This exhibit tells the story of the architects and artists who came to Norwich in the decades following World War II, building in the latest modern styles and materials and in the process changing the landscape of Norwich. Research for the exhibit was conducted in conjunction with the Norwich Historic Preservation Commission’s National Register District nomination and Lyssa Papazian.
Walter Curt Behrendt (1884 – 1945) first worked in Germany shaping public housing policy and later moved to Norwich, VT, and became a visiting lecturer at Dartmouth.
Edgar Hayes Hunter (1914-1995) and Margaret King Hunter (1919-1997) were the leading proponents of the purer Mid-Century Modern style locally, teaching at Dartmouth and practicing in Hanover for 20 years. Both were students of Walter Gropius at the Harvard Graduate School of Design.
Allan J. Gelbin (1929-1994) was a well-known architect who spread the concepts of Frank Lloyd Wright and his own interpretations in the northeast.
This exhibit is in conjunction with the Norwich Historic Preservation District’s nomination of the Hopson Road neighborhood as a National Register District. Initial research for the exhibit was conducted by Lyssa Papazian.
Mid-Century Modern Events:
Exhibit opening
Friday, June 16, 5—7 p.m.
With a talk by Devin Colman, VT State Architectural Historian
October 4 First Wednesdays Lecture: H. Nicholas Muller III, “Fallingwater”
7 pm, Norwich Congregational Church, Free
October 10 Lecture: Roy Banwell, “The Legacy of Ted and Peg Hunter in Norwich and Hanover”
7 pm, Mayer Room, Howe Library, Hanover, NH, Free
October 14 & 15 Mid-century Walking Tour in Norwich, organized by Norwich Historical Society
1 pm, Tickets: $5; Members of Norwich Historical Society and Hanover Historical Society, Free
October 18, Lecture: Sarah Rooker, “Mad for Mid-Century Modern: A New Architectural Style Comes to Norwich”
7 pm, Norwich Public Library, Free
October 21 Mid-Century Modern House Tours in Hanover, organized by Hanover Historical Society
Tickets: $20 to fund Hanover High School scholarship fund. Rain date, Sunday, October 22. Ray School parking lot. Roy Banwell, noted Hanover architect, will guide the tour. Address to send the check: Hanover Historical Society, P.O. Box 142, Hanover, NH 03755. Provide an email address for communication.
A Mid-Century Modern Christmas Exhibit and Open House
Open after Thanksgiving through December. Open House on Saturday, December 2nd from 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Thank You!
Architectural drawings of the Gardner, Seaton, and Stockmayer houses, courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago. Thank you to our homeowners who supported the cost of acquiring the scans:
Tammy Heesakker and Greg Russo
Karen Lubell
Jeffrey O’Brien
Historical Advisors
Roy Banwell
Devin Colman
Kai Gutschow
Lyssa Papazian
Stuart White
Graphic Design
April Andrews
Elizabeth Rooker
Lenders to the Exhibit
April Andrews
Roy Banwell
Scott Knoerlein
Jane Korey
Martha Nelson
Nancy Osgood
Robert B. Rettig
Carl Schmidt
Priscilla Vincent
