192:" over repair, neighbors became concerned about preserving the unique characteristics of their neighborhood. Because the houses were already listed in Lexington's Comprehensive Cultural Resources Survey, there was year-long delay before a listed house could be demolished, and a required public hearing before the Lexington Historic Commission. In one publicized case, the homeowners reconsidered their plan to tear down their 1958 home, surprised by the intensity of local feeling. After much-needed renovations, the house in question still stands, more than 10 years after that hearing.
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brought before
Lexington's Town Meeting to create a Neighborhood Conservation District (NCD) status which was approved in 2016. Even before the new bylaw was approved, proponents of a Turning Mill NCD began to document the characteristics of the area that would make it worthy of protection. Following completion of the necessary documentation, the request received a positive vote in Lexington's Town Meeting in April 2018.
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The
Turning Mill neighborhood was envisioned as a development of Techbuilt prefabricated houses, with 35 houses eventually built using this innovative methodology. Over time, other companies became involved in home construction there: specifically, the Architectural Planning Associates of Boston
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But realization that there was an ongoing threat caused the neighbors to look for new means of preservation. There was an interest in finding a means of protecting architectural resources that was less stringent than the state-governed Local
Historic District status. To that end, an article was
94:. It includes a section originally known as "Middle Ridge" and the slightly later "Upper Turning Mill" section; they were named a Neighborhood Conservation District by the Town of Lexington in 2018. Almost all of the houses in the neighborhood were built between the years of 1955 and 1967.
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was the best-known example, where a new house could be bought for $ 7000 with just $ 100 down and drew in many homecoming soldiers. Lexington was also experiencing growth of housing, but was close to the academic centers where new design ideas were being developed, such as at the
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and
Danforth Compton (1951). In different ways, each of these teams was looking for ways to take advantage of new, industrial materials and modernist principles, to produce more affordable housing more quickly. The initial developer for the project was
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When the
Turning Mill / Middle Ridge project began in 1955, there were already three communities designed with modernist principles under development in Lexington:
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The post-World War II period was a time of significant growth of suburban housing in the United States, most of which employed traditional, American designs.
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151:, originator of the Techbuilt system of modular housing construction. Koch had already experimented with some of his design ideas at the
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created three housing versions, the raised ranch, the split-level and the chalet; and developer Harmon White licensed the "
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Mid-century Modern Houses of
Lexington, Massachusetts, National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form
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123:. Lexington was home to many professionals and academics whose minds were open to different design ideas.
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457:"Frequently Asked Questions: Proposed Neighborhood Conservation District Enabling Bylaw"
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for reuse at
Turning Mill. Of the 158 houses in the district, all but 12 reflect
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A 1958 "Peacock Farm" style house in the
Turning Mill district (2022 photo)
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244:"Study Report for the Turning Mill Neighborhood Conservation District"
381:"A Guide to The Comprehensive Cultural Resources Survey of Lexington"
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As homes in the area aged and market conditions began to favor "
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A 1956 Techbuilt house in the
Turning Mill district (2022 photo)
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Turning Mill is a residential neighborhood located in northern
435:"Neighbors oppose demolition of Lexington modernist home"
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Buildings and structures in
Lexington, Massachusetts
334:"Conantum: A Neighborhood in Concord, Massachusetts"
214:"Turning Mill Neighborhood Conservation Commission"
16:Modernist subdivision in Lexington, Massachusetts
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437:. Lexington Minuteman. Wicked Local Lexington
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138:, also developed by TAC begun in 1951; and
532:Houses in Middlesex County, Massachusetts
522:Modernist architecture in Massachusetts
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121:MIT School of Architecture and Planning
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314:. The Techbuilt House. June 15, 2018
274:"Levittown, the prototypical suburb"
184:Neighborhood Conservation District
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294:Clouette, Bruce (November 2012).
272:Marshall, Colin (28 April 2015).
109:Harvard Graduate School of Design
70:is a residential neighborhood of
433:Allen, Samantha (26 July 2011).
413:Town of Lexington, Massachusetts
388:Town of Lexington, Massachusetts
356:"Interview with Walter Pierce"
354:Janovitz, Bill (7 June 2011).
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486:"Turning Mill NCD Guidelines"
132:The Architects Collaborative
300:. National Archive Catalog.
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517:Lexington, Massachusetts
76:Lexington, Massachusetts
153:Concord, Massachusetts
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251:Town of Lexington, MA
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37:42.48028°N 71.23250°W
312:"The Techbuilt Idea"
253:. September 19, 2017
180:design principles.
104:Levittown, New York
42:42.48028; -71.23250
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409:"Demolition Delay"
178:mid-century modern
72:mid-century modern
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170:Peacock Farm
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136:Five Fields
82:Description
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511:Categories
495:9 February
360:ModernMass
339:4 February
318:4 February
279:9 February
257:8 February
223:8 February
200:References
190:tear-downs
119:, and the
98:Background
74:houses in
28:71°13′57″W
25:42°28′49″N
149:Carl Koch
88:Lexington
157:Conantum
115:founder
113:Bauhaus
111:led by
78:, US.
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