Rummer Homes - Model K-4 - MOD-icon illustration

One of the last surviving mid century modern home builders, Robert Rummer, passed away a couple of weeks ago at the age of 97. He built nearly 1000 homes in the Portland, Oregon area between the 1960s and 1970s, including the 29 Rummers in Oak Hills, which was recognized by the National Register of Historic Places in 2013.

Rummer Homes were often inspired by the architecture of Joseph Eichler, aiming to create “houses that bring the inside out or the outside in.” The whole venture began when Robert’s wife, Phyllis, visited her sister in Walnut Creek in 1959. They toured Eichler homes in the newly completed Walnut Creek development of Rancho San Miguel. She was so enamored with them, she came home, and was ~ eventually ~ able to convince Bob that he should build similar homes. Utilizing Eichler articles from publications like Better Homes & Gardens and Arts & Architecture, and even meeting with longtime Eichler collaborator, A. Quincy Jones, Rummer was able to create his own versions of Eichler designs that were appropriate for the terrain and climate of the Pacific Northwest.

If you’re a Rummer homeowner, I would love to work with you on a MOD-icon, like this great example of a Rummer Model K-4, that looks a bit like a Claude Oakland Eichler Model W-4.