As previously announced, The Alden B. Dow Home and Studio and Mid-Century Modern Midland (MCMM) will be hosting special tour offerings as part of the National Travel and Leisure Tour Day, on Saturday, October 9th. In addition to exclusive Home and Studio tours, two docent-led “walking-tours”, and a free self-guided tour featuring the Andre/James/Cruz/Willard neighborhood have been created.
In conjunction with Tour Day, we are also excited to reveal the updated version of the free MCMM mobile app. The app documents the more than 430 MCM structures in Midland. It allows you to look up any of the structures by address, original owners name, or by the architect who designed it. Additionally, it can be used as a guide through featured tours highlighting neighborhoods with high concentration of structures, while also allowing you to create your own custom tour and routes that tour for you. It features a photo and documented information on each structure along the route, and identifies the architect who designed it. Work has been done to improve the touring feature and the general functionality of the original app released in 2019. The latest version is available now for download in the Apple Store and Google play.
After downloading the app, participants of the self-guided tour are encouraged to park in either the First Baptists Church parking lot, located at 915 Sugnet, or the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church parking lot, located at 907 Mattes. There will be MCMM volunteers in the area to help direct walkers and to assist with the app.
After parking, walkers should open the MCMM app to the Home Screen. Click the box in the upper left-hand corner labeled Tours/Maps and you will be asked to allow the app to use your current location. Please click OK.
The next screen will display the three options the new version of the touring function offers. Directly under the heading Tours/Maps are three buttons; Featured, Nearby, and Custom Routes. For the October 9th self-guided tour of the Andre, James, Cruz and Willard neighborhood, two featured routes have been added at the top, specifically for Tour Day, one for folks entering the neighborhood from Cruz street (parking at First Baptist), and another for those starting off on Mattes (parking at Good Shepherd). Clicking the appropriate one will display a map of the neighborhood, with red-numbered pins for each Mid-Century structure.
Users should proceed to the number one pin to start the tour. Clicking the pin will display the name (homes are named for the original owner) of the structure in red, and clicking that will take the user to the information on the structure as found in the MCMM database. Clicking the large black X in the upper right corner will return you to the map screen. Clicking each of the subsequent pins will guide you through the neighborhood in the most efficient manner.
It is also possible to advance through the route by using the navigation box located towards the bottom of the map. By clicking on the name, you will be taken to the MCM database for addition information and photos of the home if available. There is an arrow mid-screen on the right to scroll for addition photos.
By clicking on the black arrows on the right and left of the navigation box, you can proceed to the next structure, or return to an earlier structure. This technique will help you navigate through the neighborhood and give you access to the most up-to-date information in the MCMM database. To respect the privacy of the homeowners, we ask that participants stay on the sidewalk while touring. In addition to the app, there will be MCMM yard signs which identify the designer or the builder of each structure, so if you prefer to skip the app, you can still see the variety and influence of MCM design in the neighborhood, and begin to notice the different styles of the many individuals who contributed to Midland’s MCM heritage.
More information about this free event may be found at www.abdow.org or by calling 989.839.2744.
