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Contact: Goerge Price, Superintendent, 508-771-2144
The National Park Service (NPS) and the Cape Cod Modern House Trust (CCMHT) have signed leases for the historic Hatch and Weidlinger properties. Both properties are located in Wellfleet and are owned by Cape Cod National Seashore. CCMHT will preserve and interpret the houses through scholar-in-residence programs and architectural studies. Each lease is for ten years. In 2009 CCMHT entered into a 20-year lease with the NPS for the historic Kugel/Gips House, also in Wellfleet. Through a combination of town funds and donations of money, materials, and labor, CCMHT brought the deteriorating Kugel/Gips House into good condition during the first nine months of the lease. "The Cape Cod Modern House Trust has a keen interest in Modern Movement architecture, and has been a leader in both research and education on the subject on the Outer Cape," said Superintendent George Price. "We're fortunate to have a lessee with both the passion and the demonstrated ability to preserve and share these historic properties with the public." The Hatch and Weidlinger properties are among twelve, 20th century Modernist architecture properties owned by Cape Cod National Seashore and eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. Some of the properties are occupied by park staff; others are vacant and will be placed into a leasing program to ensure they are protected. The properties are associated with the massive increase in single-family seasonal housing on Cape Cod following World War II, a trend that added momentum to efforts to preserve a portion of the area as Cape Cod National Seashore. They also are associated with over 100 Modern Movement style vacation homes built on the Outer Cape between 1940 and 1960. Many were designed, and in some cases lived in by the leaders of the Modern Movement: Walter Gropius, Marcel Breuer, Eero Saarinen, and Serge Chermayeff. Paul Weidlinger, founder of the prestigious engineering firm, Weidlinger and Associates, designed and built the Weidlinger House in 1954. The Hatch House was built in 1961 by local architect, Jack Hall. The properties each exemplify characteristics of Modern Movement architecture, such as severe geometric form, careful placement in the environment, and use of glass and other methods to achieve sweeping views. For more information about the Cape Cod Modern House Trust, or to become a member, visit www.ccmht.org. www.nps.gov |
Last updated: February 26, 2015