National Trust for Historic Preservation – Council Weekend – Detroit
Exterior view of the McLucas House. Photographer: Robert Lubera
National Trust for Historic Preservation hosted its National Trust Council Weekend in Detroit and featured a tour and discussion of the preservation and restoration of the McLucas House (1950, Grosse Pointe Farms), the sole-surviving private residence designed by midcentury legend Alexander Girard.
Alexander Girard was one of the leading American postwar designers, known for his expertise in the fields of architecture and interior, furniture and textile design. Born in New York City, Girard trained as an architect in Europe, before returning to America in 1932. In 1937, he moved with his family to Detroit, where he designed private residences and curated a groundbreaking exhibition, For Modern Living, at the Detroit Institute of Arts. Girard is best known for the boldly colored and patterned textiles that he designed for the Herman Miller furniture company, where he served as textile director between 1952-70. After moving to Santa Fe, New Mexico, Susan and Sandro Girard amassed more than 100,000 pieces of folk art, which they later donated to the Museum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe.
