HOUSE ON COMSTOCK IN RIVERSIDE GARDENS DESIGNED BY WAYNE MCCLURE  

PHOTOS AND TEXT BY PAM VANDERPLOEG COPYRIGHT 2014. photos are included in the slideshow above and at the end of the article.

I was very fortunate to meet the owners of the Comstock home when they attended my presentation May 1 at the Wealthy Theater sponsored by the West Michigan AIA Chapter. Following the program, the owners Chad and Michele checked the original blueprints. They discovered that the home was designed by architectural engineer Wayne McClure and constructed in 1957 in the Riverside Gardens neighborhood.  They were getting ready to start new jobs in a new state when we talked, so I felt lucky to be able to see the house before they moved.

The home was built on a corner lot, and the house, including the attached garage, has a fluid and balanced line. An expanded patio with new concrete pavers, original low brick walls and just the right amount of landscaping to bring it all together.

The architect, Wayne McClure built many development style homes on Grand Rapids northeast side off Plainfield, however, the Comstock home was designed as a luxury custom home. The entrance has a protective overhang and the front door has a lovely old ripply glass sidelight. Chad and Michele bought the home from the original owners and original features such as the floor to ceiling windows and the brick fireplace wall by the front door, were still intact.   1950s style slate steps lead down to the living room at the garden/patio level where large glass windows fill the space with light. The living room-dining room space are open concept. 

So many things could have been changed in this home and normally would have been altered over the years like a kitchen pass-through which is a fairly narrow rectangular opening that formerly could have been closed off with accordion wood screens.  The kitchen does have a new bamboo floor.  However, the kitchen cupboards and pantry have not been changed.   One fun feature is the set of narrow cupboards under the windows with the sliding doors. Also the Formica counters and back-splash are the yellow 1950’s boomerang pattern that the first owners installed. The cabinets were built on site and the same wood is repeated in the cupboards in two of the bathrooms. To reach the next level in this multi-level home, there is a half flight of stairs to leading up to a family room with extensive cherry paneling (that has not been painted over!), a brick fireplace wall with a floating hearth and large windows opening up a panoramic view of the neighborhood, a well-planned neighborhood–once a golf course–with curving streets and  trees. There is evidence in the floor of a possible bar located in this room – think 1950’s/1960’s cocktail parties with Frank Sinatra playing in the background. The room also has a built in wooden platform sofa (and mid-century houses are all about built-ins) that is now recovered.

Truly this is a multi-level house. Another half flight of stairs with a decorative rail leads to the balcony-hall connecting three bedrooms and office. During the re-carpeting, the owners left the edges of the beautiful solid wood treads exposed.  The bedrooms and office have beamed ceilings and ribbon windows. Hardwood floors protected for so many years by the old carpeting have been uncovered and polished.   Wood trim and original closet doors tie the rooms together. 

There are two bathrooms on the upper level. The first has the tile counter, sink and cupboards – again original with the home and in beautiful condition. The second is the new master bath with a stunning tiled shower and a modern sink not shown here simply because my photos did not do it justice. The views from each floor are worth noting. The family room looks out to the approaching and intersecting streets.  The living room has a view of the patio.  The master bedroom (not shown) on the upper level, overlooks a modern church designed by Edgar Firant, an award-winning church architect who studied with Ludwig Mies van der Rohe in Chicago before establishing a practice first in Arizona and then in Grand Rapids in 1959.

One interesting feature is the collection of mid-century modern clocks, some of which are shown in the photos.

The Comstock House is a remarkable home. It could have been completely altered over the last 57 years and as stressed in this narrative, is pretty much just as it was built in 1957. The home has been well-preserved, and the owners clearly appreciate the design features while, at the same time they have made those careful changes that suit their own lifestyle and design sense. Thank you Chad and Michele for the opportunity to see and learn more about your beautiful home!