and vintage-inspired pieces via the Internet and other home magazines to furnish the home.
The home has modern conveniences, however the couple wanted to stay true to authentic functions, such as keeping the windows in their original place, which complements the home’s layout and allows air to circulate throughout the house; and using their family room, basement and patio for entertaining leaving the living room for special guests and bedrooms for sleeping.
“It’s not a 1950s case study or a museum. We didn’t want to have an inappropriate devotion to the period, but we wanted to have enough of the period expressed in the house that we could say ‘this is our place and we are paying homage to this beautiful period of time,’” said Amos.
She encourages Blacks to take more of an interest in the era, do research and preserve items that are truly historic.
“A lot of these elements are in our grandparents’ homes that oftentimes (Blacks) throw away, but items will resell as ‘vintage’ for $400. This stuff is history,” said Amos.
Amos and Borden are currently in the process of registering their home under the U.S. Department of the Interior’s registry of historic homes.
Back to the future
For those who want to see firsthand restored Mid-Century Modern homes like the Amos/Borden home can do so at the “Back to the Future: A Mid-Century Modern Home Tour” hosted by Indiana Landmarks.
Indiana Landmarks’ primary goal is to save and protect Indiana’s historic places. They believe the “Back to the Future” tour is a great way to educate and inform Hoosiers about Mid Century Modern design.
“We thought a good, fun way to do this was a home tour. We did our first home tour in Indianapolis in 2007 and have been to other places such as Lafayette and Columbus. Last year we went to Bloomington and now we’re back in the capital city,” said Mark Dollase, vice president of preservation services at Indiana Landmarks.
Like Amos and Borden, Dollase believes the architecture of the late 30s to the mid 60s is fascinating, special and unique. He also feels that people don’t really appreciate the homes they’ve grown up in.
“We thought that if we did events like the home tour and talked about the features of Mid-Century Modern buildings that are so special, people would work to keep these special features,” added Dollase. “Designers and architects were really coming into their own during this time period, so this is truly an American style.”
There are five homes along the tour located in Indianapolis’ Avalon Hills and Devonshire neighborhoods, also quintessential to the time period.
The “Back to the Future: A Mid-Century Modern Home Tour” is May 31 from 1-6 p.m. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 on the day of the tour. Buy tickets in advance at Indiana Landmarks Center, Form + Function or online at midcenturytour2014.eventbrite.com.
