CCMHT Newsletter August 2023
This is the BIG one and it’s within reach!
CCMHT is under contract to buy the summer house of Marcel Breuer with all its contents and we have a limited window of opportunity to raise the funds.
The house is the most significant modern house on the Outer Cape and was the vibrant hub of the social and creative scene here for over 50 years.
This would be a chance to permanently preserve the house and its pristine 4.2 acre site for scholars, the public, and our supporters. If we are successful it will be available to rent, program, and tour beginning in summer 2025. If not, there is a very real danger of it going on the open market and being demolished due to the land value.
This is an opportunity for you to make a huge difference
CCMHT has one year (until the end of May 2024) to purchase this architectural treasure. Though in disrepair, the house is structurally sound and entirely original. The acquisition would include Breuer’s irreplaceable collection of art, furniture, books, and photographs which will be archived and made available to scholars and to the public. The site is surrounded by protected National Park land and abuts two kettle ponds and the headwaters of the Herring River. The ashes of Breuer, his wife Connie, her sister and her sister’s husband are buried on site. Taken together, the house, contents, and site are a cultural repository of international importance.
Once restored the Breuer House will allow CCMHT to substantially expand its programming. The three separate apartments will be a home for an annual semester-long fellowship which will allow three students/scholars to get hands-on experience in the preservation of modern buildings, the archiving of primary source materials, and the restoration and conservation of the natural environment.
I encourage you to read and share our ‘Call to Action’ brochure. Also attached is a pdf version plus our press release- please feel free to share with news outlets. Most importantly, we ask you to consider joining us in this effort to raise at least $1.4 million to save the Breuer House. With your help, and our well-designed and executed campaign—we will be successful. The last page of the
‘Call to Action’ describes ‘Ways to Give’. If you have questions, or ideas about others who might be able to make a significant difference in this campaign, we would appreciate hearing it.
Thank you for your shared passion for modern design and your interest in preserving our modernist heritage. We are thrilled to be here and are here because of you.